Placerville, CA

 

In the days of 1849, when this city was called Hangtown, vigilantes executed many men for various crimes. This was the site of Hay Yard, on which stood the 'Hangman's Tree.' The stump of the tree is under the building on which the plaque is placed. Location: 305 Main St. Placerville

 

Placerville, in the California Gold Country, was once called Hangtown. An effigy of a man being hung is roped from the second floor of a building where the Hangman's Tree bar, an historic spot marks the spot of the town hangings. Gold was discovered in this region, and the wild west atmosphere created a dire need for laws to regulate criminals and those who took what they wanted, including lives. Hangtown was one of the first places where justice was delivered with a rope from a tree. It was initially called Dry Diggins but changed its name to Hangtown for the many hangings that meted swift justice to offenders during the mid 1800's.

 

www.seecalifornia.com/attractions/placerville-hangmen-tre...

The Old Bailey is the Central Criminal Court of London. On the dome above the court stands a bronze statue of Lady Justice, executed by the British sculptor F. W. Pomeroy. She holds a sword in her right hand and the scales of justice in her left.

Aftermath

Name: Peter Renshaw

Location: Kinglake West.

Date: 2009MAR26

Description:

 

First time in the back paddock. The plants you see in the foreground are what is left of a 1acre paddock of exotic Camellias and Rhododendrons. They are bending in the direction of the fire path.

 

The text below is a talk I gave on how we (brother, sister, myself and mates) organised and executed plans to get immediate power & water at my Dads house. Authorities simply didn't react fast enough.

 

==================

 

Final draft for talk at Trampoline

 

update latest news

 

Now published at seldomlogical.com/gsd.html.

 

A quick intro to the fire is here www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157615800278371/. Be aware this is a draft & I'll be posting later a linked & more polished version at seldomlogical and my wp site. For the purposes of the talk on the day I subtitled the talk Kick-starting Volunteers to not only make the title shorter but to put the talk in a bigger context. The ideas here can be applied to situations like Black Saturday but could just as easily be applied to Volunteers, even Startups. They all face the same types of problems.

 

Hello, my name is Peter. My talk is called "Getting stuff

done with nothing". Before I begin I'll tell you something

about myself. My first computer was a ZX-80. I don't get

out much and I haven't been to a meeting for a long time.

I'm one of those Gen-X slackers, I went to school for 20

or so years and I've worked mostly in Startups and

software. So you could say I'm a bit of an expert on the

topic. Well at least one.

 

Getting stuff done with nothing

Why is it that some individuals adapt to change faster than

others? How is it that people with no authority, few

resources can make such a difference? The ideas I want to

explore has its roots in the slow decline of volunteering,

the unfolding financial crisis and the 7th February 2009.

A day we now know as Black Saturday.

 

How do you avoid sabotaging yourself trying to help?

How do you get stuff done, with nothing?

 

Black Saturday

 

It was 46 degrees that day. I'd thought about going to Dads

about 70 kilometers from where I live. But with a total

fire ban and hot conditions I chose the pool instead

staying close to home. It wasn't till I got home about six

o'clock that evening that I got a call from a distressed

sister saying Dad was fighting off fires at his property at

Kinglake West and his phone was going flat. Later I got

another call at around 8 o'clock to say the house had

survived but he was still fighting. [0]

 

I was 70 kilometers away, it was getting dark so I drove to

the nearest place I could see the range, snapped a few

shots and uploaded them to Flickr. My brother and sister

who lived closer shot up to Whittlesea trying to get into

the fire-zone to help. Foolish maybe, but it was to have

positive implications later. [1] I knew that if Dad

survived the first two hours with house intact - as long

as he kept his wits about him, he would survive. So I

started planing, writing and collecting any information

I could to see if I could help out further down the line.

  

49 days later

 

It's now forty nine days since the fire and work is

still going on. A casual comment by a CFA volunteer on my

Flickr account [2] suggesting that for the next major fire

a similar site might do exactly what I was doing -

collecting information and acting as a clearing house.

This was going to be initial idea for my talk. "How to

apply technology and apply it to solve the communications

and logistic problems" I encountered with the fires. Maybe

it could be applied to other relief efforts. What about

the recession? Could it help people who loose their jobs

to re-train? Get new skills?

 

But thinking about it more, it turned out to be the wrong

question to ask. I don't think technology is the problem.

[3] I think the real problem is much more fundamental. I

think it's people and how they tackle obstacles. I don't

want to get bogged down in theory. What I want concentrate

on something practical. How to apply some quick hacks that

anyone can master in times of need.

  

Personal qualities not technology

 

To get things done you have to overcome hurdles. Some

are personal and internal. Others are external and totally

out of your control. When I started thinking about what

personal qualities might be important, I was struck by the

fact you might need to experiment and apply various

combinations to achieve a result. So I have tried to narrow

the list, to what I think are the 10 qualities that make a

difference.

  

1) Controlling emotion

 

Emotions effect the way we make decisions. Emotions come in

many forms as we react to stress. Each person reacts

slightly differently. Limiting your emotional reaction, lets

you move forward to make decisions. It's a trait that only

you can control. Some sort of control is an advantage over

none. No control over you emotions can let fear control

you. Fear is by far the most damaging emotion I can think

of. Fear paralyses you into in-action. In-action is not

only counter productive but it's also the fastest way to

sabotage yourself. Fear is also contagious. If you are

fearful, it has a nasty habit of rubbing-off onto others.

I don't know the solution to avoiding or controlling fear

but I do know you should be aware it exists. You should try

to negate it's side effects. The better control you have

over fear, the more effective you can be. [4]

  

2) Listening

 

How well you listen greatly effects any outcome to try to

achieve. Not listening is one of the quickest ways to fail

when you encounter external hurdles. Not listening you miss

details. Details that could mean the difference between

knowing what is required or taking a risk and guessing. A

requirement achieved is a form of measurable success.

Guessing simply wastes time. If in doubt ask someone "on

the ground". They know things you don't. Listen now and

you save time and effort later.

  

3) Mindset

 

If you have a rigid mindset. If you cannot adapt quickly

enough. You risk not only failing to achieve the things you

set out to do. You will be susceptible to blunder. A

blunder is when the action you take, results in a worse

situation than when you start. Blunders have many causes.

But the most likely culprit is a fixed or rigid mindset.

Mindset is the combined effect of "how you react

emotionally to current events" and "the decisions you make

as a result". So ask yourself. "Are you undermining

yourself because you have a rigid mindset?"

  

4) Empathy & imagination

 

Can you walk in the shoes of another person? Can you

identify their problems and solve them? Empathy and

imagination are an effective antidote to blunders, rigid

mindsets and cognitive traps in thinking. [5] Don't just

try and blunder your way through a solution. First put

yourself into situation you are trying to improve and

use your mind to to project, how you might make the

current situation into a better or best situation. [6]

  

5) Communication not Info-mania

 

An info-maniac is someone who misuses information. If you

hold onto information, shun or avoid the source or nature

of information. You are self sabotaging yourself. You need

to collect enough of the right type of relevant

information. Don't worry about the having too much

information. You will be surprised what people might be

looking for or find. [7] Working as a team has its own

challenges. When communicating to more than one person

make sure they have the right mindset and ensure they are

communicating together to get the job done.

  

6) Thrift and resources

 

Up till now, the focus has primarily been on the how.

Little thought has been given to cost. If you have few

resources and need them quickly it is up to you to work out

how important they are. Weigh the costs of buying verses

loaning. Don't buy if you can help it. The time honoured

"Beg, borrow and ask" works, well some of the time. A simple

solution is to hack what you already have and see if it can

fit the purpose. A roll of fencing wire and duct tape may

work wonders but not miracles.

 

This is where you have to get creative. A good resource can

be friends or people you know. It may even be complete

strangers. In some cases you will have to pay cash. Before

you do check with people on the ground if they really need

this item. If you pay cash it might be better to accept a

higher price for a receipt instead of trying to negotiate

a discount. This avoids disputes. Pay a bit more to avoid

potential conflict. [8]

  

7) Speed

 

We are often told to do things "fast". But saying and

doing are two different things. Where do you start? Well

start at the basics. The basics of life are 'food', 'water'

and shelter. So for a given situation concentrate first on

the basics. Be able to say with certainty you have

reliability. Day in, day out. Every day. Speed is also

about getting real results without wasting unnecessary time

and resources. Any lack of the above qualities will hinder

your efforts. So I think the measure of speed is about

delivering the basics. Then using a combination of

listening, empathy and imagination you can move your way

forward.

 

But speed alone isn't good enough.

 

It's a constant. What you really want is acceleration.

What forces can you use to increase the accelerate the rate

you do things? Well the answer to this and a potential

road-block is probably a combination of and Info-mania.

Collect enough information on problem at hand and you get a

data glut and as long as the relevance of the information

is high someone can probably find the right information.

The trick is then to get the right people to take notice.

 

We got "feet on the ground" to Dad in less than 48 hours.

Delivering a delivering a generator and essentials. Yet I

was shocked that it took another 48 hours for support teams to

touch base in Flowerdale a mere 26 kilometers further

north. [9] This changed quickly when Pete William started

writing the "helpflowerdale" blog. Things sped up when the

information flow sped up. [10]

  

8) Search for simplicity

 

KISS or Keep it Simple Stupid. Easy to say, much harder to

do in practice. The advantage of simplicity is it helps

keeps you focused on what is achievable. Focusing on simple

outcomes is also cost and time effective. Complex things

consume resources. How do you find simple solutions in

real-life complexity?

 

I have no real answers. But I did get a few valuable

insights trying to work out how to solve the problem of

water. After the fires, I knew delivering the basics was

going to be a big problem. And the most important basic is

water. But how do you source, deliver and maintain a clean

water supply 70 kilometers away?

 

How did I simplify the problem? Well first I had the right

mindset. I knew in the middle of summer in remote areas

that damaged water tanks, no pumps and when the power is

down there will be no reliable water. I also knew speed was

of the essence. The simplicity hack I applied was knowing

that water being a basic was required quickly. I confirmed

by ringing up people on the ground that water storage was a

problem. Then spread the news around this is what was

required. It just so happened that other people where

already thinking along the same lines pre-warned because of

the information I spread, "empathised" and offered help.

The actual situation itself is complicated and I couldn't

tackle this problem myself but I got a call from a good

friend who is an expert in logistics and just happened to

have a water solution in the form of a Shutz. By chance I

also got access to various forms of transport.

 

Is this a case of good luck or searching for a simpler way?

I'm not sure. I do know that by knowing this was a priority

and using resources I secured the water containers and got

them delivered. [11], [12]

  

9) Follow through, re-evaluate

 

What you start you finish. Don't leave loose threads. Then

quickly re-evaluate. Do you really need to continue?

Communicate together. Is someone else doing this? Check

with someone on the ground again. Then continue. If you

promise to do something, do it. No one else is going to do

it. It is up to you.

 

Are you going to let your mates down?

  

10) Motivation, "the mongrel factor"

 

The final personal quality is how much of the "mongrel

factor" you have. No, it has nothing to do with "Blue

Heelers" (the TV show) [13] but the mongrel breed of dog.

How hard do you "snap" and "snarl" [14] to extract that

last 5 percent effort required to complete a task? The

difference between those who give up and those who succeed

can partially be explained to how hard they are willing to

push themselves. [15]

  

The future of Volunteers

I don't think technology alone can solve the types of

problems. You need intelligent application of technology.

