Local beauty

I had to follow up my last post’s criticism of local architecture with something more positive from the design files.  When walking through a nearby neighborhood a few weeks ago, I spotted this fence.

Among the many hum-drum front fences of these townhouses, the horizontal wood planks are a welcome sight.  It all looks very well-crafted.

 

Do you love that rolling gate?

I bet that is fun to come home to.  My in-laws built and installed a similar door in their house.  Good times.  Noodle salad.  (Can you tell me what that’s from?)

I commend you, neighbor!   Job well done on that curb appeal!

Airport Style

So last week I wrote about Hollin Hills, a neighborhood nearby, and mentioned that it was laid out in the early 60s by an architect named Charles Goodman.  I also wrote that Goodman was the original architect of National Airport (now known as Reagan National Airport).  Well, that’s not entirely true (I need to remember that Wikipedia isn’t always a reliable source of information), though he was part of the original team of designers.  See, after I wrote the post, bells started going off in Dr. Jay’s head.  On a trip through Reagan (the airport) a few months ago he happened to pass by what looked like a lobby preserved in time in Terminal A.  He’s been saying we should go check it out ever since, so on Sunday we finally did.  After an hour and $2 to park in the short-term parking garage, we’d learned all about the history of the airport.  It sits on land which used to be Abingdon Plantation, owned originally by Captain John Alexander.  Abingdon was purchased in 1778 by John Parke Custis, the adopted stepson of President George Washington, and was the birthplace of Washington’s beloved granddaughter, Eleanor “Nelly” Parke Custis.  Ruins from the original house (which was destroyed by fire in 1930) still remain on the grounds, and artifacts are preserved in Historic Terminal A.

Visiting Historic Terminal A is also a great way to see the first airport building’s unique style, which was definitely a blend of the classical architecture President Franklin D. Roosevelt requested as a way to pay tribute to the rest of Washington’s architecture and of the emerging modern aesthetic demanded of the technologies present in an airport facility.  Here’s some of what we saw:

Pshhhha- we went in anyway.  There was no function.

 

 

 

Here’s a final photo of the more recently designed Cesar Pelli addition to the airport.

If you’re ever in Reagan and near Terminal A, stop in and check it out the Historic Lobby.  It seems as if they will be further restoring it to its original early-American airport style.  Don’t miss your flight or anything, but it’s worth a looksy if you’re stuck at the airport for some time.

Go West

I received J.Crew’s August catalog last week.  Gold star for me for not ordering anything, even though I have a both a gift card and a credit to my good name.  Actually, it’s pretty easy to avoid buying pretty clothes when you’re many many #s above your normal weight, but I like to give myself a pat on the back whenever possible.

So, why am I talking about J.Crew?  Cause I love that each new season brings a different location for their catalog shoot.  This month’s catalog was shot at Lake Powell in Arizona, and gosh is that some amazingly breathtaking landscape.  The rock formations have such an incredible architectural quality, I couldn’t resist writing about them on the Babble.  I’ve been wanting to take a trip out West for some time now:  hike the Grand Canyon, see Lake Mead, do some crazy whitewater rafting, take Ansel Adams-esque photographs.  You know, the usual.

(All images courtesy of the J.Crew August catalog)

I’m also coveting this bag, in case you’re interested.

Mad house in D.C.

Well, actually the winning house from the Washington Post’s Mad Men Look contest is in Silver Spring, Maryland, but it’s all the same up here in the DMV (I’ve heard that’s the new term for the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area). The winner was announced in last weekend’s Real Estate section, and of course I am right on top of things reporting to you, dear readers. The house, built in 1953, is owned by Melissa and Christopher Talley. They’ve been recreating the past with 60’s chic decor since purchasing the home in 2007. Melissa collected mid-century furniture and accessories for many years, so finding the perfect house in which to showcase her collection was like divine intervention. Check out the Post’s slideshow for images of their home, plus those of the other winners. Second place went to a Bethesda home, and third place to a home in Hollin Hills, a neighborhood in nearby (to me) Fairfax county.

