Columbus, Indiana: an architectural epicentre

The public library in Columbus, Indiana - architecture I. M. Pei
Yes, that's a Henry Moore sculpture ("Large Arch")

It all began with a swimming pool.

Not just any swimming pool, but a kidney shaped one.

It was while listening to episode 370 of 99% Invisible, The Pool and the Stream Redux, that I learned about 2 things:
• The history of skateboarding (some of which I was familiar with), and
• How Columbus, Indiana, USA, became an epicentre of modern architecture... who knew?!?

I am not going to spoil things and try to put the story in a nutshell for you. Take a listen yourself, or read the transcript if you prefer.

In the meantime, Google is my friend and I am off to learn more about this architecture.

Resources
The Pool and the Stream Redux (episode 370) - 99% Invisible podcast
Columbus, Ind.: A Midwestern Mecca Of Architecture - NPR podcast
The Precocious Genius of “Columbus” (movie review) - New Yorker
Small and Mighty Mecca of Modern Architecture in Columbus, Indiana - The Roads Travelled

Here are a few photos of the city's architecture.... which I have intentionally left untitled. If you're into architecture, have fun identifying them:)

Review: Devil in the White City

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dark history in the white city.
After a false start a year ago, when I couldn't get into this book, I picked it up again. I had just come across "Bloodstains" by Jeff Mudgett, the great grandson of the "devil" in this book, and thought I should read this first (I recommend reading them in this order; it gave good context for Mudgett's revelations).
Overall, this was a pretty good book, but tying together two largely unrelated storylines isn't easy to do. While both were joined by the time and place of the Chicago World's Fair, flipping from a mass murderer's arrival in the city to the architects planning the site couldn't help but feel disjointed.
In the end, the stories were joined in the grizzly nightmares and calamities during the fair. It was disturbing to learn that the disappearing women barely registered with authorities and the "devil" carried on under their noses.
It is a dark history, but interesting nonetheless.

Read my review of Bloodstains
View all my reviews

Opera Garnier learnings

I have been a fan of the Opera Garnier since I stumbled upon it early into my month in Paris in 2009. I was already blown away by the building when I looked up and first set eyes on Chagall's remarkable ceiling. I gushed at the time, and have since acquired a tremendous print of the ceiling (yet to be framed) and a book or two.

Yet, despite learning that construction began in the 1860's, I never really thought about how that Chagall got there.

Then, this morning, reading an old copy of a Sunday NY Times left over from a vacation (I buy a copy and read it front to back over a week, and unfinished sections set aside... one of which just surfaced), I had a major ah ha moment:

"Among the theater's most famous fixtures are the chandelier and the painted ceiling that surrounds it ~ originally by Jules Eugène Lenepveu, then replaced in 1964 with a new sprawling work by Marc Chagall depicting scenes from operas by Mozart, Wagner and more."
Behind the Curtain at the Paris Opera, New York Times, September 8, 2019

Of course!!!!

La Tête au Carré: Nice's FAB "Square Head"

OK, I have fallen in love with a building:

Image source: @olivier_m

This FANTASTIC building is located in Nice, France and it houses a library.

Rather, I thought it housed the public library, but I think it might just be the library administration buildings. That's ok, though it dents my fantasies a bit (just think about it, reading a book in the nose, wandering into the frontal lobe section, eavesdropping in the ear....).

I had really wanted to visit this area of France in 2009 (there are Picasso museums in the area!) but it just didn't work out. But now, it's biting at my fancy again, and I'm dreaming of future travel again. For me, that's two things: one is just a future trip to France, the other is a possible mission to visit fabulous library buildings around the world.... interesting premise...

Anyways the "Square Head" in Nice is the vision of local sculptor Sacha Sonso. It is actually called La Tête au Carré, which means "Thinking inside the box". How delightful! I just adore it.

If you are as fascinated as me, you might be interested in:

• "Square Head" Building by Sosno (Nice) - a bit on the history
• Wikipedia entry on Sacha Sonso - the sculptor who envisioned the head
  
• Sacha Sonso's website - he was new to me, but I love his truly fantastic works!!!!
• The architect was Yves Carrard
  
• Tête au Carré (the “blockhead building”) in Nice - musings and photos by a former physicist who was taken by the the building when in Nice for a conference
  
• Carol Ann Photos - fab pics of the building by a professional photographer
  

On the thought of fabulous library buildings in the world, here's one link I found so far: 8 Amazing Libraries (and One That’s Horrible).

This will be a fun "journey", even if it is just virtual travel for the forseable future...

In the Big Apple: A blusterly day... and Pooh!

Yesterday I set out with two destinations in mind, and went to neither.... but I had a whole set of adventures I hadn't anticipated. First thing to know is that there have been changes to the the subways as well as the busses in NYC recently.... hence how I found myself on a M train, when I was supposed to be on an E train... and ended up at Bryant Park. This is me outside the adjacent librry, in front of one of the lions (this one is called Patience, the other is called Fortitude), taken by a kind New Yorker gentleman.
But let's start with the park.... Bryant Park is a huge park right in the middle of Manhattan on 42nd Street. If you visited NYC before 1992 it was apparently a pretty sad place... but for the past 8 years it has been revelling in it's new life. And it's awesome! I was sitting in a rocking andorak chair, with my feet up on a wicker stool, when I took this picture.

