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Most św. Wawrzyńca (Pont Saint-Laurent), Quai Lamartine, Mâcon, 16 maja 2018 r.
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Bridge of St. Lawrence (Pont Saint-Laurent), Quai Lamartine, Mâcon, May 16, 2018
[1]
Hidcote - the most influential English garden of the 20th century - and Lawrence Johnston, the enigmatic genius behind it. Hidcote was the first garden ever taken on by the National Trust, who spent 3.5 million pounds in a major programme of restoration. This included researching Johnston's original vision, which in turn uncovered the compelling story of how Johnston created such an iconic garden.
Until recently, little was known about the secretive and self-taught Johnston. He kept few, if any, records on Hidcote's construction, but current head gardener Glyn Jones made it a personal mission to discover as much about the man as possible to reveal how, in the early 20th century, Johnston set about creating a garden that has inspired designers all over the world.
[2]
Hidcote is an Arts and Crafts garden in the north Cotswolds, a stone’s throw from Stratford-upon-Avon. Created by the talented American horticulturist, Major Lawrence Johnston its colourful and intricately designed outdoor ‘rooms’ are always full of surprises. It’s a must-see if you’re on holiday in the Cotswolds.
Explore the maze of narrow paved pathways and discover secret gardens, magnificent vistas and plants that burst with colour. Many of the plants found growing in the garden were collected from Johnston’s many plant hunting trips to far away places. It’s the perfect place if you’re in need of gardening inspiration.
Find a quiet spot and sit on one of the ornate benches and watch green woodpeckers search for their lunch or listen to the calls from the buzzards circling overhead. Time it right and you might catch a glimpse of the elusive hummingbird moth.
Meander through the intricate gardens and into the Wilderness. This secluded stretch of tall trees is just right for a picnic. Take a glimpse beyond the boundary and see the garden blend effortlessly into the countryside beyond.
The Monarch’s Way path runs close-by. Follow it for a brief time from the car park and into the chocolate-box Cotswold hamlet of Hidcote Bartrim. You’ll be treated to traditionally thatched stone cottages that were once home to Johnston’s gardeners.
[3]
Hidcote Manor Garden
Hidcote Manor Garden is a garden in Britain, located at Hidcote Bartrim village, near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. It is one of the best-known and most influential Arts and Crafts gardens in Britain, with its linked "rooms" of hedges, rare trees, shrubs and herbaceous borders. Created by Lawrence Johnston, it is owned by the National Trust and is open to the public.
History
The Americans, Lawrence Johnston and his mother, settled in Britain about 1900, and Lawrence immediately became a British citizen and fought in the British army during the Boer war. In 1907 Johnston's mother, Mrs Gertrude Winthrop (she had re-married), purchased the Hidcote Manor Estate. It was situated in a part of Britain with strong connections to the then-burgeoning Arts and Crafts movement and an Anglicized American artistic expatriate community centred nearby at Broadway, Worcestershire.
Johnston soon became interested in turning the fields around the house into a garden. By 1910 he had begun to lay out the key features of the garden, and by the 1920s he had twelve full-time gardeners working for him.
After World War II Johnston spent most of his time at Jardin Serre de la Madone, his garden in the south of France; and in 1947 he entrusted Hidcote to the National Trust.
Character of Hidcote garden
Lawrence Johnston was influenced in creating his garden at Hidcote by the work of Alfred Parsons and Gertrude Jekyll, who were designing gardens of hardy plants contained within sequences of outdoor "rooms". The theme was in the air: Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson's Sissinghurst Castle Garden was laid out as a sequence of such spaces, without, it seems, direct connection with the reclusive and shy Major Johnston. Hidcote's outdoor "rooms" have various characters and themes, achieved by the use of box hedges, hornbeam and yew, and stone walls. These rooms, such as the 'White Garden' and 'Fuchsia Garden' are linked, some by vistas, and furnished with topiaries. Some have ponds and fountains, and all are planted with flowers in bedding schemes. They surround the 17th century manor house, and there are a number of outhouses and a kitchen garden.
Johnston's care in selecting the best plants is reflected in the narrow-leaved lavender, Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote', in the Penstemon 'Hidcote Pink' and in the hybrid Hypericum 'Hidcote Gold', acclaimed as the finest hardy St John's Wort, Alice Coats records.
