Just back from a road trip! Today, a collection of miscellaneous structures and details stretching from southwest Nebraska to central Kansas. There’s no particular theme; all just have something of interest:
Prairie and Usonian influences are evident in this Mid-century professional office building – particularly in the design of the eaves. McCook, Nebraska.
Side wall of an Italianate commercial building built of native limestone – peppered with various hues of pink. Plainville, Kansas.
Vacant house built in the Contemporary style. The garage door shows traces of a previous color scheme making use of aqua. Luray, Kansas.
Vernacular house with ornamented porch. The ornament is of stamped metal, not wood! Lucas, Kansas.
Art Moderne service station. The current colors are not historically accurate; the stucco exterior was likely all white originally. Plainville, Kansas.
A beautiful interpretation of the Prairie style. I suspect that the color scheme is similar to what the original may have been. McCook, Nebraska.
Surprisingly exuberant for its locale, the courthouse of Graham County, Kansas, is well-maintained and retains a high degree of architectural integrity both inside and out. Original lighting fixtures and furnishings are amazing. Unfortunately, the building was closed when I stopped by. Two more photos follow! Hill City, Kansas.
Window wall with a playful inclusion of colored glass. Graham County Courthouse, Hill City, Kansas.
Structure is emphasized to memorable effect. Graham County Courthouse, Hill City, Kansas.
Vernacular house with later garage addition. Luray, Kansas.
Abandoned house of native stone. Russell County, Kansas.
Not a structure, but visually interesting! And, yes; it still works! As I was photographing this 70’s-era pay phone, a woman drove by and also stopped to take photos! A visitor from Wichita, she was amazed that such phones still exist. Lucas, Kansas.
The lighting was just right to capture the beauty of these assertive Craftsman-style rafter tail ends. McCook, Nebraska.
Gothic church window with progressively complex muntin patterning. Lucas, Kansas.
A handsome mid-century wall of stone and glass block. The elongated stone is laid for horizontal emphasis in a random ashlar pattern. Plainville, Kansas.
An oppressively large gabled dormer emerges conspicuously from the roof of what was once a normal-looking house styled in the Dutch Colonial Revival manner. A large tree is not large enough to conceal the alteration. McCook, Nebraska.
Great pics as always! Love the courthouse!
The courthouse really is amazing in that it has not been changed much since built. I was in there a few years ago and was impressed with the number of original lighting fixtures which had a Jetsonesque quality to them… hopefully they will remain intact!
Lot of nice pics! That abandoned house – thank goodness for metal roofs! That gothic church window was a pleasant surprise. I am glad you mentioned the mullions, it made me take a second look. Really nice! It amazes me how lovely the workmanship is on those old windows. The road trip entries area great! They really help me sharpen my own eye when looking around.
There is no doubt that metal roofs have helped to save a lot of old buildings… I’m a big fan of their use – even when not historically correct. At least there are more style and finish options available today than a half-century ago! I’m taking another road trip this weekend to a new destination with lots of interesting buildings…
All fabulous. I love your eye.