Category: Northeastern United States
-
Washington Union Station (1907) – Washington, D.C.
D.H. Burnham & Company. Washington Union Station (1907). Washington, D.C.1 2 3 4 
Looking at Washington Union Station from the southwest 
Statuary and inscripted frieze on the south facade of Washington Union Station, Washington, D.C. 
Original waiting room in Washington Union Station, Washington, D.C. 
Loggia on the south facade of Washington Union Station, Washington, D.C. 
Second-floor window on the south facade of Washington Union Station, Washington, D.C. 
Eagle statuary and inscribed frieze on the south facade of Washington Union Station, Washington, D.C. References
- “New Union Passenger Station For Washington.” The Washington Post, March 17, 1902, p. 1. ↩︎
- “The Proposed New Union Railway Depot.” The Washington Times, March 17, 1902, p. 3. ↩︎
- “Farewell To Old Terminal”. The Sunday Star (Washington, D.C.), November 17, 1907, Part 1, p. 3. ↩︎
- “New Union Station”. The Sunday Star (Washington, D.C.), November 24, 1907, Part 8, p. 11. ↩︎
-
Urban Life: Painted turtles
Painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) at Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York I spent six hours yesterday lying on a bench in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park, overlooking Lake Clara Meer. The water was full of honking geese, but I was disappointed by the lack of turtles.
I thought about my visit to Prospect Park last July, when I spotted this log full of painted turtles catching flies.
New York, how I miss you.
-
Metropolitan Club (1894) – New York
Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White. Metropolitan Club (1894). New York.1 The Fifth Avenue side of the Metropolitan Club enjoys just a few minutes of direct light in the winter, so I had to work fast for this picture.
It was a freezing day in January—hours before a snowstorm hit—but damn it, the result was worth the misery.
Location of the Metropolitan Club
Of the many fine examples of Stanford White‘s work in New York, the Metropolitan Club is the best.
The building’s composition is simple yet refined; the elements are perfectly balanced, and the facade is delicately textured with just the right amount of ornamentation.
Someday I’ll get the detail shots.
The structure was designed in the style of an Italian palazzo and built of marble, with opulent interiors that I’ll certainly never photograph. The club, after all, was founded by millionaires and is now patronized by billionaires.
I’ll just take pics by the Halal cart across the street, thanks.
Gallery
Interior2
Main Hall of the Metropolitan Club, New York Elevations, Sections, and Floorplans3
Sixtieth Street Elevation of the Metropolitan Club, New York 
Section and detail drawings of the Metropolitan Club, New York 
First floor plan of the Metropolitan Club, New York 
Second floor plan of the Metropolitan Club, New York References
- “New Club Of The Millionaires.” The World (New York), February 25, 1894, p. 26. ↩︎
- A Monograph of the Work of McKim Mead & White, 1879-1915. New York: The Architectural Book Publishing Company, 1915. ↩︎
- ibid. ↩︎
-
Urban Life: Common pigeon in Philly
Common pigeon (Columba livia). Center City, Philadelphia. It was a freezing day in Philly when I snapped this pic of a pigeon shivering on a fire hydrant—I believe it was on 15th Street in Center City, across from City Hall.
Snow was on the way, and the winter wind whipping between the buildings packed a nasty bite. I hope the bird is enjoying the warmer weather.
-
Guild House (1963) – Philadelphia
Venturi and Rauch. Guild House (1963). Philadelphia.1 If you want to see bad architecture, go to Atlanta; if you want to see good architecture, go to New York. If you want to see interesting architecture, visit Philly.
Philadelphia has a long history of architects whose work is weird and idiosyncratic — the kind of projects that make you cock your head and go “huh.” Designers like Frank Furness, Wilson Eyre, Jr., Malcolm Wells, and—most famously—Louis Kahn, all developed approaches to architecture that were brash, distinctive, and groundbreaking.
Not to be overlooked is the husband-and-wife architectural team of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, whose Philadelphia-based firm pioneered what is now known as postmodern architecture.
Pictured here is Guild House in Philadelphia’s Poplar neighborhood, which I visited last June. Completed in 1963, it’s Robert Venturi’s most important early work, designed with 91 apartments for low-income senior citizens.
As the duo shared in their seminal 1966 manifesto, Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, Guild House was consciously modeled, in part, on the vernacular architecture of Philadelphia’s ubiquitous rowhouses.
At first glance, the building’s appearance is unremarkable—and that’s entirely the point. The flat facade, covered in common brick, blends seamlessly with the banal industrial buildings surrounding the facility.
On closer observation, however, the structure’s bold massing and irregularly sized square windows form a provocative composition. The central opening with 8 partitioned balconies, topped by a giant arched window, resembles a shelf for knick-knacks—striking yet oddly familiar and cozy.
The project was a conscious celebration of the commonplace, meticulously planned using plain, low-cost materials, right down to the chain-link fence that surrounds the building.
At the roots of the postmodern ethos was the egalitarian belief that art and architecture belonged to ordinary people, not just a self-anointed elite. Ironically—and inevitably—the movement was co-opted and corrupted by starchitects and corporate designers until it was thoroughly dismantled and destroyed.
Alas, this is the world we have created.
References
- Venturi, Robert. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1966. ↩︎
