Metal and wood, bricks and stone; Webster’s Dictionary defines a building as “a structure (such as a house, hospital, school, etc.) with a roof and walls that is used as a place for people to live, work, do activities, store things, etc.” Buildings are all this and more. Buildings tell a story. The design of a building reveals a story of the time period in which it was built. It allows a glimpse into the past or a peek into the future. For the designer or architect, it is an expression of what inspires them. From the ancient ruins in Greece to Dorton Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina; architecture inspires us. Addison Mizner is an architect most well-known for his design of resort buildings in southern Florida. His Mediterranean revival, as well as, his Spanish Colonial revival style has left a major mark on south Florida. His influence is still evident when driving through south Florida. Addison Cairns Mizner was born December 12th, 1872 in Benicia, California. His parents were Lansing Bond Mizner, a prominent attorney and Ella Watson. His father was a big supporter of Benjamin Harrison’s presidential campaign in the later part of the 19th century and was eventually appointed to the position of …show more content…
Singer had built several hospitals in France and asked Mizner to design a hospital for Palm Beach. As World War I was coming to an end, the hospital was reconfigured as an exclusive country club, the Everglades Club. The club was opened in January of 1919. It was one of America’s preeminent clubs for the rich and famous and is still open today. After his success with the Everglades Club, members began to request that he design private homes on the club premises. Mizner’s architecture became well known in southern Florida. His buildings, as well as his influence on other designers have stood the test of time and still define the landscape in the southern part of
Marjory Stoneman Douglas (April 7, 1890 – May 14, 1998) was an American journalist, writer and environmentalist known for her staunch defense of the Florida Everglades against draining and development. Moving to Miami as a young woman to work for The Miami Herald, Douglas became a freelance writer, producing over a hundred short stories that were published in popular magazines. Her most influential work was the book The Everglades: River of Grass (1947), which redefined the popular conception of the Everglades as a treasured river instead of a worthless swamp. Published the same year as the formal opening of Everglades National Park, the book was a call to attention about the degrading quality of life in the Everglades and continues to remain an influential book on nature conservation as well as a reference for information on South Florida. Its impact has been compared to that of the influential 1962 book Silent Spring. Dougla’s books, stories, and journalism career brought her influence in Miami, which she used to advance her causes.
...buildings they make. Those walls hold stories that are unique and they cannot be repeated. Taking care of those buildings helps humans to preserve the lives and stories of the people who lived in them earlier.
Property prices soared; a parcel of land in the early 1920s could be bought for $1,700 and by 1925 could reach up to $300,000 (Colombo). By buying parcels of land and holding on to it until the market reached astronomical rates and selling one could change their fortunes with minimal effort. Most of the individuals who were purchasing the land had not even stepped foot in the state and instead used a type of real estate agent known as a “Binder Boy”. These men and women would show the land to prospective buyers and if sold would accept a “binder” on the sale (Florida’s Land Boom). A binder is a fee paid by the landowner to the seller for a percentage of the sale. Due to the buying and selling of the land and a high rate it was during this time that many vacation destinations were created. The land developers began to emerge as the dominant tycoons of the state. They began to develop not just buildings, bridges, and hotels but they began to develop cities. They became known throughout the world as creating the “Florida Lifestyle” (FLORIDA IN THE LAND BOOM OF THE 1920’S); the developers of the 1920s today created many of the attractions in Florida. These attractions like Miami Beach, Mangrove Island Causeway, Temple Golf Resort, and the University of Miami were all built during the land boom of the 1920s. “These developers who made the name Florida synonymous with palm trees and beaches… made Florida the place to
Frederick Law Olmsted was the main architect of the Biltmore Estate. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1822. He is also the designer of Stanford University, grounds of the U.S. capitol, Central Park, and Niagara Falls State Reserve. Olmsted did not attend college. In 1895 he suffered a mental breakdown and spent the rest of his life in an Asylum in Waverly Massachusetts. Olmsted died in August 1903. The Biltmore Estate was the last project he ever did. He ...
Dell Upton is a historian and renowned professor of architecture and Urbanism at the University of California. He has published several books on architecture; one of them is “Architecture in the United States”, published in 1998. In this book, Upton analyzes the architecture of the United States in different aspects, such as nature, money and art, thus depicting the great variety in architectural forms, and how throughout the decades, different interests have lead communities to different ways of building, different purposes and materials, thus reflecting their way of thinking and their relationship with the environment. By exploring so many different architectural styles, Upton reveals the great diversity and richness that has always, and continues to characterize American architecture.
Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) was considered the father of American Landscape Architecture. He is known throughout history for his landscape creations such as Central Park in New York City and Niagara Reservation in New York. Olmsted was an avid travel and had a keen eye for understanding the environment around him. He did not only evaluate the environment, but he also took interest in the people around the world as well. In Journey to the Southern Seaboard States, Frederick Olmsted travel to the southern states of the United States (we focused on Washington D.C., Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia). Olmsted describes his journey as travels. He goes into great detail about the environment, the people, and makes many comparisons of south
Landscape architecture has been around since the beginning of time, but it was not until Frederick Law Olmsted came along that the idea of integrating design into the landscape with plants, water, and structures that it turned into a thriving profession. To many, Olmsted is considered “a pioneer in the profession of landscape architecture, an urban planner, and a social philosopher, one of the first theoreticians and activists behind the national park and conservation movements” (Kalfus 1). Growing up, he did not ever graduate from formal schooling and just sat in on a few classes while at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut. Instead, he acquired his education from being out in the world through traveling and reading. He had a hard childhood. His mother died when he was just four years old and on his journeys around the world to Europe and China, he became sickly with seasickness, paralysis of the arm, typhoid fever, apoplexy, sumac poisoning, and at times suffered from depression. For many years he went on a journey within himself to find out whom he really was and what he wanted to do with his life, career wise. Frederick had one brother, John Hull, who died in 1857. This left Olmsted feeling empty and at loss of what to do. That was when Calvert Vaux came and filled the space in Olmsted’s life that his brother left. Vaux convinced Olmsted to enter the Central Park Commissioner’s design competition with their design entitled the “Greensward Plan.” With the success in that project, Olmsted figured out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, which was to become a landscape architect. Olmsted practiced from the years of 1857 up until he retired in 1895. Olmsted’s two boys, adopted son John Charles and biological son Frederick La...
Florida, nicknamed The Sunshine State, is a tourist and retiree magnet. The state’s high temperatures, exotic wildlife, and sunny skies attract people of all ages. Even the first Spanish explorers to the area thought it was a paradise. A leading producer of oranges, Florida’s economy is growing faster than any other state’s. From the shallow swamps of the Everglades of the south, to the “hammock” studded forests of the north, Florida is a truly unique state. Florida’s early history, geography, climate, wildlife, and economy stand out from other states. It is a state that should be visited at least once in a lifetime.
...IA 1895 - 1969." The American Institute of Architects N.p. Web. 4 Jun 2011. .
From the early Greek temples of yesteryear, to the high-tech autonomous buildings of tomorrow, the question of whether the function of a building or its aesthetics qualities are more important has plagued the minds of architects around the world. Webster's II New College Dictionary (Please do not use the encyclopedia or the dictionary to open your essay--way too high school.) defines aesthetics as "The branch of philosophy that provides a theory of the beautiful and of the fine arts" (18). The definition of Functionalism is defined by Webster's as "The doctrine that the function of an object should determine its design and materials" (453). Now, if the function of an object decides the type of design and materials used how does one integrate aesthetics into design, and moreover, how important are aesthetics to an architect? Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the greatest and most renowned architects of the 19th and 20th centuries, and while his buildings where lauded for displaying great artistic design, the issue of function was compromised by the blatant fact that his roofs leaked. This is because he let the aesthetics of his buildings become the focus of the structure, and neglected to adequately address the function of the building allowing for this problem to take root in his designs (Palermo, 4 Mar. 1999). As is apparent from Frank Lloyd Wright, there is a certain balance that has to be attained between aesthetics and functionalism in order for a structure to be appreciated as a successful building.
In the spring of 1893 Wright decided to build his own house in Oak Park, Illinois. Taking six years to build, Wright was free to experiment with his objectives in residential architecture over the next twenty-year period. Designing and re-constructing his buildings was a continuous process. He always changed his designs. For twenty years this home served as an independent labatory for Wright. This too went under constant changes. Rooms were enlarged or added, ceilings heightened, the arrangement of the windows changed, and the entry route into the house was modified. Wright even allowed the growth of a willow tree to be uninterrupted by placing a hold in the roof of the studio.
Frank Lloyd Wright has been called “one of the greatest American architect as well as an Art dealer that produced a numerous buildings, including houses, resorts, gardens, office buildings, churches, banks and museums. Wright was the first architect that pursues a philosophy of truly organic architecture that responds to the symphonies and harmonies in human habitats to their natural world. He was the apprentice of “father of Modernism” Louis Sullivan, and he was also one of the most influential architects on 20th century in America, Wright is idealist with the use of elemental theme and nature materials (stone, wood, and water), the use of sky and prairie, as well as the use of geometrical lines in his buildings planning. He also defined a building as ‘being appropriate to place’ if it is in harmony with its natural environment, with the landscape (Larkin and Brooks, 1993).
... artist/designer, so this makes it impossible for me to discuss the person or people who put this idea to life but the building itself is what attracted me to perform my research and base my essay on.
Henry B. Plant is featured in the article “Florida’s hidden treasures: Museums, cultural parks” written by Copley News Service in the Washington Post for talking about his dreams. Plant had the goal of turning the Florida wilderness in to a “shining utopia.” His dreams came true, Plant created a historic museum in the Pinellas Suncoast. He’s able to provide historical information to the public whil...
From the time of the ancient Greeks all the way to modern day, some part of humanity has almost always been interested in the past. For the ancient Greeks, it was discovering Mycenaean ruins and composing stories about them. Today, inspiration is still drawn from classical architecture. One has to look no further than the U.S. capitol building, or even the University of Michigan's Angell Hall to see remnants of this architectural style. This raises the question of why does it still persists? Logically, the best way to answer this is to examine the origins of classical architecture, and what it represented then and now. Furthermore, the study of ancient architecture can show insights into past civilizations which otherwise would have been lost.