by Architectural Observer | Jun 20, 2018 | Blog, Observations
Antique mechanical contraptions have long intrigued me, and the Daisy Automatic Weather Strip for Doors does not disappoint! Discovered by Jim while recently exploring a long-vacant farmhouse, the device is still in operating condition after 101 years! A deteriorated...
by Architectural Observer | Jun 16, 2018 | Blog, Observations
Built sometime around 1940 by its original occupant, a man who was innovative and interested in modern design, this house in Salina, Kansas, does not look much like its neighbors. After nearly 80 years it still has a futuristic air to it. I encountered a family...
by Architectural Observer | Jun 13, 2018 | Blog, Observations
Recently, while sifting through the contents of a file cabinet, I ran across an article I had written back in 1985 about the long and painful death of an old house in Manhattan, Kansas. I felt a bit sad reading it because old buildings – and the physical...
by Architectural Observer | Jun 9, 2018 | Blog, Observations
I started collecting glass advertising pin trays with architecture depicted on them many, many, years ago. These things were always showing up at yard sales and thrift stores; they were fun and inexpensive. Eventually, because of the sheer number of such trays, I...
by Architectural Observer | Jun 4, 2018 | Blog, Observations
Sometimes a house or building just looks a bit off. If the problem isn’t immediately apparent, such as a glaringly harsh color scheme or over-the-top landscaping, it might be something more subtle like a problem with scale. The following structures all have...