Instead we should look at how we as individuals respond

using technology to amplify results. I also saw a complete

change in community attitudes to 'volunteering'. Before the

fire, volunteering was a dirty word. After the fire people

felt guilty not helping.

 

The fires may be over. But your chance to make a difference

begins now. Black Saturday might be the fractal training

run for the current recession. Lots of people, young people

especially are now going find themselves without the

opportunities to work and no path to improve themselves.

 

What are YOU! going to do? Are you! (point to individual)

going to let your mates down?

  

Reference

 

[0] Bootload, flickr, "You can read a summary and view

pictures of the fires first hours here",

[Accessed Thursday, 26th March, 2009]

flickr.com/photos/bootload/3260244634

 

[1] We (my brother, sister, her bloke, myself and a good

mate) undertook two distinct operations. Operation Genny:

objective to deliver power in the form of a generator.

Operation Shutz: objective to deliver clean water supply

tanks up to 3000 litres with 1 tank capable of being put on

a ute. We completed both. We had feet on the ground within

48 hours of the fire occurring for the generator. The water

supply following some 2 weeks later.

 

None of this would have been possible if emotional sister

and determined brother used speed to the fire zone within

couple of hours. The reward, a pass to move through the

police road blocks. Had it not been for this quick

thinking. Nothing we planned would have come to fruition.

 

[2] miniopterus, Flickr, "I should have said, good job

tracking the events. I imagine that next time we have fires,

we might see something similar to your Flickr diary.",

flickr.com/photos/bootload/3298613958

[Accessed Thursday, 26th March, 2009]

  

[3] To technologists who forge and yield hammers every

problem can appear to be a nail. In this case I don't think

a technology solution is applicable as tackling how people

deal with decision making. You need intelligent application

of technology. Instead we should look at how we as

individuals respond using technology to amplify results.

 

[4] Fear is there for a reason. Men may perceive women to

be inferior when it comes to emotion. But like the second

law of thermodynamics, all that built up emotion is going

to leak out some time in the future. So in the long run,

I think women have an edge over men dealing with emotion.

But in the short term it is men who edge women out with

self control. There is a downside here. Apply too much

control and you might emotionally overheat and become

brittle when you cool down leaving yourself open to

cracking. Hard objects become brittle and crack under

stress.

 

[6] google, "enter 'from: kinglake west to: Flowerdale

VIC, Australia' and view the maps tab. This reveals the

distance from Kinglake West."

[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]

  

[5] Zachary Shore, "Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad

Decisions, Blunder Intro, P5."

www.zacharyshore.com/static/content/blunder_intro.pdf

[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]

  

[6] CVS2BVS: Current View of Situation to Best View of

Situation is a quick hack to make you think of moving

forward. What is you current view? What is your best

view? How do you get there? You have to ask the question

before you can find a solution.

  

[7] ITConversations, Tech Nation, Zachary Shore, "Why

Smart People Make Bad Decisions: Professor, Naval

Postgraduate School"

itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail4007.html

[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]

  

[8] Sourcing the Shutz (ruggised 1000 Lt, portable water

container) I negotiated a price by quoting a friends name

in cash. Then I get a phone call asking for more money. A

quick call back to my referring mate sorted this out. But

had I got a receipt I could have avoided this. In the end

it worked out. But the risk was there. You can read more

about sourcing the Shutz here:

www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157614178152108/

[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]

  

[9] google, "To find the distance from Kinglake West to

Flowerdale enter 'from: Kinglake West to: Flowerdale VIC,

Australia' into google and click the maps tab.

  

[10] Pete Williams, blogspot, "Flowerdale - Survivor

Spirit", "A cry for help from the forgotten people of

Flowerdale"

"... The final straw for my sister in law came at 6.00am

today (12/02/09) when those left fought to save one of the

remaining houses that caught on fire overnight. They fought

with no water, no fire trucks and no support from the Army

that was in the area. They lost the fight. ..."

helpflowerdalenow.blogspot.com/2009/02/cry-for-help-from-...

[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]

  

[11] bootload, flickr, "flickr set: 'Shutz IBC 1000L' where

I order and collect the Shutz water tank"

www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157614178152108/

[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]

  

[12] bootload, "flickr set: 'Eltham to Kinglake West'

where we deliver the tanks"

www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157614178001242/

[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]

  

[13] IMDb, "Blue Heelers, The Mongrel Factor"

www.imdb.com/title/tt0527723/

[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]

  

[14] Australian Sports Commission, "Participating in Sport:

Predicting sports suitability", "... Coaches who observe

such testing sessions are assessing the ‘mongrel factor’

which athletes show a doggedness to continue when the test

becomes hard?"

www.ausport.gov.au/participating/got_talent/overview/pred...

[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]

  

[15] Simon Britton, "Mongrel Nation",

culturenow.com/site/item.cfm?item=24814

[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]

 

To Andy, James, Kev, Mum and Trace. They know how to get

things done with nothing. Thanks Trace, Colin for reading

the article.

Executing a balanced turn. Black's beach, California

EXPLORE

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

 

A collaborative project of the Federal Public Works Administration and the newly established New York City Housing Authority, the Williamsburg Houses are notable as one of the earliest housing developments in the United States to reflect the ideas of the modern movement in architecture. In the 1920s Williamsburg was one of the most densely populated sections of Brooklyn and nearly six hundred, mostly frame, structures were demolished to create the 23.3 acre site. Proposed in 1934, this residential complex was skillfully designed by the Williamsburg Associated Architects during 1935 and most units were occupied by 1938.

 

The partnership included Richmond H. Shreve, of Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, the architects of the Empire State Building, and William Lescaze, the Swiss-born architect who helped introduce the “International” style on the eastern seaboard. Lescaze was responsible for the design, which includes twenty 4-story structures on four “super” blocks turned at 15 degree angles to the street grid. Oriented to the sun and prevailing winds, this unusual layout produced a series of large and small courts, many of which flow into a large public space at the center of each block. A light-colored palette distinguishes the facades, executed in tan brick and exposed concrete.

 

Among the most prominent features are the entrances, marked by blue tile and projecting stainless steel canopies, and the handsome streamlined storefronts. The complex was widely discussed by contemporary critics and more than 25,000 New Yorkers applied for 1,622 apartments. During the mid-1990s, the buildings underwent an extensive restoration which included the replacement of all exterior materials. Sponsored by the Housing Authority, in consultation with the Landmarks Preservation Commission, these alterations were remarkably sensitive and in the 4th edition of the AIA Guide to New York City the “revivified” complex was called “the best public housing project ever built in New York.”

 

DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS

 

Housing the Masses

 

From the rowhouse to the apartment building, New York City has been a laboratory for innovative housing. Beginning after the Civil War, apartments, variously known as French Flats and tenements, were built to house the city’s surging population. Immigrants, for the most part, crowded into unregulated tenements, structures that maximized profits for developers while providing few amenities that we take for granted today, such as light, air, and private bathrooms.

 

Despite government efforts to legislate minimum standards in 1867 and 1879, initially private individuals took the most significant steps to make decent housing affordable to all. Several pioneering examples were located close to the Brooklyn waterfront, including the Home and Tower Buildings (William Field and Son, 1876-78), the Astral Apartments (Lamb & Rich, 1885-87) and Riverside (William Field and Son, 1890). The later complex surrounded a large tree-shaded courtyard incorporating a music pavilion and areas for drying laundry. Despite these, and a few innovative Manhattan developments, the majority of New Yorkers continued to live in substandard conditions.

 

The passage of the New Tenement Law in 1901 improved the situation, requiring that multiple dwellings be built on significantly larger lots, with fire escapes and separate “privies” for each family. After World War I, the garden apartment came into vogue. While most were built for the middle class, especially in Jackson Heights, a significant group were sponsored by unions and cooperative organizations that wished to provide members with inexpensive apartments. Significant examples include the Amalgamated Houses (Springsteen & Goldhammer, 1930) on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and the “Coops” built in the Bronx by the United Workers Cooperative Association (Springsteen & Goldhammer, 1925-27; Herman Jessor, 1927-29).

 

The first significant act of government intervention occurred in 1926 with the passage of the New York State Housing Law. Promoted by Governor Alfred E. Smith to encourage construction through the formation of local authorities that would sell bonds or seek federal funds, it had little impact until 1934 when the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) was established. The authority’s first project, aptly called the First Houses (Frederick L. Ackerman, 1934-36), was located in Manhattan’s East Village. Begun as a rehabilitation program involving the demolition of every third structure, due to structural problems the eight brick buildings were entirely rebuilt.

 

Throughout the early Depression, government-subsidized housing remained a controversial issue. Consequently, it was first promoted as worker relief, organized to create jobs but not compete with the commercial market. The first federal agency to involve itself with housing was the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) which was created in 1932 to provide low-interest loans to limited-dividend housing corporations. Of the two loans it made, one was toward the construction of Knickerbocker Village (John S. Van Wart & Frederick L. Ackerman, 1933). Built for the Fred F. French Company, this Chinatown-area development consists of two 12-story buildings, both enclosing an interior courtyard.

 

In mid-1933, as part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, the Housing Division of the Public Works Administration (PWA) was established. What made this agency different from its predecessor, the RFC, was that it would be directly involved in the planning and construction of low-income housing. The program was a great success and over the next three and half years it collaborated on the design and construction of 51 projects in 36 cities, including the Harlem River Houses and the Williamsburg Houses.

 

The passage of the Wagner-Steagall Bill (aka U.S. Housing Bill) by the United States Congress in September 1937, strengthened the federal government’s commitment to housing, but shifted greater control to local authorities. The first New York City housing project to be financed under this program was the Red Hook Houses (Electus Litchfied, chief designer, 1938-39) in Brooklyn. Future construction, which would amount to more than half a million low-rental units nationwide by 1957, would be funded primarily through low-interest loans.

 

Site

 

The Williamsburg Houses are located in northwestern Brooklyn, approximately one mile east of the Williamsburg Bridge and two blocks south of Grand Street, a lively commercial thoroughfare. Founded as part of the town of Bushwick in the mid17th century, Williamsburg was incorporated as a village in 1827. The community prospered and by 1852 it was the 20th largest city in the nation. Three years later, Williamsburg became part of Brooklyn and was commonly referred to as the Eastern District. Although ferry service was important to the area’s development, it was the planning and construction of a second East River crossing, the Williamsburg Bridge, that caused the most dramatic growth.

 

Proposed in 1883, the bridge was completed with much fanfare in 1903, serving pedestrians, bicycles and horse-drawn vehicles. In subsequent decades, Williamsburg rivaled the Lower East Side in population and density. The Brooklyn Eagle claimed in 1920 that the bridge was part of the busiest traffic center in the nation and that a single block north of it was the most crowded in the world. Conditions in the neighborhood continued to deteriorate throughout the decade, so much so that the population began to decline.

 

In October 1933, the Federal Works Administration (PWA) established a slum clearance committee to study conditions throughout New York City. Richmond H. Shreve, who would later serve as chief architect of the Williamsburg Houses, was named director. Based on the committee’s recommendations, $25 million was set aside for a housing program in New York City. Under the direction of the NYCHA, a more comprehensive study was undertaken in 1934, focusing on fourteen neighborhoods, including Williamsburg. The PWA reported:

 

When the study was completed the blighted slum area of the Williamsburg section stood out as the best example where the most good could be done in wholesale clearance work.

