Springfield, Illinois, is a small city but it is Illinois’ state capitol and has the history to go with it. Among its varied historic sites you will find a Lincoln mecca. If you stop through, don’t just stop by the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (though definitely stop there–it’s great). The hidden gem of a… Read More 5 Reasons to Visit the Lincoln Home Historic Site
The Longaberger Company may have gone out of business in 2018 but they left a large reminder of their products just east of Newark, Ohio, in the form of a seven-story version of the Longaberger medium market basket. Not only is the building known as the world’s largest basket, it’s also one of the largest… Read More Sometimes Architecture’s a Picnic (Literally)
This weekend, a selection Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings joined the Unesco World Heritage List. The listing, named the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, includes eight buildings across the United States: Unity Temple (Oak Park, IL) Robie House (Chicago, IL) Taliesin (Spring Green, WI) Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House (Madison, WI) Fallingwater (Mill Run, PA) Hollyhock House (Los Angeles,… Read More Frank Lloyd Wright: New UNESCO World Heritage Site
Happy Valentine’s Day! In the spirit of the holiday I wanted to send a little extra love to our bridges. Many cities near and dear to me have a plethora of bridges. Portland, Oregon, has the nickname “Bridge City” due to all of its bridges (including St. John’s Bridge, pictured). Twelve bridges cross the Willamette,… Read More I Heart Bridges
Modernism has a strong core group of followers but it is not unfamiliar to push-back when it comes to preservation. Being less than 50 years old is difficult for a building. They haven’t yet met the National Register age criteria and they are often under-appreciated by the public, who see them as too new, or hardly… Read More Appreciating Modernism: Reno Downtown Library
Carnegie libraries are everywhere and I have become increasingly interested and curious that their styles seem also to be across the board. One would think that such an extensive library-building program (1,679 libraries were built in the U.S.! I wrote previously about this here) would supply plans as well as funding. It seems that while… Read More Considering Carnegie Libraries
”Above all, with political turmoil, traffic problems, vast increases in population and the tremendous impact of the machine, we must have serenity. Man needs a serene architectural background to save his sanity in today’s world.” -Minoru Yamasaki to Ada Louise Huxtable I hadn’t heard of Minoru Yamasaki until recently and now it seems like he’s… Read More Minoru Yamasaki in Seattle
Oregon City sits on a dramatic bluff adjacent to Willamette Falls, near Portland, Oregon. Its location was selected due to the presence of the falls, but the steep bluff (722 stairs) was a huge impediment to the growing city. How to solve such an issue? In 1912 Oregon City voters decided the solution was a… Read More Oregon’s Outdoor Elevator
One of my favorite things about Seattle is that many of the neighborhoods were originally separate towns and have their own history and flavor. Ballard, which today is in the northwest quadrant of Seattle, was originally a Scandinavian fishing town. Ballard was incorporated into the city of Seattle in 1907 and has gained appropriate street… Read More Historic Streets of Ballard
I found this picturesque cottage on the bluff above Puget Sound (I can only imagine the view from the back). It is very Pacific Northwest in character and the blossoming rhododendron could not be more perfect. But what about the round front doorway? If you follow me on instagram, you may have noticed three round… Read More Round Front Doors
Susie Trexler 