St Ethelbert, Hessett, Suffolk
Hessett is a fairly ordinary kind of village to the east of Bury St Edmunds, but its church is one of the most important in East Anglia for a number of reasons, which will become obvious. Consider for one moment, if you will, the extent to which the beliefs and practices of a religious community affect the architecture of its buildings. Think of a mosque, for instance. Often square, expressing the democracy of Islam, but without any imagery of the human figure, for such things are proscribed. Think of a synagogue, focused towards the Holy Scriptures in the Ark, but designed to enable the proclaiming of the Word, and the way that early non-conformist chapels echo this architecture of Judaism - indeed, those who built the first free churches, like Ipswich's Unitarian Chapel, actually called them synagogues.
The shape of a church, then, is no accident. A typical Suffolk perpendicular church of the 15th century has wide aisles, to enable liturgical processions, a chancel for the celebration of Mass, places for other altars, niches for devotional statues, a focus towards the Blessed Sacrament in the east, a roof of angels to proclaim a hymn of praise, a large nave for devotional and social activities, and wall paintings of the Gospels and hagiographies of Saints, of the catechism and teachings of the Catholic Church. As Le Corbusier might have said if he'd been around at the time, a medieval church is a machine for making Catholicism happen.
No longer, of course. The radical and violent fracture in popular religion in the middle years of the 16th century gave birth to the Church of England, and the new church inherited buildings that were quite unsuitable for the new congregational protestant theology, a problem that the Church of England has never entirely solved.
Over the centuries, the problem has been addressed in different ways. The early reformers celebrated communion at a table in the nave, for example, and blocked off the chancel for other uses. Although this was challenged by the Laudian party in the early part of the 17th century, it was the way that many parishes reinvented their buildings, and most were to stay like that until the middle years of the 19th century. Some went further. A pulpit placed halfway down the nave, or even at the back of the church, meant that the seating could be arranged so that it no longer focused towards the east, thus breaking the link with Catholic (and Laudian) sacramentalism. For several centuries, Anglican churches focused on the pulpit rather than the altar.
With the coming to influence of the 19th century Oxford Movement, all this underwent another dramatic change, with the great majority of our medieval parish churches having their interiors restored to their medieval integrity, reinventing themselves as sacramental spaces. This is the condition in which we find most of them today, and some Anglican theologians are asking the question that the Catholic Church asked itself at Vatican II in the 1960s - is a 19th century liturgical space really appropriate for the Church of the 21st century?
So, let us hasten at once to Hessett. The church sits like a glowing jewel in its wide churchyard, right on the main road through the village. It is pretty well perfect if you are looking for a fine Suffolk exterior. An extensive 15th century rebuilding enwraps the earlier tower, which was crowned by the donor of the rebuilding, John Bacon.The nave and aisles are deliciously decorated, reminding one rather of the church at neighbouring Rougham, although this is a smaller church, and the aisles make it almost square. A dedicatory inscription on the two storey vestry in the north east corner bids us pray for the souls of John and Katherine Hoo, who donated the chancel and paid for the trimmings to the aisles. Their inscription has been damaged by protestant reformers, who obviously did not believe in the efficacy of prayers for the dead.
Although not comparable with that at Woolpit, the dressed stone porch is a grand affair, and a bold statement. You may find the south door locked, but if this is the case then the priest's door into the chancel is usually open. And in a way it is a good church to enter via the chancel, because in this way St Ethelbert unfolds its treasures slowly.You step into relative darkness - or, at least, it seems so in comparison with the nave beyond the rood screen. This is partly a result of the abundance of dark wood, and in truth the chancel seems rather overcrowded. The most striking objects in view are the return stalls, which fill the two westerly corners of the chancel. These are in the style of a college or school of priests, with their backs to the rood screen, but then 'returning' around the walls to the east. They are fine, and are certainly 15th or 16th century. But one of the stalls, that to the north, is different to the others, and seems slightly out of place. It is elaborately carved with faces, birds and foliage.