 

Of 93 blocks studied, a grid of 12 was identified for redevelopment in Williamsburg. These blocks were chosen because property values were relatively low and the owners were willing to sell. Most of buildings were mixed-use, incorporating retail spaces at ground level and apartments above. Each lot was carefully documented: 90% of the structures were at least forty years old, 70% were built of wood, 78% had no central heating, and 67% had no private toilets. Such statistics were used to paint an extremely bleak picture of life there:

 

But the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, according to official surveys, is unique in that its slums bear the stamp of dull listlessness and despair . . . Laissez faire, exploitation, and land speculation have robbed the community of its natural potentialities for development and orderly urban life.

 

Public amenities were also in short supply; there were few schools and there were almost no parks.

 

Architects

 

Five architects were appointed to the NYCHA’s architectural board in May 1934: Richmond H. Shreve (1877-1946) of Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, Matthew W. Del Gaudio (1889-1960), William Lescaze (1899-1969), Arthur C. Holden (18901993), and James F. Bly. As members of the board, their initial role was advisory. They would act as the authority’s chief architect, overseeing the design and construction of municipal housing citywide.

 

In June 1934 an open competition was held to choose the architects who would work on the Williamsburg Houses and other NYCHA projects. The program guidelines did not specify the location, but the grid chosen closely resembled the long blocks where the Williamsburg Houses would be built. Of 278 architects who participated, 5 of the 22 selected were assigned to the Brooklyn project: Samuel Gardstein, of Holmgren, Volz & Gardstein, G. Harmon Gurney (b. 1896), of Gurney & Clavan, John W. Ingle Jr., Paul Trapani (1887-1974), and Harry Leslie Walker (1877-1954).

 

In June 1935, a contract was signed with the Williamsburg Associated Architects. The partnership consisted of ten men: the five architects selected by jury, as well as the five members of the architectural board. Among them, Shreve had the most experience with large projects, having worked on a succession of major Manhattan skyscrapers, most notably, the Empire State Building (Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, 1931).

 

A graduate of the College of Architecture at Cornell University (1902), he began his career as a member of the school’s faculty and later joined the firm of Carrére & Hastings in New York City where he distinguished himself as having a “genius for the solution of operational and administrative problems.” Whereas prior to the Depression he mainly worked on office buildings, in his later years Shreve was associated with residential developments, most notably the Vladeck Houses (1940) on the Lower East Side, and Parkchester (1938-42), a development with more than twelve thousand apartments in the Bronx. During the late 1930s, he also served as a member of the board of design for the New York World’s Fair.

 

Design

 

Of the three initial projects built by the NYCHA and the PWA, the Williamsburg Houses were the most innovative. Shreve appointed Lescaze as the chief designer, responsible for the plan and elevations. In the 1930s, he was at the height of his career, profiled in publications read by professionals and the layman. Born near Geneva, Switzerland, in 1896, he studied in Zurich with the architect Karl Moser in 1915-19 and for a brief period worked in Paris with Henri Sauvage, an important designer of apartment buildings. Lescaze moved to the United States in 1920 and after working in Cleveland and New York City, formed a partnership with George Howe, a Philadelphia architect, in 1929.

 

Their association lasted four years and produced one architectural masterpiece, the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society building, completed in 1932. During the mid-1930s, he was extremely active, working on unrealized plans for the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, as well as building three of the earliest modern-style townhouses in Manhattan, his own house and studio, completed in 1934, as well as the Raymond C. and Mildred Kramer (1934-5) and Edward and Dorothy Norman (1940) houses. He also designed, with Albert Frey, the Chrystie-Forsyth Houses. Planned in 1931, this unrealized proposal was included in the Museum of Modern Art’s so-called “International Style” exhibition of 1932.

 

One of the most unique aspects of the Williamsburg Houses is the plan. To create the 23.3 acre complex, twelve blocks were acquired by the city, and the two east-west streets (Stagg and Ten Eyck) were closed to traffic to create four “super” blocks. All but one extend three full blocks from north to south, except part of the block between Manhattan and Graham Avenues that was set aside for a new junior high school and play area.

 

The development of New York City was closely tied to its gridiron. Introduced in 1811, it resulted in a city of predictable intersecting streets and avenues. In 1835, a similar plan was approved for Brooklyn and by the early 1850s the streets that cross through the site of the Williamsburg Houses had opened.

 

Most were named for area residents, such as Daniel Maujer, a lawyer and alderman, John and James Lorimer Graham, land jobbers, and James Scholes, a local land owner. The impact of this approach is visible throughout New York City, establishing blocks and lots of equal size and dimensions. Residential developers benefitted immensely, commissioning rowhouse and tenement designs that could be repeated without regard to location.

 

By the end of the 19th century, there was relatively little open space in Manhattan and Brooklyn. As part of the City Beautiful movement, various attempts were made to loosen the grid’s hold, first through the passage of the Small Parks Act in 1887, which focused on tenement neighborhoods, and later, by situating major civic structures in plazas. Similar ideas shaped the development of garden apartments which came into vogue after 1910. One of the primary characteristics of this type of multiple dwelling was reduced site coverage.

 

In most cases, such as in the Jackson Heights Historic District, the buildings were set around the perimeter of each block, enclosing large private gardens, but in other situations, such as at the Harlem River Houses, a “crankshaft” arrangement was adopted, creating a mixture of interior and exterior courts.

 

Lescaze borrowed freely from both the garden apartment tradition and architects associated with European modernism. In his earliest design, each block incorporated six U-shaped structures arranged around a narrow central court. A later design was considerably more irregular. Turned at an angle to the street, there were fewer but larger buildings.

 

Many aspects of this proposal were integrated into the final design. The Williamsburg Houses are configured in three ways, with footprints suggesting a capital “H,” small “h,” and “T.” All have small spurs and extensions, resembling crossbars. By adding this feature the number of courtyards was significantly increased. Within each block are six buildings (except north of the school); at the north and south are the “H” and “h” configurations, and in the middle, the “T”s.

 

The decision to turn the buildings at a 15 degree angle to the street grid proved controversial. PWA accounts described it in functional terms, explaining that the orientation would provide tenants with more sun and take advantage of the prevailing northwest breezes. During the previous decade, many architects and planners experimented with similar ideas. One of the earliest built examples “to deviate from the geometry of the New York gridiron” was the Mesa Verde apartments (1926) in Jackson Heights. Designed by Henry Atterbury Smith and based on an earlier proposal from 1917, the development featured two rows of six “closed L buildings” set at 45 degree angle to the surrounding streets.

 

Lescaze, however, was more likely to have been influenced by European sources. During the 1920s, he frequently returned to Europe, a period when leading architects were involved in the design of social housing. Many favored the “tower in the park” approach in which free-standing high-rise structures stood in continuous open space. Writing in English in 1935, Walter Gropius concluded that apartment blocks should “command a clear view of the sky, over broad expanses of grass and trees which separate the blocks and serve as playgrounds.”

 

Another source of inspiration might have been Ernst May who oversaw the design and construction of many low-rise housing estates in Frankfurt. In his Bruchfeldstrasse development of 1926-27, designed with C. K. Rudloff, one section was arranged in an overlapping zig-zag configuration. As in Williamsburg, each unit had corner windows, providing tenants with uninterrupted views of a central garden.

 

Many writers were skeptical about the benefits of Lescaze’s plan. Hamlin argued that the layout would convert the courts “into perfect channels for Project for a group of factories. our most vicious northwest winds.” He was told that

 

the arrangement had, in fact, been chosen for aesthetic reasons, to “break up the street facades” and “allow the feeling of space to weave in and out on the street fronts. This goal was definitely achieved, producing an environment that was new and distinctive. The flowing spaces that Lescaze planned are less monumental and more intimate than those experienced in most housing projects, juxtaposing wedge-shaped lawns with semi-enclosed courtyards and large open plazas. As originally built, no fences interrupted the spaces and the areas adjoining the curving concrete walks were paved with cobblestone.

 

The Elevations

 

Equally modern were the elevations. Lescaze was attracted to the expressive and aesthetic qualities of modern materials. Particularly unusual was the decision to use a light-colored palette. Built from reinforced concrete, the walls were originally enclosed with a sand-cast brick that was variously described by observers as bright tan, yellowish, pinkish, and grayish warm pink. One of the most notable features was the exposed concrete floor plates which express the structure and division between the floors while giving the complex a strong horizontal appearance. Talbot Hamlin observed:

 

The effectiveness of the buildings is undoubted. The striping of brick and concrete and the contrast of the light walls which front the stair towers make a vivid picture . . .

 

Prior to the mid-1930s, red brick was the most frequently used material in housing developments, used throughout Jackson Heights and in the First Houses and Harlem River Houses. The proposal to break with this tradition generated considerable debate. While the general scheme was approved in June 1935, it was not until October that specific materials were selected. Presumably, the PWA wished to standardize the building process and reduce costs. Frederick Ackerman, technical director of the NYCHA, defended Lescaze’s proposal. He wrote the authority’s chairman, Langdon W. Post:

 

. . . the “effect” of the Project will depend very largely upon the texture and quality of the exterior wall. Unless the exterior wall possesses a greater intrinsic interest than one made of common brick then the resultant effect is certain to be a bleak, barren and unusually forbidding mass of building:

 

One might readily mistake the At Williamsburg, the buildings stand as freestanding objects, finished on all sides and approachable from multiple directions. No facade dominates and the apartment entrances face both the streets and courtyards. For those unfamiliar with the layout, the angled plan may have been somewhat disorienting. To make it easier to navigate, signs were installed throughout the complex and Lescaze skillfully designed the entrances, making dramatic use of color and form. Like Le Corbusier, he was an “accomplished” painter and frequently used color, especially blue, to enliven wall surfaces. Another possible model was May’s housing development at Praunheim (1926-29) where contrasting colors were used to give the projecting stair towers a distinctive appearance.

 

Within the courtyards are as many as five entrances. Each is sheltered by a small cantilevered aluminum marquee and is flanked by square blue terra-cotta tiles. The entrances that are located at the far end of the larger courtyards are set at a angle. In these instances, the tiles spread onto the adjoining walls and extend above the parapet to the stair bulkhead. Other tile treatments project slightly forward, or are recessed above the doors to the roof. An entrance is also located in the covered breezeway. Reached by a short flight of stairs connecting both the street and courtyard, the more public street facade had an asymmetrical character, incorporating projecting blue tiles to one side and a wide aluminum marquee.

 

Construction

 

To prepare the site for construction, 568 buildings were demolished on 349 lots and approximately 5,400 people were relocated. A 1935 report described the population as divided equally between American born, Italian born, and other nationalities. Most were semi-skilled workers, employed in manufacturing, or as clerks, truck drivers, and construction workers.

 

Demolition commenced in June 1935 as PWA supervisor Elizabeth Ross dug a crowbar into the facade of 197 Manhattan Avenue, near Ten Eyck Street. In the months that followed:

 

Steam shovels and picks played a tune to rival that of the pipes of the Pied Piper of Hamlin. From every dank basement and crumbling wall rats fled in droves. Backyards disgorged an assortment of rusted cans, trash, filth and litter that would have discouraged the most voracious goat.

