MC
Administrator
The Prairie School architects of the late 19th and early 20th century were the great visionaries be...
To read the rest of this blog entry from The Garage Journal, click here.
- Thread starter MC
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The Prairie School architects of the late 19th and early 20th century were the great visionaries be...
To read the rest of this blog entry from The Garage Journal, click here.
Tman
Well-known member
Excellent journal entry!
bluesman2a
Well-known member
great read, but I really liked this one:
Now I like ole' Frank, but for such a visionary, the man completely forgot that you still have to have a place to keep all your JUNK, what would we DO without garages!?!?!
Now I like ole' Frank, but for such a visionary, the man completely forgot that you still have to have a place to keep all your JUNK, what would we DO without garages!?!?!
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
My next door neighbor's Prairie-style house was designed in 1909 by an architect named Henry Purcell, who had worked for Louis Sullivan before going out on his own. The house has a one car tuck under garage in the basement, which had to be one of the first if not the first attached garages anywhere.
The original owner of the house also owned the first auto repair shop in Minneapolis, which was also designed by Purcell. There are more pictures of it here: http://www.organica.org/pejn3.htm#entry1
The original owner of the house also owned the first auto repair shop in Minneapolis, which was also designed by Purcell. There are more pictures of it here: http://www.organica.org/pejn3.htm#entry1
Attachments
Man... That building is gorgeous.
Tman
Well-known member
Is that building still there? If so I have never seen it............and I LIVED up there!
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
The building was standing until not that many years ago, but the facade had been changed so much over time it wasn't recognizable. It was on 10th and Marquette in downtown Minneapolis, the new Hilton hotel is on that site now.
There are a still a few old automotive buildings on the south side of downtown, in what was the first 'car dealer row', but you have to look for them. All the dealers moved out of that area around the 1940s to Lake street, and then from there they moved in the 1960s out to the suburbs. Here's a link to a couple photos I took of what was probably the first Chevrolet dealership in town; it's located around 15th and Nicollet. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3031629&postcount=15
Ramblur
Well-known member
Actually,I quite prefer my elaborate automotive shelter...
Our area has the largest collection of FLW buildings as a
local college campus.I'll give you the fact that they are
a real treat to look at and take in but his engineering
pretty much ***** at this point.They are continually
poring $$ into patching and restoring these structures
because of the lack of foresight in the designs with issues
of expansion joints and trying to get water off the roofs.
Musta been a short ****** too as I have to duck through
many of the openings and am only 6'1''. Not that I'm
bashing him at all just that not much here has survived
the test of time...
http://architecture.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/WP&sdn=architecture&cdn=homegarden&tm=67&f=00&tt=33&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//chronicle.com/media/flash/v53/i41/florida/
Our area has the largest collection of FLW buildings as a
local college campus.I'll give you the fact that they are
a real treat to look at and take in but his engineering
pretty much ***** at this point.They are continually
poring $$ into patching and restoring these structures
because of the lack of foresight in the designs with issues
of expansion joints and trying to get water off the roofs.
Musta been a short ****** too as I have to duck through
many of the openings and am only 6'1''. Not that I'm
bashing him at all just that not much here has survived
the test of time...
http://architecture.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/WP&sdn=architecture&cdn=homegarden&tm=67&f=00&tt=33&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//chronicle.com/media/flash/v53/i41/florida/
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
FLW had a thing about low doors, he felt it provided a more dramatic entry into the inside space. It is too bad that he pretty much ignored any engineering on his buildings, although I suspect he wasn't worried about them lasting very long.
Any discussion of FLW and automobiles should include the only gas station he ever designed. It's in Cloquet, MN and is still in operation. http://www.geocities.com/soho/1469/flwgas.html
Any discussion of FLW and automobiles should include the only gas station he ever designed. It's in Cloquet, MN and is still in operation. http://www.geocities.com/soho/1469/flwgas.html
tdkkart
Well-known member
One of FLW's failings was that many of his designs had flat roofs, which do not work very well in the upper midwest. Snow load and severe freeze-thaw cycles tear them apart.........
Ramblur
Well-known member
Hahaha... Hadn't thought about it like that but your darn sure right. Much
more dramatic entrance from a flat on your back perspective after smashing
your forehead on the opening. Didn't realize that's what he was shooting for.
I'm just not wired that way. Everything I build is functional/longevity first and
form to follow(maybe). FLW's stuff that I'm famaliar with is pure form , function be damned. It would be a pretty boring world without the extremes...