Friday, November 18, 2011

Turning on A Light


I went to a lecture earlier this evening at the 
Indiana Landmarks Center. I arrived in the dark and left a
bit more enlightened. Like these pictures, however, my newly 
acquired information is a bit fuzzy and somewhat shaky.


This photo was taken looking southwest from 
Fort Wayne Avenue towards the downtown area.
Somehow, the cold, crisp air makes the lights 
in the buildings look all twinkly and innocent, 
while the offices within are primarily the lairs 
of bankers, investment firms and lawyers.

5 comments:

dive said...

What a beautiful lamp. I love the fanlight over the door but I think they went a little overboard with the pilasters. Speaking as an architect, one pilaster is correct, two is showy, three is tacky, four is strange and five is American. Hee hee.

Love the earthquake effect you've got going on in the second photo. And also the word "lair" for bankers and lawyers (it is so temptingly close to "liar").

Robyn Martins said...

I've never stopped to think what goes on in the pretty buildings. I prefer to just see them as twinkly.

And I love the first photo, even if the architecture is tacky or showy or just plain America. hee hee

Speedway said...

G'morning, Dive. You know this place, you even have a picture of one of its front door entrances, of which there are three, with SIX-count 'em-SIX pilasters in between. So it's either "tacky," with three for each door (on the smaller, doors there are three "tacky" pilasters on their outer side), or exuberantly beautiful American. Take your pick.

http://speedwaydailyphoto.blogspot.com/2011/09/field-trip-takin-it-to-church.html

Hello, Scout, glad to see you. I love the first photo, too. The builders didn't have any "stiff-assed English planning authorities" :-D to quote our knowledgeable friend above) to interfere in the design and construction of this happy building.

Speedway said...

After I left the ILC last night to walk towards town, I wondered why architects of modern buildings could not break up the monotony of expanses of glass, stone and straight lines with some of those swirly, floral decorations as at the top of those overly American pilasters? Wouldn't a touch of those accent the beauty of both surfaces?

There isn't a curve in sight on the Indy skyline; everything is at right angles as thought the designer used Legos and Transformers as inspiration.

dive said...

I'll pick exuberantly beautiful American, Speedway. Rules are there to be broken, bent, screwed around with and mocked, which is pretty much the definition of creativity.