 

Ground was broken on January 3, 1936. Following a brief ceremony in the rain, public officials addressed an audience of five hundred at Public School 196. During April 1936, the first foundations were poured at the southwest corner of Manhattan Avenue and Stagg Street. Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia was in attendance, followed by “a few hundred interested onlookers and an army of schoolboys.”

 

As the foundations neared completion, the PWA solicited bids for construction. Starrett Brothers & Eken was awarded the $7. 5 million contract for the first 18 buildings in October 1936. A subsequent contract, for construction of buildings No. 5 and 18, was signed in late April 1937.

 

Founded by Paul Starrett (1866-1957) and William Aiken Starrett (1877-1932) and Andrew J. Eken (1882-1965) in 1922, the firm was responsible for such high-profile buildings as the New York Life Insurance Company Building (1925), Bank of Manhattan Building (1929-30), McGraw-Hill Building (1930-31), and Empire State Building (1930-31, all are designated New York City Landmarks). The Starrett Brothers worked closely with Shreve on the Empire State Building and it is likely that this relationship helped secure the contract for the Williamsburg Houses. William Starrett acknowledged the importance and complexity of this issue when he said:

 

It is the hope of people who are discussing this (slum) problem that those same brains that put together the great skyscrapers . . . will turn toward this.

 

Starrett Brothers & Eken later built Parkchester (Richmond H. Shreve, chairman of the board of design, 1938-42), Stuyvesant Town (Irwin Clavan and Gilmore Clarke, 1943-49) and Peter Cooper Village (Irwin Clavan and Gilmore D. Clarke, 1947) for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.

 

The cornerstone was laid in October 1936. It contained an aerial view of the site, a copy of the federal act creating the PWA, as well as an autographed copy of Jacob Riis’s timeless account of slum conditions, How the Other Half Lives, donated by his widow. Construction progressed rapidly, and aside from minor walk-outs by metalworkers and painters, the first six buildings were ready for occupancy with a year, in September

 

Publicity

 

The Williamsburg Houses was the largest and costliest project built by the PWA. With 1,622 apartments, it was more than twice the size of the Harlem River Houses. The approximate cost was $12.8 million. It was described by the PWA as part of “demonstration program” and numerous public events were held. In a letter to Post, Shreve stated:

 

As this project is the beginning of what, in a way, is a housing community experiment and as the public attitude toward housing will be largely controlled by the success or failure of such an experiment, it is of importance that every effort be made to make the first experiment successful.

 

In this context, how the project was perceived was of the utmost importance. Once the design had been approved, a scale model was built by the PWA and exhibited at banks in Brooklyn Heights and Williamsburg during late 1935 and 1936. This presentation was accompanied by a series of posters documenting the site, including photographs of earlier buildings and their demolition, as well as projected floor plans. The New York Times reported the model:

 

. . . throws into graphic relief the application of the new principle of multiple housing, providing more air, sunlight and recreational facilities and involving a departure from the solid-block construction.

 

The idea of using public funds to create low-income housing was relatively new and much of the language used in speeches and press releases heralded it as a major advance. At the site, signs were posted, calling Williamsburg the “Largest Low Rental Development in the USA.” At the ground-breaking, public officials evoked the memory of Alfred T. White, whose Brooklyn developments were among the first attempts to improve low-income housing in the nation.

 

Mayor LaGuardia thanked the President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, for his support, as did Harold L. Ickes, Secretary of the Interior, who described slums as a “vicious project of that old order whose passing, we hope, is at hand.” While some critics equated the federal housing program with socialism, most speakers saw it as a defense of democracy.

 

In November 1935, Post had contacted the PWA, requesting that the complex be called the “Ten Eyck” Houses. No explanation was given, but it is likely that the request was made to distinguish the new development from the larger surrounding neighborhood.

 

Ten Eyck Street was one of two east-west streets closed to create the site and it was probably named for the Dutch family whose Brooklyn lineage extended back to at least the 18th century. In the immediate area also lived William Ten Eyck, who during the mid-19th century served as the deacon of the Reformed Church of South Bushwick (1853, a designated New York City Landmark). Post’s request was quickly approved. The new name, however, was not widely used and a 1938 PWA publication refers to the development as the Williamsburg Houses.

 

On October 28, 1936, the construction site was briefly visited by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. According to the New York Times, ten thousand school children and five thousand adults “cheered the President’s passage through the streets bordering the housing project.”

 

Three “model” apartments were opened for public view in July through August 1937. Furnished with loans from various Brooklyn department stores, they were presented at 180 Maujer Street. Post was an early visitor and he described the apartments as a “demonstration of what can be done, this is the most valuable contribution to social progress that the New Deal has made.” An average of 1,200 persons a day visited. In September 1937, a second group of apartments opened at 176 Maujer Street, including one decorated entirely with “reconditioned furniture.” In a related development, during April and May 1938, the WPA created an exhibit in a storefront office at 212 Graham Avenue. Organized by William Friedman of the art teaching division, the display was changed periodically to demonstrate different apartment layouts and decoration. Nine experts spent five months preparing the exhibit, hoping that it would influence local residents and provide a model for future public housing developments. A music branch, at 176 Maujer Street, also provided lessons in theory, voice, and various instruments.

 

Tenants

 

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the Williamsburg Houses were “one of the most perfect home sites in the word . . . an eagerly sought spot to live.” Income and need formed the basis of selection and no tenant could earn more than five times the annual rent. Preference was also given to former residents of the site.

 

The first tenants began to occupy their apartments on September 30, 1937. The New York Times devoted at least two articles to “Moving Day,” as did the Brooklyn Eagle. As part of the operation, each tenant’s belongings were moved to a fumigation plant for sterilization near the intersection of Bushwick Avenue at Scholes Street.

 

This procedure was described as a “wise precaution against the spread of disease.” Bessie and Louis Grabkowitz were recognized by the NYCHA as the first official tenants. A week’s rent, of less than seven dollars, was paid and they were given keys to their new apartment. Two to five rooms in size, units featured steam heat, hot and cold water, as well as electric stoves and refrigerators. Residents praised their new homes, commenting on the appliances and abundant sunlight.

 

By the end of 1937, most apartments were occupied. A community newspaper, the Projector, began publishing on a semi-monthly basis in December 1937. In April 1938, the complex was completed. In addition to the twenty residential buildings, there were retail spaces, facing the north-south streets. The PWA reported:

 

To insure efficient, sanitary commercial services, 49 stores and shops within the project, distributing drugs, groceries, appliances, and general merchandise, have been leased to private individuals.

 

The storefronts were executed in a sleek Moderne style. To the north and south, they curved away from the street, recalling the streamlined designs of Erich Mendelsohn, as well as J. J. P. Oud’s Kiefhoek development of 1925. The prominent metal parapets were blue, matching the color of the apartment entrances. Despite their polished design, a significant number failed to attract and retain tenants. Consequently, in 1945 ten unleased spaces, near the corners of Maujer and Leonard Streets, and Scholes Street and Bushwick Avenue, were converted to apartments.

 

Tenants enjoyed a variety of useful services. At the center of the complex, on Graham Avenue stood the stripped classical-style William J. Gaynor Junior High School (1936-37), and opposite it, Building No. 11 housed a nursery school. Incorporated into the building’s south court and featuring a large play terrace, Hamlin described its glass-fronted design as “pleasant” and “delightful.” In addition, a new Moderne-style health center was built directly across from the complex, on Maujer Street.

 

Throughout the development were “social and craft rooms.” These basement spaces were originally used for classes, clubs, and meetings and many were decorated with large colorful murals. In contrast to the majority of WPA murals that were executed in style of social realism, the Williamsburg murals were non-objective. Lescaze favored “abstract and stimulating patterns” and Burgoyne Diller who headed the Federal Art Project, wrote that:

 

The decision to place abstract murals in these rooms [of the Williamsburg Housing Project] was made because the areas were intended to provide a place of relaxation and entertainment . . . The more arbitrary the color, possible when not determined by the description of objects, enables the artist to place an emphasis on its psychological potential to stimulate relaxation.

 

Of twelve murals commissioned, at least five were installed. In the early 1990s, the deteriorated canvases were restored and moved to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. They include works by the American painters Ilya Bolotowsky, Paul Kelpe, and Balcomb Greene.

  

Critical Reception

 

The opening of the Williamsburg Houses was treated as major news and writers used the event to analyze the project and express their own views about the role of public housing and the importance of modern architecture. Some of the earliest comments came from the architect Walter Gropius, former director of the Bauhaus in Germany. On a visit to New York City in April 1937 he was interviewed by H.I. Brock in the New York Times. They traveled together throughout the city, visiting both new skyscrapers and the nearly-complete Brooklyn development. Gropius was impressed and praised the unusual plan, saying that Lescaze:

 

. . . seems to have solved the problem of space and light very successfully and economically, and it has the great advantage of being spread over enough land to make it worthwhile as a sample of planned development.

 

Lewis Mumford was the first critic to publish a substantial review in February 1938. As a persistent advocate for public housing, he used the opportunity to evaluate the “outlines of the new order of building.” He praised the PWA for eschewing “overpriced building lots” and instead assembling large sites in quieter areas where streets could be closed to traffic to create gardens and playgrounds. Considerable attention was paid to the slanted orientation. Although he described it as “a bit queer,” he liked the way it separated the residences from the street and that it gave the appearance that the architects were concerned about providing tenants with ample sunlight.

 

Talbot Hamlin published the most-detailed analysis. In this review, he addressed both PWA projects, calling them “a new vision of democracy ... they are better than the most expensive apartments on Park Avenue.” Despite such praise, he expressed mixed feelings. While he found the buildings “fresh and inventive and alive,” he was disturbed by the “shockingly low” standards of construction. He also admired the “imaginative and carefully studied detailing,” but criticized the landscaping as little more than adequate. The WPA Guide to New York City, published in 1939, shared similar views, quoting Hamlin’s review, and praising the design of the individual buildings.

 

In the years since completion, the Williamsburg Houses have been a frequent subject for architectural historians. Many, starting with the Museum of Modern Art in 1939, have placed the development within the context of European modernism. In an exhibition celebrating the museum’s 10th anniversary and the opening of its new building, it was the only architectural work represented that was located in New York City. In a brief essay on housing, the curators highlighted the “triple-size superblocks,” that form an “oasis of open space,” but criticized the adjoining school building as a lost opportunity to create a “truly important work.” Photographs of the complex were also included in Forms and Functions of Twentieth-Century Architecture (1952), in sections devoted to city planning and concrete construction.

 

G. Holmes Perkins wrote in the city planning section that despite faults, the complex “may be held up as patterns for tomorrow.” Richard Pommer, in one of the most insightful discussions of Depression-era housing in the United States, criticized the angled plan, calling Lescaze a “versatile pasticheur” who used visual effects without logic or relation to function. Robert A. M. Stern shared this view, writing in 1980 that it “seems overrated.” Richard Plunz, in A History of Housing in New York City, credited the project as the start of a “brief but intense struggle” to determine the aesthetic direction government-built housing would take. All four editions of the AIA Guide to New York City have praised the Williamsburg Houses. The 1968 edition called it a “very successful solution to the problem of low-rent subsidized housing,” and in 2000 “the best public housing project ever built in New York.”

