The first and the grandest of his Jewel-box bank buildings, Louis Sullivan‘s National Farmers Bank, in Owatonna MN, was opened in 1908. Boy, what a treat this building is. In the days before the US government insured bank accounts (FDIC),
IBM Rochester
In the mid-1950s IBM’s CEO Thomas J. Watson Jr. wanted to decentralize the company, expanding out of New York into the rest of the country. He chose the first site in the Midwest at Rochester MN. He hired Eero Saarinen
Schweikher House
The Schweikher House and Studio is a Modernist house in the suburbs of Chicago designed & built by Paul Schweikher. It served both as his home with his wife Dorothy and the office for his architectural studio. In addition to
Samara House
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Samara was completed in 1956. It is named after the helicopter or whirlybird seeds of the pine trees on the site (samara), and this stylized shape serves a motif for the house, appearing in the
George Peabody Library
I do love me some library — stacks of books in an elegant or imposing setting? Yes! And the George Peabody Library in Baltimore comes through on both counts. George Peabody was a local wealthy merchant and donated money in
First Christian Church
Built in 1942, the First Christian Church (Columbus, Indiana) is the home of a non-denomiational congregation in Columbus IN. Eliel Saarinen designed it, with help from his son Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames. This collaboration reflects the philosophy advocated at
Wainwright Building
Opened in 1891 and designed by Adler & Sullivan, the Wainwright Building was their first true skyscraper. It was built for Ellis Wainwright, a wealthy St. Louis brewer. It’s a wonderful example of Sullivan’s emphasis on verticality in his tall buildings. Before Sullivan, tall buildings hid their height with an
One Charles Center
One Charles Center is a 23-story skyscraper in Baltimore, MD, built in 1962 and designed by Mies van der Rohe’s. It’s a very Miesian buildings, sharing many elements with his other designs such as the Chicago Federal Center and the
Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park
The Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park, also known as the Kraus House, is located just outside Saint Louis in Kirkwood, Missouri. It’s a Wright Usonian house — one of his last, in fact. Wright’s high concept here is
Wilhering Abbey Church
Of all the Rococo churches that I’ve seen, Wilhering Abbey church is the Rococo-est. You can see pictures and you can read books, but nothing really prepares you for the inside of this church. Other Rococo churches, like the Wieskirche,