Mortlock thought that it might have been intended for a private house. The stall in front of it has heads on it that appear to be wearing 18th century wigs. The sanctuary is largely Victorianised, with a great east window depicting Saints. The south windows of the chancel depict a lovely Adoration scene by the O'Connors. The chancel is separated from the nave by the 15th century rood screen, which is elegantly painted and gilt on the west side, the beautifully tracery intricately carved above. The rood screen has been fitted with attractive iron gates, presumably evidence of Anglo-catholic enthusiasm here in the early 20th century, and you step down through them into the light. A first impression is that you are entering a much older space than the one you have left. There is an 18th century mustiness, enhanced by the box pews that line the aisles. And, beyond, on walls and in windows, are wonderful things.
The number of surviving wall paintings in England is a tiny fraction of those which existed before the 15th and 16th centuries. All churches had them, and in profusion. It isn't enough to say that they were a 'teaching aid' of a church of illiterate peasants. In the main, they were devotional, and that is why they were destroyed. However, it is more complicated than that. Research in recent years has indicated that many wall paintings were destroyed before the Reformation, perhaps a century before. In some churches, they have been punched through with Perpendicular windows, which are clearly pre-Reformation. In the decades after the Black Death, there seems to have been a sea change in the liturgical use of these buildings, a move away from an individualistic, devotional usage to a corporate liturgical one. There is a change of emphasis towards more education and exegesis. This is the time that pulpits and benches appear, long before protestantism was on the agenda. What seems to happen is that many buildings were intended now to be full of light, and devotional wall paintings were either whitewashed, or replaced with catechetical ones.
The decoration of the nave was the responsibility of the people of the parish, not of the Priest. The wall paintings of England can be divided into roughly three groups. Roughly speaking, the development of wall paintings over the later medieval period is in terms of these three overlapping emphases.
Firstly, the hagiographies - stories of the Saints. These might have had a local devotion, although some saints were popular over a wide area, and most churches seem to have supported a devotion to St Christopher right up until the Reformation.
Secondly came those which illustrate incidents in the life of Christ and his mother, the Blessed Virgin. Although partly pedagogical, they were also enabling tools, since private devotions often involved a contemplation upon them, and at Mass the larger part of those present would have been involved in private devotions. These scriptural stories were as likely to have been derived from apocryphal texts like the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew as from the actual Gospels themselves.
Lastly, there are catechetical wall paintings, illustrating the teachings of the Catholic church. It should not be assumed that these are dogmatic. Many are simply artistic representations of stories, and others are simplifications of theological ideas, as with the seven deadly sins and the seven cardinal virtues. Some warn against occasions of sin (gossiping, for example) and generally wall paintings provided a local site for discussion and exemplification.
To an extent, all the above is largely true of stained glass, as well, with the caveat that stained glass was more expensive, relied on local patronage, and often has this patronage as a subtext, hence the large number of heraldic devices and images of local worthies. But it was also devotional, and so it was also destroyed.
So - what survives at Hessett? The wall paintings first.
Starting in the south east corner of the nave, we have Suffolk's finest representation of St Barbara, presenting a tower. St Barbara was very popular in medieval times, because she was invoked against strikes by lightning and sudden fires. This resulted from her legend, for her father, on finding her to be a Christian, walled her up in a tower until she repented. As a result, he was struck by lightning, and reduced to ashes. She was also the patron saint of the powerful building trade, and as such her image graced their guild altars - perhaps that was the case here.
Above the south door is another figure, often identified as St Christopher, but I do not think that this can be the case. St Christopher is found nowhere else in Suffolk above a south door. The traditional iconography of this mythical saint is not in place here, and it is hard to see how this figure could ever have been interpreted as such. I suspect it is a result of an early account confusing the two images over the north and south doors, and the mistake being repeated in later accounts.
In fact, digital enhancement seems to suggest that there are two figures above the south door, overlapping each other slightly. The figure on the right is barefoot, that on the left is wearing a white gown. There appears to be water under their feet, and so I think this is an image of the Baptism of Christ. Perhaps it was once part of a sequence.
The wall painting opposite, above the north door, is St Christopher. Although it isn't as clear as himself at, say, nearby Bradfield Combust, he bestrides the river in the customary manner, staff in hand. The Christ child is difficult to discern, but you can see the fish in the water. Also in the water, and rather unusual, are two figures. They are rendered rather crudely, almost like gingerbread men. Could they be the donors of the north aisle, John and Katherine Hoo in person?
