by Architectural Observer | Jun 3, 2019 | Blog, Observations
Most old houses have had alterations over the years — very few come down through time just as they were built. Unless a house was altered with an extreme attention to maintaining details, it is usually possible to get a fairly good idea as to what the house...
by Architectural Observer | Jun 2, 2019 | Blog, Observations
Each house or building in the following six photos has at least one thing wrong with it — from the viewpoint of architectural or physical integrity, that is! Some are quite obvious while others are a bit more subtle; some will have multiple offenses while others...
by Architectural Observer | Apr 30, 2019 | Blog, Observations
In Part One we looked at some types of door hardware which were common prior to the mid-nineteenth century — latches and rim locks made of iron. While mortise locks were in use, they were not common. Surface-mounted rim locks remained popular in the latter half...
by Architectural Observer | Apr 8, 2019 | Blog, Observations
When a vernacular farmhouse on the High Plains of western Kansas was abandoned in favor of a sleek new ranch-style house in the mid 1950’s, it was emptied and forgotten about. It had received minimal (if any) maintenance in the following sixty-odd years and is...
by Architectural Observer | Apr 3, 2019 | Blog, Observations
This past weekend I attended an annual consignment auction hosted by the Lions Clubs. As usual, there were a few things of architectural or design interest. I didn’t buy anything this year because the few things I wanted to bid on were not going to be offered...
by Architectural Observer | Mar 24, 2019 | Blog, Observations
The exterior of this c. 1880 twin house in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood does little to suggest the surprisingly intact mid-century makeover found inside. Late 1960’s aesthetic preferences popular with the masses abound: Fake masonry, fake...