 

Subsequent History

 

Conveyed by the federal government to the NYCHA in 1957, the Williamsburg Houses continue to serve their original purpose, housing more than three thousand New Yorkers. Major alterations were first proposed in 1980 and significant work took place during 1985-91. At this time, the original casement windows were replaced with bronze-colored aluminum sash and the blue terra cotta that surrounded the entrances, with tan “Morocco” glazed brick.

 

In a remarkable turnaround, during the mid1990s, the facades were restored. What began as continued maintenance, soon evolved into a major architectural project, requiring an outside contractor and consultation with the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Under the supervision of Neil Cohen of the NYCHA, the elevations were completely reskinned, the parapets replaced, as well as the chimneys, railings, and terra-cotta banding. In addition, new canopies, doors, lighting fixtures, and signage were fabricated.

 

The approximately $70 million project was executed with great sensitivity; there was an article in the real estate section of the New York Times and the NYCHA was the recipient of the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy (1999), which praised the participants for restoring the complex to “better-than-new condition.” Restoration of the storefronts, except along Bushwick Avenue, was completed in 2002.

 

The high standards set by the design of the Williamsburg Houses have rarely been matched. Innovative in terms of scale, plan, and aesthetics, it remains one of the most pleasant and architecturally-distinguished housing developments in New York City.

 

Description

 

There are twenty walk-up buildings in the 23.3acre Williamsburg complex and a total of 1,620 apartments. These buildings are numbered from 1 to 20 and each entrance has its own street address, for instance, “112 Maujer Street.” Stainless steel signs, with pin-mounted numbers and letters, identify each entrance.

 

The site extends four blocks east to west, from Bushwick Avenue to Leonard Street, and three blocks north to south, from Maujer to Scholes Streets. The principal north-south artery is Graham Avenue. Between Maujer and Scholes Streets, Ten Eyck Street and Stagg Street are closed to vehicles. These winding east-west paths are called Ten Eyck Walk and Stagg Walk. They are identified by large pin-mounted stainless steel letters attached to the building facades and are visible along the north-south streets. Throughout the complex are wall-mounted cantilevered lighting fixtures. These glass and aluminum fixtures are reproductions of the originals.

 

Three of the four blocks have a tree-shaded open space at center. At present, non-historic benches, play equipment, and basketball courts are located here. Most lawns are enclosed by low iron fences. Though not original, these fences pre-date the 1990s. Pole-mounted lighting fixtures are occasionally used to illuminate these areas.

 

All buildings materials are non-historic. Each structure is four stories tall and clad in ochre-colored brick. Exterior concrete spandrel beams are exposed at each floor. To disguise patches to the concrete, the beams are coated with a grey-colored water repellency finish. The entrances are flanked by blue structural glazed facing tiles that are approximately 12 by 12 inches. Blue mortar was used to minimize the joint lines. A canopy projects in front of each entrance (except on one side of the breezeways). Made of stainless steel, they incorporate recessed down lights. Some canopies are supported by a single pipe column. The entrance doors and sidelights are made of stainless steel.

 

Each door has a grid of four small square windows. Breezeways serve a dual purpose: reached by two sets of stairs, they provide an additional north-south passage, as well as entry to apartments. Most of the stairs are flanked by stainless steel railings. The bronze anodized aluminum windows, installed in the 1980s, are all one-over-one. Arranged as single windows or in pairs, they have concrete sills and meet the concrete spandrels above. The smaller windows light the bathrooms. Single windows and pairs are located where the facades meet, often creating triple-width openings at the cantilevered corners.

 

There are three general building configurations. All are original to the complex. They include eight buildings with “H” shaped floor plans, six with floor plans that suggest a small letter “h,” and six buildings with “T” shaped floor plans. While the “H” and “h” types alternate along Maujer and Scholes Streets (except next to the school where both are “H” shaped), the “T” shaped buildings are located only between Ten Eyck Walk and Stagg Walk.

 

The “H” buildings (Nos. 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, and 20) are nearly symmetrical, with almost identical north and south courtyards. At the center of each court is either a projecting center section or breezeway. The apartments are reached by four distinct entrances, each with a different tile treatment. They include: corner, wide, recessed between the door and the roof, and incorporated within a breezeway. Each entrance leads to interior stairs. The windows that light the stairs are arranged in horizontal grids of six and eight panes. Except for the recessed variant, the tiles project slightly and rise above the parapet to the stair bulkhead. The opposite side of the breezeway has no tilework. Reached by stairs, each breezeway incorporates two concrete columns and a metal door. The “h” buildings (Nos. 2, 5, 19, 13, 16 and 19) are similar to the “H” buildings, except one court is partially enclosed.

 

The “T” buildings (Nos. 3, 4, 11, 12, 17, 18) have shallow courts. The top of the ‘T” has three entrances, each framed with blue tiles. A pair of entrances are also found facing each other in one of the side courts, and occasionally on the opposite side, as well. Building No. 11, located on the east side of Graham Avenue, is unique due to the presence of a nursery school at the wider south end. To accommodate this function, the entrances were moved and the court at the south end was enclosed. The south wall of school is clad with glass blocks, many of which are original. A concrete shed, at the center of the wall, is not historic and there are plans for removal. From the south facade extends a raised play area that is enclosed by a fence. Along the east side of the building, facing Graham Avenue, a non-historic ramp with metal railings has been constructed.

 

Commercial storefronts parallel the streets and adjoin the apartment buildings in various locations. The materials are non-historic, but the new elevations closely resemble the originals. The largest storefronts are located on either side of Graham Avenue, between Maujer Street and Ten Eyck Walk (Nos. 8 and 9). Smaller retail spaces are located along Graham Avenue (near Scholes Street, No. 13); on Leonard Street (near Maujer Street, No. 1); and on Bushwick Avenue (between Maujer and Stagg Walk, No. 16). They have a stream-lined character and curve away from the street at both ends. One story tall, they have granite bases and are clad with stainless steel and metal that has a baked-on blue porcelain finish. Above the storefronts runs the blue metal parapet, crowned by a stainless steel roof rail. Lighting was added above the storefronts, and security gates, when the stores are open, roll up and are neatly hidden within the facades. Large glass blocks or plate glass are used throughout. Along Bushwick Avenue, the modifications are less sympathetic and a vertical grid of older decorative concrete block occasionally interrupts the facade.

 

- From the 2003 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report

Photographer: Jason Paparoulas.

Model: Anna Pembroke

Make Up Artist: Anna Pembroke, Erica Stagg

Designer: Erica Stagg

Stylist: Tahnee Medina

Assistant: Erica Stagg, Tahnee Medina

Location: Milton Bowl, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

 

Strobist Info (this ordering may or may not have changed throughout the shoot):

 

- 1 x Bowens Gemini Esprit 500WS – shot through softbox camera left

- 1 x Bowens Gemini Esprit 500WS – shot through softbox camera left

- 2 x Bowens Travelpacks – powering 2 x 500WS strobes each

 

- Canon 5D Mark II w/ BG-E6

- 50mm f/1.4, 35mm f/2.0

- Elinchrom Skyport Universal Triggers

 

Ok here are the shots from a very recent very out of the blue last minute shoot with designer and all round sweet heart Erica Stagg. Prior to the shoot I think we’d talked once I’d never seen the collection and had no idea what I was shooting and went out on a whim hoping the location was well, more than suitable and turns out it was more than adequate, so here are the shots from Erica Stagg’s 2009/2010 summer capsule range…

 

I know I say this all the time for a lot of the shoots I work on but Erica’s range is nothing far from amazing, the concept behind each piece is clear in plain sight and well executed, with each piece really speaking for itself, and Anna our model despite coming straight from a viewing and been dead tired pulled of every shot and let both herself and the garments equally as powerful frame after frame, and let’s just say wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty…

 

Big thanks to Erica for letting my concept to come through in the shots and having it been a little bit more collaborative than usual and letting me try some new techniques, regardless of how the shots looked these were shot in full daylight in the middle of the day and mid afternoon using a kind of light masking technique I’m trying much like they use in the twilight movies only a little different and my own creation…

 

Big thanks to all the girls for putting up with me as usual I know it’s a hard task and they did without complaint, so here are the shots enjoy…

 

and alternatively feel free to stalk my life THE BAKE HOUSE @ WORDPRESS

 

Inside Louvre Museum, Paris, France. Painting by the Venetian artist Veronese, 1652–53 (Louvre, Paris). It depicts the first miracle of Jesus, when he turned water into wine at a marriage feast at Cana in Galilee. This is one of the finest works of the Venetian High Renaissance, and was originally executed for the refectory of the Benedictines of S Giorgio Maggiore in Venice.

The Midland Camera club planned and executed a wonderful trip to the Jordan Valley and Leelanau peninsula in pursuit of Fall colors, landscapes, farms, sand dunes, Lake Michigan. lighthouses, and a vast assortment of interesting subjects to photograph. All the members came home with a nice collection of photographs and much joy in the adventure spent together. Visit our viewing site to see the work of the members.

www.flickr.com/groups/3021281@N20/

 

This fabulous photograph is available at my online store in a wide variety of products. This link will take you there

pixels.com/products/a-trail-through-the-woods-tom-clark-a...

  

216d 10 - _DSC0018 - lr-ps-wm

Alex Colville (1920–2013) forged a singular path in 20th-century art, remaining apart from formal trends while developing a meticulous technique of point-by-point application. His precisely constructed compositions depict ordinary life in charged juxtapositions of figures, animals, and objects, evoking a suspended, uneasy stillness. Trained at Mount Allison University and later a military artist, Colville’s work is held in private and corporate collections worldwide.Painter, draughtsman, engraver and muralist, Alex Colville always remained aloof from the formal trends that characterized the 20th century. Drawing his inspiration from the world around him, from the most repetitive gestures of everyday life, he placed his unsettling juxtapositions of figures, objects and animals in an ambiguous atmosphere of disquieting tranquillity, as though time were suspended. His compositions are rigorously constructed according to a precise geometry and executed with a technique that consists of minuscule dabs of paint applied meticulously dot by dot.

 

Born in Toronto, Colville moved as a boy to Amherst, Nova Scotia with his family. After his studies at Mount Allison University, he served in the army from 1942 to 1946, working as a military artist from 1944 to 1946. He then taught at university, but left in 1963 to devote himself completely to painting. In the 1950s, his approach became associated with that of certain American artists, such as Andrew Wyeth, who are considered regionalists. His paintings are characterized by a latent anxiety; an example is Child and Dog, in which the juxtaposition of a blond child and a large black dog with pronounced claws creates a feeling of unease. Nearly a third of Colville’s works involve animals, particularly domestic animals; Hound in Field is a perfect illustration of this affinity.

Sorry but I can't place it, one of a number of sights which captivated us as we whistlestop toured Scotland. Next time will be better planned and executed, this time was a recce!

- Charles Dickens.

 

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It's been a while since I posted an image on Flickr. It has been a busy Christmas season and finding time to select, and process images have been difficult. A couple of days ago, I had a chance to go through some of my old photos, and I happened across the image of the day. This image was taken at mono lake, an area that I can always count on for exciting sunset and sunrise light. While we were there this evening, I saw the initial signs of a lenticular cloud forming. I was still in the early stages as a photographer, and this was the first time I have ever witnessed the formation of a lenticular cloud. So, in short, I panicked and started to run around and take as many photos as I could while muttering about people walking into and ruining my frame.

