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...
by Architectural Observer | May 29, 2018 | Blog, Observations
Sometimes construction projects end up looking somewhat different from what the initial architectural renderings suggest. A residential development in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has several unusual facades which vary somewhat from the early renderings. The...
by Architectural Observer | May 28, 2018 | Blog, Mail Order and Kit Houses
Recently I discovered a plan book of houses published by C. L. Bowes of Hinsdale, Illinois, which was copyrighted in 1926. Within its pages was a dead-ringer for the “Rodessa” by Sears. Marketed with the nondescript name of Design 14155-A, this copy-cat...