Moving along the north aisle, we come to the set of paintings for which Hessett is justifiably famous. They are set one above the other between two windows, at the point where might expect the now-vanished screen to a chapel to have been. The upper section was here first. It shows the seven deadly sins (described wrongly in some text books as a tree of Jesse, or ancestry of Christ). Two devils look on as, from the mouth of hell, a great tree sprouts, ending in seven images. Pride is at the top, and in pairs beneath are Gluttony and Anger, Vanity and Envy, Avarice and Lust. Mortlock suggests that some attempt has been made to erase the image for Lust, which may simply be mid-16th century puritan prurience on the part of some reformer here. This would suggest that this catechetical tool was here right up until the Reformation.
The idea of 'Seven Deadly Sins' was anathema to the reformers, because it is entirely unscriptural. Rather, as a catechetical tool, it is a way of drawing together a multitude of sins into a simplistic aide memoire. This could then be used in confession, taking each of them one at a time and examining ones conscience accordingly. It should not be seen simply as a 'warning' to ignorant peasants, for the evidence is that the ordinary rural people of late medieval England were theologically very articulate. Rather, it was a tool for use, in contemplation and preparation for the sacrament of reconciliation, which may well have ordinarily taken place in the chapel here.
The wall painting beneath the Sins is even more interesting. This is a very rare 'Christ of the Trades', and dates from the early 15th century, about a hundred years after the painting above. It is rather faded, and takes a while to discern, and not all of it is decodable. However, enough is there to be fascinating. The image of the 'Christ of the Trades' is known throughout Christendom, and contemporary versions with this can be found in other parts of Europe. It shows the risen Christ in the centre, and around him a vast array of the tools and symbols of various trades. One theory is that it depicts activities that should not take place on a Sunday, a holy day of obligation to refrain from work, and that these activities are wounding Christ anew.
Perhaps the most fascinating symbol, and the one that everyone notices, is the playing card. It shows the six of diamonds. Does it represent the makers of playing cards? If so, it might suggest a Flemish influence. Or could it be intended to represent something else? Whatever, it is one of the earliest representations of a playing card in England. Why is this here? It may very well be that there was a trades gild chantry chapel at the east end of the north aisle, and this painting was at its entrance.
At the east end of the north aisle now is the church's set of royal arms. Cautley saw it in the vestry in the 1930s, and identified it as a Queen Anne set. Now, with additions stripped away, it is revealed as a Charles II set from the 1660s, and a very fine one. It is fascinating to see it at such close range. Usually, they are set above the south door now, although they would originally have been placed above the chancel arch, in full view of the congregation, a gentle reminder of who was in charge.
And so to the glass, which on its own would be worth coming to Hessett to see. Few Suffolk churches have such an expanse, none have such a variety, or glass of such quality and interest. It consists essentially of two ranges, the life and Passion of Christ in the north aisle (although some glass has been reset across the church), and images and hagiographies of Saints in the south aisle.
In the north aisle, the scourging of Christ stands out, the wicked grins of the persecutors contrasting with the pained nobility of the Christ figure. In the next window, Christ rises from the dead, coming out of his tomb like the corpses in the doom paintings at Stanningfield, North Cove and Wenhaston. The Roman centurion sleeps soundly in the foreground.
The most famous image is in the east window of the south aisle. Apparently, it shows a bishop holding the chain to a bag, with four children playing at his feet. I say apparently, because there is rather more going on here than meets the eye. The reason that this image is so famous is that the small child in the foreground is holding what appears to be a golf club or hockey stick, and this would be the earliest representation of such an object in all Europe. The whole image has been said to represent St Nicholas, who was a Bishop, and whose legends include a bag of gold and a group of children.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. St Nicholas is never symbolised by a bag of gold, and there are three children in the St Nicholas legend, not four. In any case, the hand in the picture is not holding the chain to a bag at all, but a rosary, and the hockey stick is actually a fuller's club, used for dyeing clothes, and the symbol of St James the Less.
What has happened here is that the head of a Bishop has been grafted on to the body of a figure which is probably still in its original location. The three lights of this window contained a set of the Holy Kinship. The light to the north of the 'Bishop' contains two children playing with what ae apparently toys, but when you look closely you can see that one is holding a golden shell, and the other a poisoned chalice. They are the infant St James and St John, and the lost figure above them was their mother, Mary Salome.
This means that the figure with the Bishop's head is actually Mary Cleophas, mother of four children including St James the Less. The third light to the south, of course, would have depicted the Blessed Virgin and child, but she is lost to us.
Not only this, but Hessett has some very good 19th Century glass which complements and does not overly intrude. The best is beneath the tower, the west window in a fully 15th Century style of scenes by Clayton & Bell. The east window, depicting saints, is by William Warrington, and the chancel also has the O'Connor glass already mentioned.
If the windows and wall paintings were all there was, then Hessett would be remarkable enough. But there is something else, two things, actually, that elevate it above all other Suffolk churches, and all the churches of England. For St Ethelbert is the proud owner of two unique survivals. At the back of the church is a chest, no different from those you'll find in many a parish church. In common with those, it has three separate locks, the idea being that the Rector and two Churchwardens would have a key each, and it would be necessary for all three of them to be present for the chest to be opened. It was used for storing parish records and valuables.
At some point, one of the keys was lost. There is an old story about the iconoclast William Dowsing turning up here and demanding the chest be opened, but on account of the missing key it couldn't be. Unfortunately, this story isn't true, for Dowsing never recorded a visit Hessett. The chest was eventually opened in the 19th century. Inside were found two extraordinary pre-Reformation survivals. These are a pyx cloth and a burse. The pyx cloth was draped over the wooden canopy that enclosed the blessed sacrament (one of England's four surviving medieval pyxes is also in Suffolk, at Dennington) before it was raised above the high altar. The burse was used to contain the host before consecration at the Mass. They are England's only surviving examples, and they're both here. Or, more precisely they aren't, for both have been purloined by the British Museum, the kind of theft that no locked church can prevent.
But there are life-size photos of both either side of the tower arch. The burse is basically an envelope, and features the Veronica face of Christ on one side with the four evangelistic symbols in each corner. On the other is an Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God. The survival of both is extraordinary. It is one thing to explore the furnishings of lost Catholic England, quite another to come face to face with articles that were actually used in the liturgy.
In front of the pictures stands the font, a relatively good one of the early 15th century, though rather less exciting than everything going on around it. The dedicatory inscription survives, to a pair of Hoos of an earlier generation than the ones on the vestry.Turning east again, the ranks of simple 15th century benches are all of a piece with their church. They have survived the violent transitions of the centuries, and have seated generation after generation of Hessett people. They were new here when this church was alive with coloured light, with the hundreds of candles flickering on the rood beam, the processions, the festivals, and the people's lives totally integrated with the liturgy of the seasons. For the people of Catholic England, their religion was as much a part of them as the air they breathed. They little knew how soon it would all come to an end.
And so, there it is - one of the most fascinating and satisfactory of all East Anglia's churches. And yet, not many people know about it. We are only three miles from the brown-signed honeypot of Woolpit, where a constant stream of visitors come and go. I've visited Hessett many times, and never once encountered another visitor. Still, there you are, I suppose. Perhaps some places are better kept secret. But come here if you can, for here is a medieval worship space with much surviving evidence of what it was actually meant to be, and meant to do.
Most flag pole holders hereabouts are from this foundry, this has a nice emblem with crossed hammers.
Quite probably the most beautiful dress I've ever seen! Worn by Ellie, it was made by her mum's friend and it's stunning!
The sixth annual Sheffield Film & Comic Con at the FlyDSA Arena, Saturday 10th August 2019, featuring starts from Doctor Who, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and even Allo Allo!
Highbridge, The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States
Noonan Plaza Apartments, in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, is one of the most impressive Art Deco style apartment complexes in the borough. Built in 1931 for Irish-born developer Bernard J. Noonan, it was designed by the firm of Horace Ginsberg, with the exterior credited to Marvin Fine. The prolific Ginsberg and Fine helped to provide the Bronx with one of its architectural signatures, the urban modernist apartment building, including Park Plaza Apartments (1929-31) on Jerome Avenue. Noonan and Ginsberg had previously collaborated on a number of speculative 1920s apartment buildings in Highbridge, prior to Noonan Plaza.