 

Initially, I had planned to spend some relaxing sunset shoot exploring some of the distant tufa formations away from the main section at south tufa beach. Needless to say, that plan didn’t get executed. I was disappointed with myself, but the photos had unique colors, incredible cloud formations, and fantastic geological formations. They looked terrific, but I was disappointed with the compositions. This image had some horrible chromatic aberration that I couldn’t get rid off at the time, but with my improved post-processing skills, I tried my luck again, and I believe I did a decent enough job this time around. In the meantime, I wish you all a Merry Christmas.

Old Wardour Castle

 

Old Wardour Castle is located at Wardour, on the boundaries of Tisbury and Donhead St Andrew in the English county of Wiltshire, about 15 miles (24 km) west of Salisbury. The castle was built in the 1390s and partially destroyed in 1643 and 1644 during the English Civil War. It is managed by English Heritage who have designated it as a grade I listed building.

  

After the fall of the Lovell family following their support of the Lancastrian cause during the Wars of the Roses, the castle was confiscated in 1461 and passed through several owners until bought by Sir Thomas Arundell of Lanherne in 1544. The Arundells were an ancient and prominent Cornish family, the principal branches of which were seated at the manors of Lanherne, Trerice, Tolverne and Menadarva in Cornwall. The family held several estates in Wiltshire. The castle was confiscated when Sir Thomas — a staunch Roman Catholic — was executed for treason in 1552, but in 1570 was bought back by his son, Sir Matthew Arundell, later a Sheriff and Custos Rotulorum of Dorset. The Arundells, led by Thomas Arundell, 1st Baron Arundell of Wardour, subsequently became known as some of the most active of the Catholic landowners in England at the time of the Reformation; thus they were naturally Royalists in the English Civil War. During that conflict, Thomas Arundell, 2nd Baron Arundell of Wardour, was away from home on the King’s business and had asked his wife, Lady Blanche Arundell, aged 61, to defend the castle with a garrison of 25 trained fighting men. On 2 May 1643 Sir Edward Hungerford, with 1,300 men of the Parliamentarian Army, demanded admittance to search for Royalists. He was refused and laid siege, setting about the walls with guns and mines. After five days the castle was threatened with complete destruction. Lady Arundell agreed to surrender, and the castle was placed under the command of Colonel Edmund Ludlow. Lord Arundell had died of his wounds after the Battle of Stratton, and his son, Henry 3rd Lord Arundell, next laid siege to his own castle, blew up much of it and obliged the Parliamentary garrison to surrender in March 1644.

#QUEEN MARIE ANTOINETTE

was executed by guillotine on 16 October 1793.

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Macro Mondays / July 31 / #Queen / HMM to everyone!

 

7DWF / Mondays #FreeTheme

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Marie Antoinette, born Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna (2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last Queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an Archduchess of Austria, and was the fifteenth and second youngest child of Empress Maria Theresa and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. In April 1770, upon her marriage to Louis-Auguste, heir apparent to the French throne, she became Dauphine of France. On 10 May 1774, when her husband ascended the throne as Louis XVI, she assumed the title Queen of France and Navarre. During the Revolution, she became known as Madame Déficit because the country's financial crisis was blamed on her lavish spending and her opposition to the social and financial reforms. Marie Antoinette was convicted by the Revolutionary Tribunal of high treason and executed by guillotine on the Place de la Révolution on 16 October 1793.

Excerpt from:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Antoinette

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Marie Antoinette (2. November 1755 - 16. Oktober 1793) war die letzte Königin von Frankreich vor der Französischen Revolution. Sie war als Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna geborene Erzherzogin von Österreich sowie Prinzessin von Ungarn, Böhmen und der Toskana und entstammte dem Haus Habsburg-Lothringen. 1769 wurde sie durch ihre Heirat mit dem französischen Thronfolger zunächst Dauphins. Fünf Jahre später wurde sie - durch dessen Thronbesteigung als König Ludwig XVI. - Königin von Frankreich und Navarra. Während der Französischen Revolution galt sie der aufständischen und notleidenden Bevölkerung aufgrund ihres verschwenderischen Lebensstils als eine der am meisten verachteten Personen der höfischen Gesellschaft. Marie Antoinette wurde vom Revolutionären Tribunal des Hochverrats verurteilt und am 16. Oktober 1793 durch die Guillotine am Place de la Révolution hingerichtet.

Auszug aus:

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Antoinette

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Nikon Micro-Nikkor-P / 1:3.5 / 55 mm

VVAB611 flight executes a flyby that was specifically made for this photo opportunity. The lead helicopter is an SH-60F and the wingman is an HH-60H.

 

Website: One Mile High Photography

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/OneMileHighPhotography

The current City Hall for the city of St. Louis, having housed city government since 1898, is a landmark by appearance, reputation and city designation (since 1971). Efforts to build what would become the current City Hall (seen above) got underway in May 1888 when the City Hall Commission was formed. On April 4, 1889, an ordinance was passed to authorize the Commission to advertise for bids for the building. The original cost was not to exceed one million dollars. The commission chose the design of George Richard Mann, of the firm Eckel & Mann of St. Joseph, from the 37 national entries. His design was titled "St. Louis 1892", obviously expecting it to be completed by 1892. A French-style plan, inspired by the Hotel de Ville or City Hall of Paris, with ornamental dormer windows and former towers, it also recalled architectural elements of the Chateau de Chambord on the Loire River in France.

 

The construction of City Hall started July 19, 1890, with Mayor Edward Noonan's daughter Zoe, breaking ground. The cornerstone was laid on June 6, 1891. No bond issue was passed to finance construction of the new City Hall, explaining the 14 years required to finish the building. Funds came from general revenue and the sale of city property. Every year or two, the Council, would authorize an average of $110, 000 to continue construction. An ordinance was passed on Sept, 10, 1893 to limit the total cost at two million dollars. Though the building was not completed, it was finally occupied on April 11, 1898 when Mayor Henry Ziegenhein headed a ceremonial parade of city officials from the old building to their offices in the new City Hall. In 1904, the final portions of the building were completed, the Rotunda, the Tucker Boulevard vestibule and the grand staircase, using the design by the St. Louis architectural firm of Weber & Groves. The building was officially completed on Nov. 5, 1904 when Mayor Rolla Wells held an open house for the residents of St. Louis. The final cost of the building was $1,787,159.16. However, the exterior of City Hall was never quite finished. All sides of the building have ornamental dormers called belvederes, each having bare spaces of limestone. These were meant to have carved decorations, yet remained untouched probably due to lack of funds. Despite its incomplete state, City Hall was praised for its "splendid architectural composition," and called "an impressive period piece of craftsmanship". Unfortunately, a poorly executed acid cleaning and years of exposure to coal smoke has left the original pink and orange exterior tarnished.

 

www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/about/history-of-city-hall.cfm

 

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

 

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

 

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/

Perfectly executed rock carvings, dating back to 800 AD, and you can also see a serpent head, representing the underworld in Mayan religion. 800 AD, and you can also see a serpent head, representing the underworld in Mayan religion.

This hologram table though!

Target Reacquired - While going through this sequence I couldn't believe I overlooked this frame. Not a typical composition for me, but the overall scene with the flared tail, both subjects in focus, and dust kicked up from the initial missed strike really make this image special for me.

Golden Eagles are not only an incredible subject to photograph, but they also have helped me learn and develop as a photographer. Just as light subjects are difficult to photograph and expose, dark subjects are even harder as it can be difficult to expose for and recover shadow details in post.

On top of that, when hunting, golden eagles can suddenly change direction, throwing off the camera autofocus. All in all, 7 years of photographing Golden Eagles has really taught me a lot about patience as well as technical skill in photography.

I still continue to learn to this day, but doubt I will get another opportunity like this for several years, if not for the rest of my life. I'm glad all that practice was there, as despite the adrenaline I was able to stay calm and execute with the proper settings and capture this dream moment.

Species: Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) + California Ground Squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi)

Location: Northern California, CA, USA

Equipment: Nikon D850 + Nikkor 200-500mm f5.6 ED VR, Handheld

Settings: 1/1600s, ISO: 280, f/5.6, +0.3 EV @ 500mm

Cold, desolate and cold. These are the words that went through my head as the orders came, and me and my men executed them. This war, fighting alongside these warriors, I knew the possibility that something like this would occur, taking out the very knights that entrusted us with their safety and in return, gave us our safety and at times, our lives. I’m not one to cower from orders, I rather see it as evaluating quite important strategic decisions. Death to these warriors must be the answer or? They are traitors are they not? But who knows, perhaps, this was all by design. Perhaps, I’m just thinking foolishly. It’s now been several rotations since our dissent onto this pitiful planet. Our orders were to locate any more of the missing treacherous knights. Suspects have been spotted roaming the alleyways. One in particular, has been cited multiple times. I think the best thing to do is to clear my head, get the job done. Wouldn’t want to lose it now would I.

- Commander Deviss

 

I bring you my Jedi Hunt on Eriadu MOC, a scene straight out of the awesome Star Wars Purge comic series. This takes place some time after Order 66 and follows Commander Deviss and his group of clone troopers hunting down a Jedi Master in an alleyway of this industrial city on the planet.

 

When I set out to create this build, I wanted the focus to be set on the figures and have the detail around really make them stand out. For me, having a balance in colors really is the start of that. As I talk about in the video available on the Beyond The Brick YouTube channel, the details and colors are meant to complement the other surrounding parts. I really think the red beams on top stand out and work nicely with the red from Deviss, really making him pop with his troopers. The classic black border that you’ve seen from some of my other builds really help tie things together as well. Overall, I think the build was a successful recreation of an iconic scene.

 

If you like this build, consider tapping the fave button ever so slightly and if you’re feeling like doing a bit extra, follow me here. Thanks!

~Noah

 

See more of this build by watching this YouTube video.

 

YouTube | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Great Blue heron executing a very dramatic stab, but coming up empty.

Wildwood Park, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Shoreditch / Hoxton, London SE2

Interesting how so much street art is paradoxically executed in the shadows and away from blatant public view, thereby in a way defeating the object of the exercise.

This would be due to the art genre being deemed outside the law, thus dissuading the creative sprayers among us from risking being caught in the act and getting a rap from the cops - the exception being in the case of *Banksy, where it appears if the "vandalism" is done skillfully and relatively tastefully by a well-known 'mystery swashbuckling loveable rogue', it becomes acceptable, gets publicized in the mainstream and is sometimes even protected in situ by local authorities.

One rule for one... etc.

 

* Btw Banksy unmasked for real here:

londondada.art/2014/10/10/new-banksy-scoop-19535461/

Reached #43 in Explore Jan 7 2011...Thank you all!

 

This is the view of Paradise Pier and the Boardwalk at Disney's California Adventure. Zepher on the left, and SIlly Symphony Swings on the right are in full motion, as is Mickey's Fun Wheel across the bay. I spent some considerable time with this image, both in planning and executing the exposures and in post processing. When I set out to capture this view, I already knew that it was near impossible to catch all three rides in motion at the same time, as I had already tried that during a daytime session over the Summer...So I set out to take a whole bunch of bracketed exposures that encompassed the Zephyr, the Silly Symphony Swings, and Mickey's Fun Wheel and hope for the best in post-processing...