The park is full of interesting seating and there are no rules about needing to buy anything to use the best seating by the food spots. So, it's a great, cheap (free) place to bring a book, find a spot in the shade, and just chill.

The good news is that the heat wave has finally broken in the city... the bad news is that it has brought some rain... and I had to give up my doodle spot and head for cover. I ended up at the Southwest Porch, a very relaxed bar that is indeed sponsored by the airline. The area adjacent to the bar even has power outlets for those laptoppers running low.

Another view of the bar, only one of half a dozen spots where you can get fueled up in the park, if you so choose.

This is the lawn at the centre of the park and it's where they show free movies in the summer, as well as music and Broadway show snippets. All around the park there are other things going on, all of which are outlined online or in the readily-available booklets onsite. You can learn to knit, take part in tai-chi or yoga, play ping-pong or penanque (like bocce ball), watch the chess guys, listen to poets, discuss books -- plus a bunch of options for kids. All free. They've done a remarkably good job.

Once the rain had cleared, and long after I'd abandoned my earlier plans, I decided to visit the 42nd Street branch of the New York Public Library, which is on the same property. As fascinating as I knew the architecture would be, my real motivation was a chance to visit the REAL Winnie The Pooh!! Here he is with all of his friends:

The Winnie the Pooh Treasures are the actual stuffed animals that Christopher Robin Milne was given as a child and gaverise to the ideas that his father, A. A. Milne, would eventually make into the famed Winne the Pooh books which I, like many children, absolutely adored. Here is a closeup of the star attraction:

Getting up close with Eeyore:

... and Piglet!!

The characters have their own little room in the Childrens section, and wherever there wasn't glass, there were lovely murals. Here's just a small section:

After our little party, I moved onto take a cruise around the building before it chosed. And, of course, it was wonderful. Lots of neat big reading roojms.

And stunning architecture, frescos, paintings and furniture. Wowee. It's hard to believe you are in a public building, not a museum.

Cool staff area built between two big reading rooms below 3 huge ceiling frescos. They could serve people on both sides.

A fresco in one of the outer hallways....

There are also lots of little reading rooms dedicated to specialty collections. Kinda makes you want to curl up with a book....!

I'd love to take a tour of the building one day, as I understand that much of the collection is stored underground and, after you ask for a book, a system is engaged that goes and retrieves that book from storage. I'd love to see how that works!! If my memory serves me well, this storage is all under Bryant Park next door. I did see a new branch of the library on an adjacent corner, so I imagine that popular books may be accessible without the retrieval system. All very interesting!!

I've beeen by this area (several city blocks) on most of my past trips to NYC, but had never taken time to experience it. Now I can definitely recommend it, and expect I'll be back.

Would love to spend a night in the Everland pod

Above is THE coolest hotel room I think I've ever seen! Read more about it on the Everland website (checkout the Panorama), Art Project by Day, Paris Hotel by Night , and from someone who experienced it first hand. Sadly it will have left Paris by the time I get there (not that I could have afforded to stay in it!), Parisians are saying goodbye... Next stop, Mars?

Another 10 Craziest Hotels - this is where I found out about the Everland hotel

World's Craziest Hotels

Vaux le Vicomte, inspiration of Versailles

I am looking forward to visiting Vaux le Vicomte while I am Paris. This chateau was the inspiration of Versailles, is spectacularly beautiful and comes without all the crowds. At dusk they light candles around the gardens and fountains and it is apparently very special... I will go to Versailles as well, but I really look forward to Vaux and a nice relaxing day there.

Straaaange buildings

These are just 2 of the super cool 15 Strangest Buildings in the World.

Also, kinda cool, this was posted on Justin Moss' blog on February 15, 2009 - but it's only February 14th here. That means I referenced his blog post "before he posted it". lol. Cool. Had to check. He's an Aussy.

I love public art

The Wooster Collective is all about public art. Very cool.


I especially love this piece as it has lines in it that remind me of beepdoodles!


This is pretty damn cool - a building that turns itself inside out.

And I swear I saw the 4th (last) item in this post - after a couple months of rain - in Montreal.... I am going to have to dig up the pic I took....

Upside-down hotel room

I would not like to wake up in this room with a hangover...

but I would like to see it, looks pretty coool...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/4397883/The-worlds-weirdest-hotels.html?image=8

Today at the Guggenheim

A couple of works I saw today...

I didn't know Marc Franz's work, but I loved the energy on this one.

This Chagall was quite charming.

I also saw a Picasso I loved, but can't manage to find a pic of it on their site.... and when I Google images online for "Head of a Woman" I find dozens of paintings he did labelled the same, but not the one I saw. But I do have it on a magnet.

Part of the Guggenheim was closed while they were working on an installation, but it was kind of cool to see. I loved the building. Frank Lloyd Wright was a genious!