POTD: Corbusier #10

POTD: Corbusier #10Corbusier #10 Paris, France 2013

I found this curious; while the main building structure was modern enough to still look modern today, the plumbing fixtures in Maison la Roache were decidedly not modern. I guess that’s how you tell it was an original from the early days of the modern architecture movement, not a recent one.]]>

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POTD: Shootout

POTD: ShootoutShootout Mantowish Waters, Wisconsin 2014

On our recent Wisconsin trip, our friends took us to the Little Bohemia Lodge, the scene of a shootout between the FBI and John Dillinger and his gang (which included Baby Face Nelson) in 1934. Some of the bullet holes from that fight are still there and today are a minor tourist attraction. Dillenger and company survived the fight; not so an unlucky bystander shot down the road by some overzealous FBI agents. Dillinger did of course succumb to FBI bullets sometime later outside a theater in Chicago, given up by the famed lady in the red dress (who may or may not have actually been wearing the red dress as she promised the FBI she would).

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POTD: Corbusier #8

POTD: Corbusier #8Corbusier #8 Paris, France 2013

Walther Gropius was the founder of the Bauhaus School, the most influential modernist art school of the 20th century. In 1913 he published an article The Development of Industrial Buildings which included a number of photographs of columnar concrete American grain elevators. These grain elevator photos greatly influenced Le Corbusier.  Their simple shapes and large unadorned expanses of concrete became a dominant characteristic of Corbusier’s designs. Having photographed grain elevators extensively, to a large degree because of my attraction to the light as it plays across their simple geometries, it’s no surprise I also found Corbusier’s work equally interesting.]]>

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POTD: Corbusier #6

POTD: Corbusier #6Corbusier #6 Paris, France 2013

In addition to a stairway to the second level, Corbusier also added a ramp up from the main living area. Its sweeping curve adds a nice touch to the space but I don’t think it would qualify the house for ADA access as it has quite a steep pitch. I’m not sure which would be worse to attempt in a wheelchair, going up or coming down.]]>

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