Images

Visiting the National 9/11 Memorial

Jackie Craven 0 Comment USA: New York ,
Reflecting Absence: Designing the National 9/11 Memorial

September 11 may not be the best day to visit the National 9/11 Memorial. But don’t let tourist crowds discourage you from seeing this important and dramatic tribute to victims of terrorism. Even on New York City’s busiest days, the dark voids and cascading waterfalls create a sense of deep reverence.

Architect Michael Arad and his team faced many challenges during the design and construction of the memorial. To learn how the vision became a reality, see: Reflecting Absence: Designing the National 9/11 Memorial

[Photo above: National 9/11 Memorial in September 2013. Copyright Jackie Craven]

Related:

PHOTOS: The National 9/11 Memorial NYC

Tour the Eames House

Jackie Craven 0 Comment USA: California ,
The Eames House

As soldiers returned from World War II, Art and Architecture magazine challenged architects to design modern, affordable “case study” homes using inexpensive and practical materials and techniques developed during the war.

More than two dozen prominent architects and designers took the challenge, including the husband and wife team Charles and Ray Eames. Experimenting with modern materials, the couple designed Case Study House #8 to meet their needs as working artists.

Ray and Charles Eames moved into their Case Study house in  December 1949 and lived there for the remainder of their lives. Today, the grounds are open to tourists, and interior tours can also be arranged.

You will find Case Study House #8 at 203 Chautauqua Boulevard in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

Learn about Charles and Ray Eames >>

Art Deco in NYC

Jackie Craven 0 Comment USA: New York ,
Rockefeller Center (GE Building)

Inspired by new archaeological finds in Egypt, streamlined Art Deco architecture became the rage during the 1920s. Architect Raymond Hood had already made his fame designing grand Neo-gothic buildings like the Tribune Tower in Chicago. But, by the 1930s he embraced the jazzy new Art Deco style, designing some of America’s most colorful and exciting buildings.

In New York City, see Raymond Hood’s Art Deco architecture at Radio City Music Hall and the GE Building at 30 Rockefeller Center—or, as it’s affectionately known, “30 Rock.”

Learn about Art Deco >>

Eisenman’s Chilling Memorial

Jackie Craven 0 Comment Germany , ,
Berlin Holocaust Memorial

Who is Peter Eisenman? Is he a “Structuralist”? A “Deconstructionist”? A “Postmodern theorist”? The venerable architect may be difficult to classify, but his works demand attention.

Eisenman’s Berlin Holocaust Memorial (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) is both abstract and chilling. Composed of 2,711 enormous stone slabs, the Berlin memorial opened in 2005 and continues to stir controversy.

Learn about Peter Eisenman >>

See the USA with Elvis

Jackie Craven 0 Comment USA ,
Shotgun house in Tupelo, Mississippi

You don’t have to be an Elvis Presley fan to enjoy visiting the rock star’s haunts. From Graceland Mansion in Memphis,Tennessee to his mid-century modern Honeymoon Hideaway in Palm Springs, California, an “Elvis tour” will take you to some grand (some might say ostentatious) homes, with stops at humble structures like this Mississippi shotgun style house where Elvis was born.

 

Fleeting Greatness in London

Jackie Craven 0 Comment England , ,
Serpentine Gallery Pavilion

The best modern architecture in London is temporary. Every summer since 2000, Serpentine Gallery has commissioned world-famous architects to design pavilions on the grounds near the Gallery building. At the end of the season, patrons can  purchase the structures for their own use.

You can explore these temporary structures every summer at Serpentine Gallery—for free.

Join us for a year-by-year photo tour of all the Serpentine Gallery pavilions >>