 

In total, this final image includes elements from 18 different exposures, including 4 different HDR brackets and tonemaps, and several other images masked-in using layers in Photoshop...The final image has been adjusted in Lightroom, Photoshop, and with filter sets from Nik Color Efex and Topaz adjust, and includes more than 20 layers...

 

The only other comment I can add is, that I wish the Maliboomer were still here...Oh, and that I wish they would retract the WOC fountain heads once in a while.....

© All rights reserved. Use without permission is illegal!

 

Parque Escultórico Torre de Hércules - MONUMENTO A LOS FUSILADOS EN LA GUERRA CIVIL (Isaac Díaz Pardo). Singular Stonehenge en tributo a las víctimas de la Guerra Civil. En este mismo lugar fueron fusilados políticos, artistas e intelectuales.

 

Tower of Hercules Sculpture Park - MONUMENT TO THOSE EXECUTED IN THE CIVIL WAR (Isaac Díaz Pardo) A kind of Stonehenge in homage to the victims of the Spanish Civil War. Politicians, artists and scholars were shot here.

Despite their squat, comical appearance, Atlantic puffins are accomplished fliers. One particular impressive ability they have is to land backwards. When the wind is at their back the birds will hover and then briefly fly backwards onto the cliff.

 

In this photo you can see one puffin executing this maneuver forcing another puffin out of the way.

 

I took this photo on Grimsey Island which has one of the largest puffin colonies in Iceland.

This is a shot I had dreamed, scouted, and wanted to execute for almost a year and a half now. Redfish Lake is a pretty incredible place to shoot the Milky Way, it's supremely dark and for whatever reason the core just looks massive in the sky. Along the south/southwest portion of the lake are the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains, this is an area I've been exploring my entire life and it never ceases to amaze me. This exact shot has eluded me for about 18 months now, thanks to a combination of poor weather, poor timing, and bad wildfires/smoke in the area. While up at my family cabin this last week to shoot the eclipse I FINALLY got a clearish night to make this shot happen. Multiple bear sightings in the area made me a bit skittish to attempt it, but I strapped on the bear spray and headed out on the trail anyways. The Milky Way aligns perfectly over the Grand Mogul peaks with the Rho Ophiuchi Complex dropping in between the Grand Mogul and Heyburn Mountain. Quite frankly this is one of the most perfect late-season alignments you can have, the difficulty of getting any detail out of the Rho Ophiuchi area is tremendous late in the year due to it dropping low in the horizon.

 

Altogether 12 shots went into this one, 4 for the foreground and 8 for the sky, all taken with my Nikon D800E and Sigma Art 50mm lens on a Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Tracking mount. Foreground exposures are 3 minutes at f1.4 and ISO 800, sky exposures at 5 minutes at f2.8 and ISO 800.

Hastily executed hand-held shot for Macro Mondays.

 

Happy Macro Monday to everyone!

 

Uncropped image of a pencil sharpener disguised as a small sewing machine.

 

Sewing machine size:

Base: 64 mm long

Total height: 56 mm

The Rotunda Hospital; Parnell Street, Dublin, by Richard Castle + John Ensor, has a little secret you may not know about. Situated in the main building is the Chapel which is internationally renowned for it's beautiful stucco work, executed by Bartholomew Cramillion in 1755-56. By any standards it is craftsmanship of the first rate. The chapel is a square double height space, now dimly lit by 19th Century stained glass. Around the first floor gallery heraldic paintings depict the arm's of the hospital's benefactors, some of which are 18th Century, and originally hung above beds in the hospital wards. Originally the colour scheme was more restrained, consisting of only white and gold, which would have been amazing.

This image is 9 photos merged using Microsoft' s Windows Live Photo Gallery and edges blurred with PS. View Large on Black or look closer at the Original

 

Part of the Dublin set. See the Slideshow

The Campanile was designed and built in 1928 and, unusually for the Portmeirion buildings, the executed tower exactly conformed to its detailed plans; these were shown in the 1931 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Some sort of bell tower had formed a focus for the projected village already in the earliest plans and models. As CWE noted: `The need for the Campanile was obvious enough - it was imperative that I should open my performance with a dramatic gesture of some sort.' The tower was provided with a chiming clock from a demolished London brewery. A plaque within the tower carries the following dedication: `This tower, built in 1928 by Clough Williams-Ellis, architect and publican, embodies stones from the 12th century castle of Gruffudd ap Cynan, King of North Wales, that stood on an eminence 150 yards to the west. It was finally razed c1869 by Sir William Fothergill Cook, inventor of the Electric Telegraph ``lest the ruins should become known and attract visitors to the place.'' This C19 affront to the C12 is thus piously redressed in the C20.'

 

The registered area represents the well-preserved garden designed in and around the village of Portmeirion by Clough Williams-Ellis (1883-1978) where conditions permit the growing of many half-hardy and tender plants, which enhance the exotic character of the site. Attached is the older Gwyllt garden containing an outstanding rhododendron collection of the early twentieth century. The registered area has important group value with the numerous listed buildings and structures at Portmeirion. Portmeirion is situated on the north side of the Traeth Bach estuary, near Porthmadog; the Gwyllt gardens to the west of it occupy the southern part of the peninsula between this and the Traeth Mawr. The site is almost hidden from the landward side and is sheltered from this direction by the shape of the land, as is the village area from the west and south-west by the Gwyllt. The only exposed direction is the south-east and in this direction lie spectacular views, over the sands of the estuary towards Harlech. Portmeirion is a deliberately created village set in a garden. The village, built in and around a small valley opening on to the shore, consists of a hotel and cottages, with shops and public buildings, arranged around a central open square which is laid out as a public garden. The buildings are a collection of architectural fantasies created by Clough Williams-Ellis. It is stylistically diverse, incorporating architectural elements from a wide range of periods and from several countries. The garden area occupies most of the flat ground available and due to the steeply-sloping nature of the rest of the site most of the buildings are displayed to advantage on the hillside. For this reason the village is best viewed from the sea, from which the site was first seen by Williams-Ellis. When Clough Williams-Ellis bought the site in 1925, he also acquired the mansion of Aber-Ia (LB: 4853) and its informal pleasure grounds on the Gwyllt peninsula to the west. The Gwyllt garden was probably laid out when the house was first built in the middle of the nineteenth century. The first additions were trees, especially pines and other conifers, some of which survive, and rhododendrons such as R. nobleanum and 'Cornish Red'. The second phase of planting was in the early twentieth century. This was the heyday of the collection, when the owner, Caton Haigh, deliberately collected half-hardy and exotic varieties, some recently introduced from China. Planting survives from both periods and the age range of the trees suggests that some were also planted by Clough Williams-Ellis. After Clough acquired the site there were two main periods of building; from 1925 until the Second World War, and from 1954 until about 1970. The first period saw conversion of the mid-nineteenth century house, Aber-Ia, to a hotel and the 'Cloughing-up' of the former gardener's cottage, now the Mermaid (LB: 4860); the former stable building (LB: 4886) was also converted. The first new cottages were the Angel (LB: 4856) and Neptune (LB: 4858), on the west side of the valley, opposite the Mermaid. Most of the buildings in the Citadel, the higher part of the village on the north-eastern edge of the valley, were also completed, including the Campanile (LB: 4868). During the later period more buildings were added to the Citadel and around the central public garden, part of which was now known as the Piazza (LB: 4885). These include the Pantheon (LB: 4879), with its dome complementing the Campanile, the Unicorn (LB: 4882) and Bridge House (LB: 4875), on an arch over one of the streets.

Dalmatian pelicans execute an exceptionally graceful, soft landing on water, despite their massive size (up to 30+ lbs, 11-foot wingspan). Often seen in Greece's Lake Kerkini, they land by stretching their large wings, holding them wide, and using their feet to "ski" or glide across the surface.

"Le génie du mal (installed 1848), known informally in English as Lucifer or The Lucifer of Liège,[1] is a religious sculpture executed in white marble by the Belgian artist Guillaume Geefs" - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_génie_du_mal

more classic Execute action..

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✔ Valee Top with 42 Colors HUD

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✔ The item you are purchasing is meant for MESH BODIES.

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✔ No refunds except on DOUBLE PURCHASES.

✔ Always, ALWAYS purchase a demo first before committing to buy.

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Enjoy your purchase ! You are welcome any time to contact me, Ena Venus for any support needed.

You are welcome to visit any time:)

 

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Shok1 executes his unique cellular style. Scaling down I chose to use simpler forms to create this single letter J.

Operation Knightfall a.k.a. Order 66 was the Jedi massacre executed by the Clone troopers and Sith and resulted in the near extinction of the Jedi. It played a pivotal role in the ability to form the Galactic Empire.

 

Clones POV:

 

When me and my brothers got the orders there were a lot of mixed feelings, some didn't seem to care at all and others where very hesitant and suspicious about what was about to go down. General Skywalker, our general over the course of the entire war was to lead us into the Jedi Temple to execute all of the Jedi to pay for there betrayal and assassination attempt on the Chancellor.

 

At the time we arrived they didn't expect a thing. The Jedi is a powerful opponent so we had to act very swift and silent so they couldn't fight back. If they would than there will be a lot of casulties. First we had to eliminate the gatekeeper so he couldn't alert the other Jedi. We arrived and General Skywalker swiftly struck him down without any mercy. When we entered the temple we directly secured all the exit points and hangars so nobody could go out or get in. Clone troopers went into every room to eliminate them before they sensed something was off. Ofcourse some of the Jedi saw us or sensed our presence and tried to fight there way out. A lot of casualties fell on both sides, but for them it was already to late... The fall of the Jedi order was a fact and opperation Knightfall was yet another victory for the Galactic Republic.

 

Jedi POV:

 

I sense... Something strange... Suddenly I hear shots comming from inside the temple! Who could be infiltrating our most sacred temple? Should I go take a look or just wait untill one of the Masters comes to explain what's happening? Maybe meditation can learn me something more. I can feel the infiltrators... They feel familiar. They feel... The Clone troopers! They are acompanied by a very dark presence! Is it the Sith? Are they taking revenge? How could our own troopers turn against us?

 

They are getting closer... I have to leave this place. When I entered the hallway I runned away from the darkness that roamed inside the temple and stumbled upon some aweful sights... Dead clone bodies, cut into pieces by lightsabers alongside some fellow Jedi who were shot at point blank range derived from the size of the gunshot wounds.

How could anyone do this... I just hope I get out alive.

 

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So this is my entry for the Dark Times RPG.

 

Enjoy!

The first castle at Dryslwyn was constructed by the sons of the Lord Rhys in the early part of the 13th century and was further fortified by Rhys ap Maredudd later in the century. By 1287 Dryslwyn was possibly the largest stone castle built by a Welsh prince. In June 1287 Rhys attacked and captured the castles of Dynefor, Carreg Cennen and Llandovery causing the King to raise an army under Edmund Earl of Cornwall and invade Deheubarth. Dryslwyn was besieged and fell after three weeks in August and September. Rhys escaped but was captured and executed in 1292. During the siege part of a wall collapsed and a number of the attackers were buried alive.

 

The castle now in the hands of the English was repaired but after its surrender to Owain Glyndwr in 1403 and subsequent recapture it was effectively destroyed.

 

Executing the "Bow" Command.

 

#yuzuthesheltie #dogsingapore #sheltie #shetlandsheepdog

Ercole de' Roberti, also known as Ercole da Ferrara (Ferrara, 1451-1456 - Ferrara, 1496) - Pala di Santa Maria in Porto - Virgin and Child Enthroned, Saints Anne, Elizabeth, Augustine and Blessed Peter of the Honests (1479-1481) - Oil on canvas size 323 x 240 cm - Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan

 

De' Roberti fu apprendista di Gherardo da Vicenza, Francesco del Cossa e Cosmè Tura e fu come loro uno dei protagonisti della scuola ferrarese, un gruppo di artisti attivo presso la famiglia degli Este a Ferrara.

Il dipinto, detto anche Pala Portuense, fu eseguito tra il 1479 e il 1481 per la chiesa di Santa Maria in Porto Fuori a Ravenna, retta dai Canonici Lateranensi; fu trasferito, durante il XVI secolo, in San Francesco, nella stessa città, da dove pervenne alla Pinacoteca a seguito delle soppressioni napoleoniche. Sotto una maestosa architettura è collocato il podio ottagonale sul quale poggia il trono della Vergine; la base è decorata a formelle che simulano rilievi bronzei all’antica, sull’esempio di quanto realizzato da Donatello per l’altare del Santo a Padova. Vi sono narrate La strage degli innocenti, L’adorazione dei Magi e La presentazione di Gesù al Tempio.

Ai lati del trono appaiono Sant’Agostino, a sinistra, protettore dell’ordine dei Lateranensi, e Pietro degli Onesti, suo fondatore; la base del trono è sorretta da colonne attraverso le quali si scorge uno straordinario paesaggio marino in burrasca, probabilmente allusivo alla fondazione di Santa Maria del Porto: giunto a Ravenna di ritorno dalla Terrasanta, infatti, Pietro degli Onesti era scampato al naufragio e aveva promesso alla Vergine la costruzione di una grande chiesa come ex voto per il miracolo ricevuto.

La pala costituisce uno degli esiti più vicini alla monumentalità composta e classica raggiunti da de’ Roberti, che qui placa l’esagitato dinamismo degli affreschi di palazzo Schifanoia a Ferrara e approda a forme solide e misurate, dove le figure sono trattate con un robusto modellato plastico e le inquietudini espressive dell’artista restano confinate nelle partiture decorative.

 

De' Roberti was an apprentice of Gherardo da Vicenza, Francesco del Cossa and Cosmè Tura and, like them, was one of the protagonists of the Ferrarese school, a group of artists who worked for the Este family in Ferrara.

The painting, also called the Portuense Altarpiece, was executed between 1479 and 1481 for the church of Santa Maria in Porto Fuori at Ravenna, served by the Canons Regular of the Lateran. In the 16th century it was transferred to San Francesco in the same city, from where it entered the Pinacoteca after the Napoleonic abolitions. Under a majestic work of architecture is located the octagonal podium on which the Virgin’s throne stands; the base is decorated with panels simulating antique bronze reliefs, on the lines of the ones made by Donatello for the altar of Il Santo in Padua. They represent the Slaughter of the Innocents, Adoration of the Magi and Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.

 

At the sides of the throne appear St. Augustine, patron of the Lateran Order, on the left, and Pietro degli Onesti, its founder. The base of the throne is supported by columns through which an extraordinary stormy seascape is visible, probably alluding to the foundation of Santa Maria del Porto: on the voyage back to Ravenna from the Holy Land, Pietro degli Onesti had survived a shipwreck and promised the Virgin he would construct a large church as a votive offering for the miracle.

The altarpiece constitutes one of the finest examples of the composed and classical monumentality attained by de’ Roberti, who here mutes the frenzied dynamism of the frescoes in Palazzo Schifanoia at Ferrara and adopts more solid and measured forms, in which the figures are handled with a robust plastic modeling and the artist’s nervous expressiveness remains confined to the decorations.

 

bit.ly/3xitT3O

Year - 19 BBY

Planet - Felucia

================

 

CC - 7131, Station Log

 

/\/\ Log Entry /\/\

 

Sector 3

 

Jedi Master Evensan, along with Master Secura, have been transported to the planet Felucia in order to stop a Separatist plot to capture the surface for a staging ground.

 

Myself and my battalion have been tasked with surveillance of the edge of the Republic's landing zone. Master Evensan, though this bores him, has volunteered to join us for the company.

 

So far all is quiet, but vigilance is required. The Separatists could attack at any moment...

 

/\/\ End Log /\/\

 

CC - 7131: "General! Droids spotted in sector 4!"

 

The Jedi's lightsaber blades ignited, with a glow of blue illuminating the platform beneath his feet.

 

CC - 7131 and his men began firing at the droids, unaware that another squadron of B1 droids had already reached the bottom of the platform the clones were standing on. They began scaling the supports of the platform, unknown to the clone troopers.

 

The first droids made their way onto the platform, surprising a few troopers, which killed them in the process.

 

CC - 7131: "Droids on the platform! Squad, tighten formation!"

 

The clones formed up, taking out the droids on the platform as they did so. One trooper threw thermal detonators into the midst of the droids attacking the platform on foot, creating a blast of flame and metal body parts. With the droids on the ground handled, Master Evansan directed his attention to the droids on the platform, finishing them off with the help of his men.

 

CC - 7131: "Enemy neutralized, General Evansan."

 

Evansan: "Indeed, though I sense our battle is not yet over. There is a great darkness approaching, I can feel it in the Force. There are dark times ahead of us all."

 

CC - 7131: "Whatever it is, sir, we can handle it...together."

 

Evansan put a hand on his captain's shoulder.

 

Evansan: "I know we can, Ray. You've never let me down. I'm going to go report our status to Master Secura."

 

CC - 7131 (Ray): "Very good, sir."

 

As Evansan began to walk away, Ray's holoprojector beeped, signaling an incoming transmission. Ray took the 'projector off his belt, and turned it on to receive the message. He was surprised to see Chancellor Palpatine appear in hologram form before him.

 

Palpatine: "Captain Ray. It is finally time. Execute Order 66 immediately. Ever Jedi is a traitor to the Republic, and must die."

 

Good soldiers follow orders, Ray heard him say in his head.

 

CC - 7131 (Ray): "Yes, my Lord. It will be done."

 

And so it was. Captain Ray of the Grand Army of the Republic turned his weapon on Jedi Master Evansan, and pulled the trigger.

 

===============

 

Hello there! This is my "application" build to join the Dark Times group. I've been wanting to build a little Order 66 vignette for a while, so this was a perfect opportunity once I heard about this awesome group of builders.

 

I chose to do Felucia, which I don't think is done too often. I tried to make it very different from other Felucia MOC's. Usually there is a ton of more growth, but I decided to thin it out a bit, as if the Republic recently built their little outpost.

 

Let me know what you think, both of the build and story! :)

 

May the Force of others be with you!

 

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--NS

 

Through the creations that I build, I hope to inspire other young (or perhaps older) LEGO builders to unleash their inner creativity. We all need a positive way to express ourselves, so let's let LEGO be an extension of us. Your creativity belongs to you, and nobody can take that away. Build what you want to build, and how you want to build it.

Cloche Exilé Ouglitch - « a été exécuté » l'oreille de coupure et « exilées » à la Tobolsk Sibérie. Le fait que, en 1591, présumés d'une sonnette d'alarme les habitants de la ville d'Ouglitch informé de la mort de tsarévitch Dmitry, qui a provoqué un soulèvement populaire, qui a pris fin le lynchage des assassins ,J'y suis resté pendant trois cents ans, après quoi il a été renvoyé en arrière.

 

Ссыльный угличский колокол — набатный колокол, «казнённый» отсечением уха и «сосланный» в сибирский Тобольск за то, что в 1591 году известил жителей города Углича о смерти царевича Дмитрия, чем вызвал народное волнение, закончившееся самосудом над предполагаемыми убийцами. Пробыл там триста лет, после чего был возвращён обратно.

 

I need a break

a break from everything.

 

I might take a week break just to collect my thoughts.

i have good ideas i just dont know to execute them:/

  

Our Daily Challenge: Conceptual Art

 

The idea of this challenge is to conceive the image in your head and to then execute your vision. While deep in thought staring over at the jigsaw puzzles on the table that allow me to escape reality, if only for a few moments, I envisioned this image. Finding shapes and colors clears my mind and doing them is what has kept me sane the last few months. End of life caregiving is challenging both physically and mentally and a little escape helps one face another day.

 

My images are posted here for your enjoyment only. All rights are reserved. Please contact me through my email at: laurietakespix@gmail.com if you are interested in using one of my images for any reason. Web page: laurieabbotthart.com

 

Portrait 2

52 weeks of 2018

Week #25 ~ Environmental Portrait

“An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject's usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject's life and surroundings.”

 

Mr Gunn is a charming gentleman. He owns John Gunn Camera Shop in Wexford Street, Dublin. If you need anything for your camera or films developed, go to John Gunn's! www.johngunn.ie/

 

Thanks to John who kindly agreed to pose for me for this shot.

 

Many people think trials are proof of God's nonexistence. I, however, see Him now more than ever.

 

This has been the hardest week of my life. I am exhausted. But I can see God's picture. I might not know exactly how He is going to execute His plan, but I can already see the good in this extremely tough situation.

 

The body of Christ has everything it should be the past two days. Furthermore, God has been faithful as He always is and true to His Word. I am thankful and encouraged.

 

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Coffins of Amenemope,Late Dynasty 21-Early 22,circa 975-909 BC, Wood,gesso,paint

 

Amenemope was a god's Father of Amun,Scribe of the Double Treasury of the Lord of the Two Lands and the House of Amun,and a member of a prominent priestly family in Thebes and had retained the same offices for generations.The two coffins are said to come from Gurna in Western Thebes.

 

The outer and inner coffins are similar in shape and decoration. The lids each feature a well modeled face and the curved beard indicative of the deified dead.The exposed hands hold the makes,or document case associated with royalty.The body is slim and the kneecaps protuberant,and each figure wears a bright red cloth,or stola,that encircles the neck and whose ends emerge beneath the folded arms.The stola,mekes,and oversized collar are among the features that scholars have,in recent decades,recognize as distinctive of the era between 975 and 909 BC.

 

The figural decoration of each lid is in miniature,finely executed in polychrome palette.For the most part the scenes illustrated are those of adoration and presentation.The gods usually appear in raised relief,while the deceased is shown in painted line only.

One of the Bolddog FMX Riders at the Devon County Show executing a perfect flip

A Laysan albatross executes a sunrise inspection of the breeding colony on the shoreline sand dunes of Ka’ena Point. I have observed this bird for multiple seasons and happy to see her return. Auxiliary banding data (O220) indicates she was ringed as an adult in March 2007 by PRC.

Though awkward on land, albatrosses are magnificent in the air. Airborne albatrosses are masters of dynamic soaring requiring little metabolic energy or wing flapping. Bones lock into position requiring no muscle to keep the six-foot wing span extended. This mōlī has returned from months and tens of thousands of miles of nomadic solitary foraging at sea to reestablish its pair bond with a monogamous mate. Males with established pair bonds generally arrive first in mid-November and stake out a nesting site, females arrive a few days or so later. After a brief, but elaborate, reaffirming courtship dance followed by mating, the couple return to nomadically soaring over the north Pacific for about two weeks to forage and fatten up for the rigors of nesting and incubation.