Favorite Historic Buildings or Places

[Deco-Doll-1928]

One of my favorite things to do is see historic places around town (or when I am traveling). As I was eating lunch today, I got to thinking that maybe I should ask this question on the Fedora Lounge and here I am!

1) What is your favorite historic place and/ or what historic place would you like to visit?

2) What historic place would you love to visit that no longer exists?

For me, my favorite historic building has to be the Bradbury Building. The Bradbury Building to me that has to be one of the most beautiful buildings in Los Angeles. It does not look like much from the outside, but inside it’s gorgeous! I also like the Fine Arts Building and Union Station (a favorite of mine since I was a young girl).

A place that I would like to visit is Washington DC. All of my siblings got to go there for their 8th grade field trip, but when I finally got to 8th grade, they stopped the trips.

I’d also like to see Atlantic City, but that’s only because I’ve gotten obsessed with Boardwalk Empire. I would give and arm and leg to see that set too!

A place that I would like to go to, but does not exist anymore is a tie.

In Los Angeles, I would have liked to see the Richfield Oil Building. I know that the elevators doors still exist and some angels. I’ve wanted to see those elevator doors for a while now.

My other choice is to see the old Luna Park at Coney Island. I remember watching this old Harold Lloyd movie called Speedy. He takes his girlfriend to Luna Park. Oh heavens it looks so gorgeous and so magical on film. I know they brought back Luna Park, but I don't think it's the same.

Bradbury Building (Los Angeles)

Fine Arts Building (Los Angeles)

Union Station (Los Angeles)

Richfield Oil (Los Angeles)

Luna Park (New York)

 

[HodgePodge]

I think my favourite building here in town has to be this one. (Click for full size)


Dominion Public Building. I could swear it has 1937 on it as the completion date, but all the sources I'm seeing online say 1936. I wish I could find pictures of the area from back then, as I'm sure it would have been the tallest thing for blocks, if not miles.

Guess I oughta go in and take a peek





I bet there are dozens of buildings and shops around the downtown area that are either long gone, or long overhauled beyond recognition that I don't know about, but here is one I DO know of that I would love to have experienced in all it's glory.

Loew's "Century" Theatre

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

Those elevator doors are gorgeous! People would have to pry me off of those doors if I saw them! lol! I'm assuming that this building is in Canada, but where in Canada? Thanks for posting all the lovely pictures.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

The Villa Riviera (Long Beach)
built in 1929

If I had the money I wouldn't mind living there.

1932

In the first two minutes of this clip from Anchorman: Wake Up, Ron Burgundy the Villa Riviera (and Long Beach's Ocean Ave.) can be seen very prominently even though the movie is supposed to take place in San Diego.

[video=youtube;_bY03Qcc0LU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bY03Qcc0LU[/video]

 

[AtomicEraTom]

The Pabst Mansion.

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

The Villa Riviera (Long Beach)
built in 1929

If I had the money I wouldn't mind living there.

1932

In the first two minutes of this clip from Anchorman: Wake Up, Ron Burgundy the Villa Riviera (and Long Beach's Ocean Ave.) can be seen very prominently even though the movie is supposed to take place in San Diego.

[video=youtube;_bY03Qcc0LU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bY03Qcc0LU[/video]

I wonder how many people watched that movie and said to themselves, "Hey, that's not San Diego!" lol! It seems so obvious to me because I am familiar with the building. I wonder if the people from the movie industry think we are not that quick to figure that out. It's like when the Queen Mary is being passed off as another "fictional ocean liner". It's so obvious it is the Queen Mary. They are not fooling anybody! lol!

I've seen this building many times. I've always wondered what it looks like inside. It looks wonderful from the outside.

I love seeing everyone's pictures. Thanks to all that posted so far!

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

The Pabst Mansion.

This almost looks like an old courthouse from the outside. I had to look this up (I keep forgetting that I am in front of a computer and I can look these places up! lol!). It is so lovely inside. The staircase is jaw dropping!

Speaking of courthouses, V C Brunswick might be familiar with this.

This is a nice building too.

 

[dhermann1]

Well, I really loved the Pyramids when I saw them, and the Parthenon, and Venice. They're pretty historic. But the place I grew up in, Chautauqua Institution, always tops my list. Here's a video:
http://video.pbs.org/video/1786735759/http://video.pbs.org/video/1786735759/

 

[HodgePodge]

Those elevator doors are gorgeous! People would have to pry me off of those doors if I saw them! lol! I'm assuming that this building is in Canada, but where in Canada? Thanks for posting all the lovely pictures.

Here's the link to where I found the original picture at a slightly better detailed resolution.
http://img.groundspeak.com/waymarking/a069c703-f529-4908-b3ea-2c39f186eed1.JPG
If I ever find the motivation/courage to walk down and see it for myself, I'll try to get some better pictures.
London, Ontario is the location.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Is there a similarity here?

Los Angeles City Hall (1928)

National Diet Building, Tokyo (1936)

Speaking of courthouses, V C Brunswick might be familiar with this.

This is a nice building too.

Yes indeed!

The Old Orange County Courthouse ( built in 1900). I know that place very well. The courthouse was originally built with a short clock tower on top but it was damaged in the 1933 earthquake and subsequently torn down. Upstairs on the left-hand side of the building is one of the original courtrooms and judge's chambers. What was once the other courtroom on the right-hand side is now an exhibition area. Downstairs are some county offices and in the basement is a small museum. Scores of movies, TV shows and commercials have been filmed there. In the Al Capone episode of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles the lobby with the magnificent stairway doubled as the Chicago police headquarters in that episode.

