Once in awhile, I realize how lucky I am to live in Chicago. There is an art student in some part of the world who would love to see this sculpture in person, but for whatever reason, won’t be able to make the trip. But I could theoretically see it every day. There are blessings like this is your life, too, if you know where (and how) to look.
A question to start today: Why is constructing the building on the left be VAT-free, while renovating the historic building on the right and converting it to a new purpose is not? To me, this is completely the wrong way round and such tax rules are undoubtedly contributing to what seems to be the rapidly-accelerating loss of our built heritage.
Just for a bit of background, the building on the right is the B-listed Hillhead Baptist Chuch in the West End of Glasgow which threatened with demolition by developers because they say it's not economically viable to save even its distinctive facade (mostly due to damage caused after they removed the roof and did nothig to it for several years).
Two-tone tenements on Clifford Street in the Ibrox area of Glasgow. Local legend has it this effect is due to the builders running out of one colour of sandstone and completing the building with another. However, it seems much more likely that this was a conscious design choice to use harder red sandstone on the ground flooor, where most wear was likely to occur, and the softer blonde sandstone above.
The same two-tone approach can be seen on many bank buildings constructed around the same time, where ultra hard-wearing granite was often used to face the ground floor walls.
The octagonal chimney of the former Prince's Dock Hydraulic Pumping Station on the south bank of the Clyde in Glasgow. It's shape and the decorative freize around the top appear to be based on the Tower of the Winds in the Roman Agora in Athens, which dates back to at least 50 BC. The chimney was originally 172 feet tall, but was cut down to just 55 feet in 1927.
I love this Art Nouveau style version of the Glasgow Coat of Arms on one of the buildings of the old Lambhill Street School in the Kinning Park area of the city.
New drawing. A cinema I frequently visited as a child. It's pictured here as I remember it, circa December 1977/January 1978. It has long since been demolished.
I continue to work on my #OpenTelemetry demo. Its main idea is to showcase traces across various technology stacks, including #asynchronous communication via an #MQTT queue. This week, I added a couple of components and changed the #architecture. Here are some noteworthy learnings; note that some of them might not be entirely connected to @opentelemetry
Lambhill Stables on the Forth and Clyde Canal in Glasgow. This was one of four stables built to the same classical design (similar to that used for Canal House at Speirs Wharf) along the canal in the early 1800s. These provided fresh horses at regular intervals for Swifts (fast passenger boats travellig the length of the canal). The other similar stables were at Shirva, Crainmarloch and Easter Cadder near Kirkintilloch.
Saint Columba of Iona's Church in the Woodside area of Glasgow. Designed by Gillespie, Kidd and Coia in a modern twist on the Italian Romanesque style, it was built in 1937.
Canal House at Speirs Wharf on the Forth and Cylde Canal in Glasgow. Built around 1800 as offices for the Forth and Clyde Canal Company, it's thought to have been designed by David Hamilton.
"Have you ever walked through a great city and thought, wow I love this place? What is it that makes some places great and others ... not? One key factor is what urban planners call a “sense of place.”"
YES, yes, yes!
I never understood why I like that small streets in the old (denser) part of my village. Now after watching this video, it makes completely sense. And it's great to hear that this does not only appeal to me, but it seems to be a general thing (otherwise there would not be a theory behind this).
The magnificent Edwardian Baroque Kelvingrove Art Gallery in the West End of Glasgow rising above the greenery of the surrounding park and into the last of this evening's sun.
This building at 35 Whitefield Road in the Ibrox area of Glasgow has always struck me as being potentially interesting, but rather frustratingly, I've never been able to work out its original purpose.
Exploring Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, I walk a lot even though it is very hot and the humidity is exhausting.
Especially the old streets are pure eye-candy when it comes to architecture and details. Nowadays I only take photos with my phone, I sold the Nikon. Sometimes I miss my DSLR.
Photo: Parroquia Santa Ana, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico