Iconic Building of the Month

A log cabin on a 25 acres property in the chilly North woods is where the Claus family, numerous elves, and legendary reindeer call home.  Big wood beams fashioned from hand hewn logs support and furnish this 2500 square foot, three bed, two bath rustic cabin revealing old world charm.  Perhaps it was Santa himself who built this home in 1822.

It’s easy to deck the halls with boughs of holly in the open concept floor plan.  A recent renovation in 2013 provides modern amenities and easy living including a gourmet kitchen with a baker’s dream oven featuring 12 cookie settings and hot cocoa on tap.   Perhaps one of the coziest highlights can be roasting chestnuts in the floor-to-ceiling river rock fireplace.  Built-in shelving in Santa’s den showcases toy prototypes.  An adjacent large garage lodges the legendary all-weather sleigh.

Adjacent buildings include an elf village of 150 square feet private cottages, a state-of-the-art toy-making facility, and of course, reindeer stables.

Click here for more information and pictures of this charming property and for a glimpse into a magical existence full of joy, hope, and best of all, love.

Iconic Building of the Month

Built in the jazz age of the roaring 20’s, Florida’s Legendary Pink Palace, The Don CeSar, on notorious St. Pete beach has seen high society glamour, military convalescent, government administration, Hollywood drama and tourists galore.

Inspired by Mediterranean and Moorish styles, architect Henry H. Dupont’s designs incorporated arch openings, red clay tile low-pitched roofs, balconies, stucco façade, and towers aplenty.   A notable architectural detail from contractor Carlton Beard is the innovative floating concrete pad and pyramid footing foundation to stabilize the building on persistently shifting sand.  To this day, the building remains with no evidence of structural concern.  It is nearing its 100^th birthday.

Pink, for hope, calming, and nurturing, is found in sunsets.  This Gulf coast icon provided these aspirations to its visitors for nearly a century.  It is loved for its location on pristine sugar soft white sand beaches, temperate climate, and luxurious opulence.   The Pink Palace has been protected by local citizens and visitors throughout the years.  In 1974 it was admitted into the National Register of Historic Places. The Don CeSar was named after a main character in the opera, Maritana.

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Iconic Building of the Month

The Farnsworth House is known as “the original glass house.” Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1945, the German architect pioneered the idea of the modern home. Dr. Edith Farnsworth is the client who made it possible. A Chicago nephrologist, she desired a weekend home built on her 10-acre wooded property near the Fox River. Mies van der Rohe and his client developed a close relationship. After all, she made it possible for him to create a building that was the first of its time. An inspiration for minimalism, the design achieves the seamless views many modernist architects strive for today.

The 1,400-square-foot home was completed in 1951. Each aspect exhibits the architect’s passion for simplicity. He adopted the phrase “less is more” and insisted that the concept for the home be “almost nothing.” Therefore, the roof is made of a steel framed, concrete slab, and another slab covered in heated travertine marble for the floor. In between, a thin membrane of glass constructs the walls — revealing a picturesque view of the trees, water and sky.

A single tube contains all of the utilities, as it descends from the home’s center into the ground. Raised 5’ 3” off the ground, this elevation was meant to protect it from flooding. The concept was that the house would “float.” Lord Peter Palumbo bought the home two decades later, and after a lengthy bidding auction, Landmarks Illinois and the National Trust for Historic Preservation purchased it in 2003.

Iconic Building of the Month

The Arc de Triomf in Barcelona, Spain stands 30 meters at the top of Passeig Llu’s Companys. Architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas built it as the gateway to the 1888 Universal Exhibition in the capital of Catalonia. The arch was positioned at the end of SalÛ de Sant Joan, the boulevard which led to the exhibition grounds in the Parc de la Ciutadella. Covered with symbolic stone carvings and ceramic tiles, the monument is an expression of the city’s history.

Vilaseca utilized classical style to represent the city honoring the provinces that participated in the exhibition. Vilaseca, who formed part of the Modernista movement, added contemporary touches. To balance the city’s respect for tradition with its progressive ideals, the design is inspired by neo-Mudejar style, of Moorish origins, very popular in Spain during this time period. The architect chose red brick, instead of the typical sandstone or marble. Sculptural reliefs on one side exemplify agriculture and industry, on the other side commerce and art. The top showcases shields of the 49 Spanish provinces and the city’s coat of arms.

The friezes depict the city welcoming the nations and presenting medals to exhibition participants. To this day, Barcelona welcomes many visitors who can easily find the arch just off the metro stop Arc de Triomf. It is also a short walk from the Parc.

“An arch consists of two weaknesses which, leaning one against the other, make a strength.”

– Leonardo da Vinci

Iconic Building of the Month

Rome is home to many amazing buildings and the Pantheon is no exception. Like the city itself, it was not built in a day. Destroyed twice and rebuilt each time, the building started as a rectangular structure, which over time evolved into the gorgeous dome building seen today.

An inspiration to architects all over the world over the last 2,000 years, the Pantheon’s roof remains the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome.  There is much debate between historians over which emperor and architects were responsible for the Pantheon’s design although it is known that this ‘Temple of the Gods’ was built around 126 AD.

Iconic Building of the Month

In an interview with Dezeen Magazine, the Italian-British architect Richard Rogers related standing in the rain under an umbrella that a stranger had graciously shared with him outside Paris’s Pompidou Centre (le Centre Georges Pompidou in French). When Rogers told the woman that he had designed the building, she hit him on the head with the umbrella.

The reaction expressed that of many Parisians to the architecture of the museum and multi-disciplinary cultural center, which wears its structure on the outside. The result of this design is flexibility in the uses to which the insides are put. Among other things, the Pompidou is known to house the largest collection of modern art in Europe. Its design, by Rogers in collaboration with the Italian architect-engineer Renzo Piano and architect Gianfranco Franchini, was selected in an architectural competition that had attracted 681 entries.

While the Pompidou is considered high tech, Rogers cited the influence of the social changes of the 1960s on the design, particularly the French student and worker protests of 1968. The following year, French President Pompidou chose a site for the project, which was originally to be called the Centre Beaubourg, but was renamed following Pompidou’s death in office three years before the building was completed. The Pompidou opened in 1977 and has since become a favorite among tourists and Parisians alike.

Iconic Building of the Month

Architect Carlo Scarpa from the late 1950s through the early 1970s renovated Castelvecchio Museum in Verona, Italy.   Located in northern Italy, the museum exhibits medieval, renaissance, and modern art. Castelvecchio means “old castle” in Italian, but it is so much more. The museum has been used in various ways: first as a medieval castle, then as a military post and now as a renowned museum and tourist attraction.

Cangrande II della Scala, Lord of Verona, constructed Castelvecchio in 1354 to protect citizens. The history is evident in the design: red brick walls and arches slope down toward the River Adigeís left bank, which served as an escape to the northern countryside if needed.

Decades later, when Scarpa restored the castle, his design stayed true to its history. Working with museum director Licisco Magagnato, he built up the structure into 29 rooms of artwork. The architect’s designs unite concrete and masonry, as well as modern steel with the original brick.

The traditional courtyard of this archetypal rectangular castle is a private space. It offers another example of connecting the old with the new. An old equestrian statue is juxtaposed with a modern walkway. A collection of sculptures, statues, ceramics, paintings and ancient weapons is placed in relation to how the sunlight enters through loopholes and the roof. The city’s tourism site calls it, “the great and most spectacular medieval edifice in Verona.”