Author Archives: Editor
Remembering Kress
An S.H. Kress store in Charleston, South Carolina has been repurposed as a Williams-Sonoma store. S.H. Kress was a five-and-dime chain that went out of business decades ago, but left hundreds of beautiful buildings around the country as its legacy.
Moon Over Lake Michigan
The light of a full moon teams up with skyscrapers to illuminate the night sky in Chicago.
City Scene: Savannah Contrasts
The ultra-modern Talmadge Memorial Bridge carries people across the Savannah River, while historic sternwheeler paddleboats carry people up and down the river.
City Scene: Going Underground
London’s famous Underground signs now have an electric treatment, helping them stand out in the night.
Seeing Stars in Los Angeles
Long before people who make their living pretending to be other people were called “stars” there were people in the Hollywood hills who made their living looking at real stars. They are the scientists at the Griffith Observatory, built in 1933 high above the city in an area that was thought to be safe from &hellip Continue reading
Skyline of the Week: Frankfurt
While other German cities push their architectural envelope into unusual small shapes, Frankfurt is the nation’s recognized leader in skyscrapers, with dozens over 30 stories residing in harmony with the city’s historic spires.
Tracking Cell Phones as Urban Art
About a year ago, a security researcher noticed that it is possible to read a file on someone’s home computer and create a map showing the cell towers that their iPhone has accessed. It was an interesting hack, and not that big a deal until the “journalists” of the blogosphere got wind of it. Suddenly, &hellip Continue reading
City Scene: The World’s Best Warehouse Gates
Just because a building is an industrial warehouse doesn’t mean it has to be ugly. For example, these gates on a food distribution warehouse in the Smithfields section of London. Not only are they beautifully ornate, they’re painted in a festival of colors. You can see more great London architecture on our sister web site, &hellip Continue reading
City Scene: Potatoes Under the Tracks
Pretty much everyone eats potatoes now and again. And those tubers have to come from somewhere. People who live in the Southwark area of London can thank this potato-monger for their spuds. The olde-tymie shoppe is located underneath London Bridge in Borough Market. You can see other London bridges on our sister web &hellip Continue reading
Diamonds in the Rough: The Ravenel Bridge
Traditionally, the city of Charleston, South Carolina is associated with historic architecture, stately plantations, and generally old things. But the biggest thing in Charleston Harbor (aside from the cargo ships loading up on freshly minted BMW cars), is a new piece of architecture: The Arthur Ravenel, Junior Bridge. The bridge’s span is held &hellip Continue reading
Glass Cones Mark What’s Down
A pair of tall glass cones form an atrium over a the Festhall/Messe subway station in Frankfurt. We’ve seen similar glass cones used in other places. For example, the entrance to the Japanese Nursing Association building in Tokyo.
City Scene: Buckingham Palace in the Morning
You have to get up pretty early to beat the tourists to Buckingham Palace in London. But it’s worth it. Just you, a couple of Beefeaters and bobbies, and the sun casting long shadows across the perfect forecourt. If you have the opportunity to go inside, do. It’s really a great tour, and you can &hellip Continue reading
City Scene: The Dimming of Harrods
Tourists who visit the famous Harrods Department Store in London are continually wowed by the sparkly baubles available inside. Those who visit after dark, however, get to witness the majestic building edged in lights, an entirely different delight. Unfortunately, right now one side of the historic building is being renovated, so the view isn’t everything it &hellip Continue reading
City Scene: Rainy Day Cyclists
People in Berlin don’t let a little thing like rain stop them from cycling. When this photo was taken, it had been raining all day, but still there were hundreds of people riding their bikes around the city.
City Scene: The Monument
You have to be a pretty confident, important, and historic city to have a monument that is simply called “The Monument,” and London is just that type of city. This is The Monument, a monument marking the historic Great Fire of London in 1666, which left an estimated 70,000 of the city’s 80,000 residents &hellip Continue reading
Westend Tower: A Famous Frankfurter
The skyscraper known as Westend Tower may not be Frankfurt’s tallest, but it is one of the city’s best known. It was among the first to use a decorative crown to set itself apart from others in a skyline, and has become a key to identifying Frankfurt for people around the world.
City Scene: Dom’s Domes
The domes of the Berlin Cathedral rise into a misty 6am sky. The grassy area it faces is a favorite hangout for latter-day punks, goths, larpers, and wannabe vampires late at night.
Making a Big Deal of Small Things
We spotted this in the window of the Jourdan & Müller architecture firm. It looks like its making a scale model of the entire city of Frankfurt. Very handy for skyscraper fans!
City Scene: Morning in Berlin
A misty morning makes Berlin’s landmarks stand out against the sky.
SOM’s Master Plan For Bahrain Bay
Perpetual skyscraper foundry, SOM, added its master planed district for Manama, Bahrain to its project pages. Bahrain Bay is one component of the North Manama Master Plan, but it’s a whopper. Like many flagship Middle Eastern mega-projects, this one rises from the Persian Gulf on a 4.6 million square foot artificial island, linked by freeways &hellip Continue reading