In fact, reading the article last weekend lead us to take a trek out to Hollin Hills to check it out for ourselves. I’d originally heard of this neighborhood from a co-worker that’s lived there for almost 30 years. It was developed in the early 50s, designed and site planed by architect Charles Goodman and developed by Robert Davenport. The firm, Charles M. Goodman Associates, designed 14 models of houses for the neighborhood. The current neighborhood association is actually trying to get it into the National Register of Historic Places. Goodman is interesting because he’s also responsible for designing the original National Airport (now known as Reagan National Airport) and also served as head architect to the Treasury Department.

Visiting Hollin Hills was a nice departure from the historic revival styles so frequently seen here in Alexandria and the D.C. area. Though the lot sizes were smaller than I imagined, there are lots of trees and foliage to provide privacy. Most of the facades feature a high percentage of glass, and I’m told each of the lots came with a landscape plan designed to both maximize views, light exposure, and maintain privacy. You might say much of the landscaping looks a bit overgrown at this point. I took lots of photos (while trying not to be too invasive of privacy) so take a look at this mid-century neighborhood for yourself:

I think I’m in love with this house:

This one is for sale:

Want to guess the price?

A World Architecture Survey

Dr. Jay alerted me to this article on VanityFair.com not too long ago, and since he may be responsible for deleting the entire post I’d written for you guys about marble and I’m not up to recreating it for you at this hour of the night, I figured it was finally time to share the VF article with you.

If you’re interested in learning what some of today’s top architects consider to be the most influential works of architecture in the world (constructed since 1980) check out the results of their survey here.  You can click on each participant (most of whom are architects or designers of some reknown) and see their top five picks.  You can also view a slideshow of some of the most popular works of world architecture.  I loved skimming through it to see how many of these buildings or structures I’ve been to or seen in person.  And making a list of where I need to visit.  It’s a long list.

Today is the greatest

Today has really been a great one, full of good news from old friends, new discoveries, and amazing connections.  I just love the blog-world.  If you had told me last year that this blog would lead me to this many powerful and affirming experiences, I never would have believed you.  But I’m glad Dr. Jay talked me into starting it, as I am with most things he talks me into.

What am I babbling about? Well, for one thing, the universe spoke to my question and I now have an answer.  The architect of Twomey Cellars in Healdsburg, California is Jacques Ullman.  The project won an AIA Chapter design award in 2004 and is featured in Wineries II:  Architecture and Design.  Mr. Ullman somehow found my post on the winery (which was originally called Roshambo) and answered my question in the comments section.  Thanks, Mr. Ullman!  If we make it back out to Northern California, I will definitely look you up.  And thank you, blog-world, for making the universe seem a little smaller once again.

Cheese isn’t actually structurally sound

Behold

Looks like paradise, right? But wait, is that a potato? And salmon?!! Take a gander at the work of Carl Warner and his foodscapes here. Yes, that is all real food. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Here’s an image of Carl at work on some processed meat.

A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. And thousands and thousands of calories.

Visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum

Last weekend we had a friend in town, and despite the snow storm on Saturday, we made the trek into D.C. to spend the afternoon at the Holocaust Memorial Museum.

I have to admit, this museum hasn’t been high on my list to visit.  It’s one that though I wanted to experience, I knew it would be emotional and other D.C. sites always seemed to take precedence.  But my friend requested this museum, and frankly, it made a lot of sense to go on a snowy day.  The bitter weather of the day ended up being eerily appropriate for the subject.

I am still in awe of the experience.  I had no idea the museum was so well-designed.  It opened in 1993, before great design was really on my radar, so I never really knew what I was missing.  It was designed by James Ingo Freed, and as far as museums go, this was one of the best I have ever visited.  We spent three hours there, only in the permanent collection (there is a current exhibit there about Propaganda) and I think I read almost every placard.  I learned an incredible amount in such a short period, and I was emotionally drained.