I'll have to go back there some time and take some pictures of the inside.

Edit: Among the commercials filmed there was this one for Western Union.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I've been in every square inch of the Pabst Mansion. I'm good friends with John Eastberg, who runs the show over there. I've done some contributing with references and some of my collectibles that he wished to display there.

This almost looks like an old courthouse from the outside. I had to look this up (I keep forgetting that I am in front of a computer and I can look these places up! lol!). It is so lovely inside. The staircase is jaw dropping!

Speaking of courthouses, V C Brunswick might be familiar with this.

This is a nice building too.

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

Is there a similarity here?

Los Angeles City Hall (1928)

National Diet Building, Tokyo (1936)

The resemblance between the Los Angeles City Hall and the National Diet Building is eerie. Funny note about the Los Angeles City Hall. I never really liked that building when I was a kid. Over the years, I've grown to love it a little bit more. Plus, the view from the 27th floor is amazing (that is available to the public--just ask the "nice people" at security that you like to visit the Observation Deck on the 27th floor). The interior of City Hall is also a really nice surprise too. I almost wrote something about City Hall in one of my last posts. Are you a mind reader?

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

I've been in every square inch of the Pabst Mansion. I'm good friends with John Eastberg, who runs the show over there. I've done some contributing with references and some of my collectibles that he wished to display there.

You're very lucky!

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

Another Los Angeles favorite.

 

[Shangas]

I was SURE there was another thread like this SOMEWHERE around the Lounge, but after nearly a week of searching, I couldn't find the damn thing.

So this place will have to do.

One of my favourite historic buildings, one which is undoubtledly tied to the Golden Era, I've always had the chance of visiting, but never did...mostly because until relatively recently, I wasn't aware of its existence, or indeed, of its significance! I live in Australia, but part of my family is still based in Singapore, where my grandmother and uncle were penned in during the darkest days of the Japanese occupation of WWII.

I'm in Singapore now, on holiday. And I made it my mission to go out with my camera specifically to find and photograph this place:

This is Raffles Hotel in central Singapore. Opened in 1887, it has seen a LOT of history, from famous celebrities (Charlie Chaplin, Rudyard Kipling, Noel Coward and John Wayne) to being used by the Japanese during their occupation of Singapore and from being saved from decay during the 1980s and 1990s and being restored to its original, 1915 prewar condition. The Raffles Hotel was one of THE places to stay at, between 1890-1939 and it was fantastically popular with the rich, famous and well-to-do. Today, it is one of the most famous hotels in southeast Asia.

If anyone here goes there, take note that there is a small (but interesting) Hotel Museum on the Third Floor. I would supply photos of that too, but photography within the museum isn't permitted.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

The James Oviatt Building (completed in 1928) in downtown Los Angeles. There's a photo slideshow of it at the bottom of this link: www.myspace.com/oviatt_2008

A Class 'A' Italian Romanesque highrise by architects Albert Walker and Percy Eisen. Its outdoor lobby, interior decoration, and rooftop penthouse were steeped in early French Art Deco.

In 1998, filmmaker Seth Shulman and I made a feature-length documentary on the Oviatt Building's history. http://www.puzzledpictures.com/oviatts/home.htm I'm now hard at work writing a book-length biography of James Oviatt.

 

[JimWagner]

This past weekend my wife and I visited Hamlet, NC to see the restored Seaboard Airline RR station there.

It was built around 1900 and has been beautifully restored inside and out.

Shows just what can be done when people put their minds to it. It still serves two Amtrak trains a day.

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

The James Oviatt Building (completed in 1928) in downtown Los Angeles. There's a photo slideshow of it at the bottom of this link: www.myspace.com/oviatt_2008

An Class "A" Italian Romanesque highrise by architects Albert Walker and Percy Eisen. Its outdoor lobby, interior decoration, and rooftop penthouse were steeped in early French Art Deco.

In 1998, filmmaker Seth Shulman and I made a feature-length documentary on the Oviatt Building's history. http://www.puzzledpictures.com/oviatts/home.htm I'm now hard at work writing a book-length biography of James Oviatt.

I would love someday to finally see the interior of this place. I've seen it from the outside. My list of places to see keeps growing.

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

This past weekend my wife and I visited Hamlet, NC to see the restored Seaboard Airline RR station there.

It was built around 1900 and has been beautifully restored inside and out.

Shows just what can be done when people put their minds to it. It still serves two Amtrak trains a day.

Love this! Thank you! I love looking at old train stations.

I also love to hear that it is being used properly. I hate it when I hear from people, "It's just an old building. Tear it down and build a new one." If we tear those "old buildings" down, we lose our a part of cultural heritage and history forever. It's nice when someone lovingly takes the time and fix up the building so future generations can enjoy it as well.

Plus, it's like the saying goes, "They don't make them like they used to." I think of this every time I see the old theaters on Broadway. Imagine having to build those now. I don't think they could do it.

Here's another train station. I wish I could post the picture here, but it's on someone's flickr account and sometimes I have trouble posting those on here. The other ones I found were of weird angles.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pragmaticidealist/42639227/

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Bannerman's Castle (1901)
Pollepel Island, Hudson River, New York

The king of this castle was military surplus king Francis Bannerman VI (1851-1918) who built it as a warehouse for his vast stocks of weaponry and munitions.

http://www.artificialowl.net/2008/07/bannermans-castle-abandoned-military.html