Every historic building has a story to tell
I enjoy words – and the field of architectural history provides a plethora of interesting terminology and vocabulary to tickle my fancy. Although there are some terms that are set in stone (the classical order of columns, for example), there are so many regional variations – not the least being house types, forms, and plans. (read more)
In the first half of the 20th century, neon – a “dull and invisible gas until it’s trapped in a tube and zapped with electricity” changed the art of sign making. * Theater marquees glowed even more brightly with the addition of neon, and even prosaic, utilitarian building – like a utility company building – (read more)
Category: Graves County
Tags: #historicsigns, #kentuckyarchitecture, #mayfieldky, TVA
I rarely find anything to praise about the University of Kentucky’s agenda in relation to the preservation of historic buildings and landscapes. Over the decades, the institution’s ravaging maw has devoured countless neighborhoods and significant buildings. It is surprising then, that a lone historic dwelling still stands on Rose Street, between the Singletary Center and (read more)
Category: Fayette County
Tags: Elgan Brooks Farris, Maury Cruther, University of Kentucky
Art Deco style buildings are not commonplace in my home state of Kentucky, so when I saw a 23-foot tall golden statue of Electra high above the streets of Birmingham, on top of an Art Deco building with dramatic setbacks, strong vertical lines, and geometric patterns – I stopped, gawking. The Alabama Power Building was (read more)
Categories: Alabama architecture, Other Places
Tags: Art Deco, Edward Field Stanford Jr, Electra
I am partial to gables – choosing that architectural term as one part of this blog’s name – to represent the building side of my passions. And of course, Anne of Green Gables will forever hold a prized place on my bookshelves.* But even a well-loved term can sometimes do with a bit of explanation. (read more)
Category: Architectural Terms
Tags: architectural terms, gables
A recent story on public radio about “unschooling” sent my thoughts ranging far and wide about the history of public education in Kentucky. A proponent of unschooling made the allusion that allowing children to learn how they wished, outside of formal education, has historic precedent – that “this is how young people learned well before (read more)
Categories: Abandoned Kentucky, Menifee County, Schools
Tags: #frenchburgschool, #menifeecountyky, #presbyterianchurch
Mysteries are the heart of loving and documenting historic buildings. Whenever I visit a place, camera in hand, I inevitably take my leave with more questions than answers. Paintsville, Kentucky, named the county seat of Johnson County in 1834, developed quickly in the early 20th century as the region’s coal mining operations boomed – and (read more)
Categories: Johnson County, Kentucky architecture
Tags: John C.C. Mayo, John R. Gieske, Judge James W. Turner, Paintsville
In 1935, the economy of Paducah, Kentucky, hummed along – and if there was a soundtrack playing in the background, it would have been the noise of train engines. The Illinois Central Railroad operated one of the nation’s largest locomotive repair shops in Paducah, spread out over 110 acres on the south side of Kentucky (read more)
One of the most common commercial building types in the United States is the filling station or gas station. Often located at busy intersections and “hot” corners in downtown business districts, the filling station is a tangible reminder of the early days of vehicular travel, when cars were still new and roads weren’t that great. (read more)
Category: Letcher County
Tags: Filling station, historic gas stations, Whitesburg Kentucky
Climbing 178 steps with a toddler on your hip isn’t likely the most popular way to exercise. But completing the climb in Georgia’s oldest and tallest lighthouse was worth the extra expenditure of calories to drink in the view from above – further cementing my desire to justify how a drone would complement my professional (read more)
Category: Georgia
Tags: #fortscreven, #generalgeorgecmarshall, #historiclighthouse, #tybeeisland, #tybeelighthouse, Lighthouse
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