There’s no photography allowed in the actual exhibits, but I was able to snap a few of the transitional spaces, which I think are really important to the impact of the museum.  This museum was really well-conceived.  Even on a snowy, winter day, there were a lot of visitors.  It’s not technically their high season (which is from March to August when passes are required) so I was amazed at how many other folks were present.

Without further adieu, here are some of my photos.  These next few are from the light-well in the center of the building.  Again, the snow was strangely appropriate when thinking of the conditions of the Holocaust.

This one is looking down into the lower entrance level.  I couldn’t get over those guys in uniform (see below, on the stairs).  I thought they were character actors from the time-period and I was trying to figure out what the uniform might be representing.  I finally asked one of them where they were from.  Turns out they go to West Point and they were at the museum on a field trip.  Whoops.

You see all these roofs from the walkway in between the levels, and incredible reminder of the many European cities affected by the Holocaust.

I wish I could have taken photos of some of the exhibits, but all I can say is that if you have time in D.C., this is a must-visit.  I’m really glad we were convinced to go.

Here are a few other photos of the snow in Alexandria this week, as I brace for the impending blizzard this weekend.  Maybe I’ll get to blog some more, but only after I dig myself out of the closet I plan to reorganize tonight.  I would show you “before” photos, but I’m too embarrassed of its state, so I’ll just blame the poor lighting conditions.

The one above is my office, and that loading dock leads to the Ice House, which back in the day used to store ice.  Now it stores old drawings.

 

New York in pictures

My friend Brandy went to New York last weekend and, being the incredible photographer that she is, took some stunning images of the city.  I told her they were very architectural, but hey, why put labels on things?  Oh yeah, cause I have that little labeler tool on the right that helps me categorize my babbles. 

Check out the photos here, at her blog Modern Toile.  And I wasn’t exaggerating about her being a photographer.  She is.  You can hire her.  Please tell her I sent you.

Visual Acoustics

 

As promised, I want to give my review of the film Visual Acoustics:  The Modernism of Julius Shulman.  First of all, if I had to give it a grade: solid B+.  I’m a tough critic though, and I definitely recommend seeing the film. 

I absolutely left the theater feeling awestruck and inspired and in love with architecture.  And photography, of course.  Shulman, for all intents and purposes, was essentially the father of architectural photography.  He was the the first to recognize the importance of an environmental context for buildings, which so many modernist architects in California were striving to achieve, and he was the first to recognize the importance of real people in architectural images.  In fact, one of the elements I liked most in this film was that Shulman, at 97 or 98, returns to talk with people who either still live in one of the houses he photographed (as in the case of the iconic Pierre Koenig house) or with the current owners who are trying to restore a house he originally photographed (as with the Kaufmann house).  It was amazing to hear him relive what he was thinking about when he first saw these houses, however many years ago, and what those folks think about the houses now.  Shulman worked with some of the most influential architects of the 20th century (Richard Neutra, Charles and Ray Eames, Rudolph Schindler, Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry), but he also loved to “discover” new talent and helped to put Modernism into mainstream America.

So what didn’t I love about the film?  Well, there were some interjections of animation that really detracted from the message of the film.  I guess they were attempting to make the documentary less serious, but it was really inconsistent with the way the rest of the film was made.  I think the interviews with Shulman were a great way to make the film less serious.  He was very light-hearted and honest and quite the entertainer- you could tell he loved being a part of the documentary.  It was like his victory lap, and I loved watching him guide us through it.  I didn’t need a cartoon explanation of the history of Modernism, though I can appreciate what they were trying to do.  In general, I don’t think the cinematography did justice to Shulman’s incredible still photographs, so that was kind of a let down as well.  So there you have it- B+.

Has anyone else seen this film?  What did you think? Am I being too harsh?

The art of architectural photography

I can’t wait to see this film this week.

I’ll give you my review after I see it.

On a side note, the re-painting of our apartment is going much better.  Much.  Photos to follow when I finish.

I am now halfway through my challenge of posting every day in November.  I’m actually kind of hooked!