by Architectural Observer | Feb 22, 2017 | Blog, Observations
How many businesses can you think of that have been in continuous operation for 135 years in the same location? Probably not many. Lord’s Hardware has been operating continuously since 1882 in downtown Indianola, Nebraska. If you need some obscure widget and...
by Architectural Observer | Feb 21, 2017 | Blog, Observations
This door graces a mid-20th century ranch house in Southwestern Nebraska. I had to photograph it when I saw a “For Sale” sign in the yard and determined that no one was actually living in the house. An unfortunate storm door could not completely obscure...
by Architectural Observer | Feb 21, 2017 | Blog, Observations
People have been remodeling buildings ever since they started building them. Here is a structure which was began as a two story brick office building sometime in the 1920’s. In the late 1940’s or early 1950’s it was modernized and given an extra...
by Architectural Observer | Feb 20, 2017 | Blog, Observations
Just a random assortment of houses I encountered recently – each representing a different style…
by Architectural Observer | Feb 18, 2017 | Blog, Drag Queen Architecture, Observations
The two houses shown below have each been augmented with brackets. Both houses date to somewhere around 1910 and are vernacular examples of the foursquare form. Neither house is specifically styled, but each has characteristics common to both Colonial Revival and...
by Architectural Observer | Feb 16, 2017 | Blog, Observations
Many commercial buildings have (or once had) exterior stairwells or staircases. Most need some type of enclosure. Solutions have changed over the years; here are three different sets of stairs – each is an interesting survivor: Sleek 60’s Aluminum...
