by Architectural Observer | Nov 19, 2016 | Blog, Observations
Houston, Texas, is a fascinating place. Famous for its casual zoning laws, the city has an insatiable appetite for redevelopment and reinvents itself at a seemingly constant pace. In scenes that have been repeated time and again for more than a half century, quiet...
by Architectural Observer | Nov 17, 2016 | Blog, Observations
Architecture and the landscape it inhabits will forever be intertwined. While new construction often rises in a barren landscape, historic structures generally have become more integrated with their natural surroundings. Trees are especially crucial to...
by Architectural Observer | Nov 17, 2016 | Blog, Observations
Looking like something straight out of a television program about house flipping, this former authentic Craftsman-style house has been reduced to a caricature of itself as the following “before” and “after” photos illustrate. In the...
by Architectural Observer | Nov 15, 2016 | Blog, Drag Queen Architecture
Some remodelings are more exhaustive than others. This structure, for example, was re-imagined somewhere in the past, likely the early 1970’s. The then-popular mansard roof was used as a device to completely conceal the second story while stucco, diamond-paned...
by Architectural Observer | Nov 11, 2016 | Blog, Drag Queen Architecture, Observations
Old houses have long been subject to changing architectual trends and fashion. Since its beginning, the United States has been a place of change and experimentation; the fact is just one reason why we have not done so well at preserving our architectural history...
by Architectural Observer | Nov 10, 2016 | Blog, Observations
Indigenous to the Ozark region of Missouri and Arkansas, the stone veneers known as “Ozark Giraffe” are a highly memorable vernacular construction technique. Examples of structures clad in this manner are also commonly found in adjacent areas of Oklahoma...
