The seemingly mundane places we go to socialize, travel, consume, bank, and rest.
Construction on the complex began in 1872 and opened in 1880 as the state-of-the-art Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane. The process brought together three innovative thinkers and designers of the time: Henry Hobson Richardson, the father of the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style; Frederick Law Olmsted, the American landscape architect who had designed Central Park in New York City; and Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, the founder of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane (AMSII), a precursor to the American Psychiatric Association.
The Loew’s Poli Palace and Majestic Theaters comprise a 13-acre complex in the heart of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Built by theater impresario Sylvester Poli as a vaudeville house, it featured vaulted ceilings, gilded hand-carved moldings, and seating for more than 3,600.
With an opening day marquee announcing “an acre of seats in a magic city,” Chicago’s 4,300-seat Uptown Theatre is the largest freestanding theater in the country, debuting in 1925 as one of the world’s most glamorous movie palaces. The Uptown Theater in Chicago is the last jewel of the Balaban and Katz theater chain. Its opulent grand entrance is adorned with marble floors and 24-carat gold and silver leaf designs reflecting the period’s extravagances. Although the Uptown enjoyed several years of success, changing economic factors forced the theater into a steady period of decline. The Uptown closed for good in 1981 when its owners neglected to heat the building during the winter and it suffered extensive damage from frozen water pipes. Purchased through judicial sale by Jam Productions in 2008, restoration efforts have been slow, with repair estimates nearing $70 million.
The financial institutions we go to keep our money safe and dreams alive. Their architecture – typically of solid construction with classical architectural features – is not merely about aesthetics, of course; banks are designed to convey strength, stability, and security.
The Richmond Power Plant’s nestled along the Delaware River opened in 1925 to service the growing northeast population of Philadelphia. The turbine hall is one of the biggest open rooms ever designed and once housed the world’s largest Westinghouse turbo generators. Closed in 1985, the location still has been frequented by several Hollywood productions, serving as the backdrop to one of Michael Bay's grotesque Transformer movies, as well as having one of its massive generators being the time machine used by Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys.
Houses of the holy in the heartland of America.
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