Situated on a large sloping site, with frontages along Ogden and Nelson Avenues and West 168th Street, the complex is six-to-eight stories with a sophisticated site plan – it is divided into units with exterior perimeter light courts and an interior garden court, an arrangement that provided for apartment layouts with multiple exposures for maximum light and air. The building is clad in tan ironspot brick, with a vertical emphasis consisting of continuous piers contrasting with brown-and-black brick spandrel panels and black brick and geometric pattern accents on the top story. The main entrance, at the corner of Nelson Avenue and West 168th Street, has an angled portico leading into the garden court, flanked by towers (originally with ornamental lanterns) with corner windows.
Apartment Buildings in the Bronx in the 1920s-30s
Noonan Plaza Apartments (1931), in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, is one of the most impressive Art Deco style apartment complexes in a borough characterized by its number of significant urban modernist apartment buildings. The enormous growth of New York City’s population in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was accompanied, after World War I, by a housing shortage. As observed by Carla Breeze in New York Deco (1993),
Manhattanites turned to suburbs in Queens and the Bronx where reasonably priced apartments and houses were available, often in more pastoral surroundings. The garden apartment complex, built around a green commons, was appealing in comparison to the vertical congestion of Manhattan. ... The Bronx became a viable suburb as railroad and subway lines opened vast tracts of land to development. Open space was assiduously protected, and six major parks were within reach of the major new projects along the Grand Concourse.3
Many of these Bronx apartment buildings, for professionals and upwardly mobile middle-class families, were among the best in the city in terms of architecture, planning, size of living space, and amenities. Housing historian Richard Plunz identified the garden apartment as a short-lived phenomenon in New York City development, reaching its apogee in the 1920s. It was (and still is) among the most liveable housing in New York. It set a standard of urban housing that has remained unmatched since. Fundamental to the success of the garden apartment was the balance between building mass and open space so that a level of proximity was maintained which involved a strict definition of the public realm to be shared by neighbors.
Important to this neighboring was a sense of theater, which required use of architectural language bordering on the scenographic. The language of the “garden” of the garden apartment, together with its enclosing facades, was critical to the transformation of housing from a consequence of economic formulas to a unique environment. This entered a realm of fantasy, providing every building with an identity that called forth particular places or tenants. The garden was a critical symbol of arrival for the new middle class, while also facilitating the making of a kind of public theater in which the most joyous myths of urban existence could be acted out.
The conception and development of speculative garden apartments was influenced by two movements in New York City by the beginning of the 20th century: the “model tenement,” or improved housing, movement, and “Garden City” movement. Exemplars of these were the City and Suburban Homes Co. Estates, First Avenue (1898-1915) and Avenue A (1900-13), Manhattan, and Sunnyside Gardens (1924-28, Clarence Stein and Henry Wright), Queens. Architect Andrew J. Thomas, in the Jackson Heights neighborhood in Queens in the 1910s-20s, developed by the Queensboro Corp.,5 and elsewhere, was one of the masters of garden apartment design in a wide variety of styles. Plunz wrote that
Jackson Heights... [was] unusual for the notable concentration of a wide range of garden apartment types, but similar building was prominent throughout the city for moderate-income private housing development until the end of the 1930s. The “garden” spaces tended to become more elaborate as time went on. The Queens, Bronx, and Manhattan versions varied, however, with coverages reflecting their differing conditions of density.6
During the housing boom in the Bronx of the 1920s, the design of apartment houses evolved from simpler brick-clad buildings in historical revival styles of previous decades towards more luxurious and ornamented structures and complexes. Around 1929, influenced in part by Manhattan skyscraper, apartment, and commercial design, variations on “Art Deco,” “Moderne,” or “modernistic” styles came to dominate Bronx apartment buildings through the 1930s.
Park Plaza Apartments (1929-31, Horace Ginsberg and Marvin Fine), 1005 Jerome Avenue, is usually considered one of the first and most influential in the borough in the Art Deco style.7 Many of the apartment architects in this period were recent immigrants from Europe, and European modernist trends seen in social housing and other projects, were also incorporated in the borough’s buildings. An example is the United Workers’ Cooperative Colony second complex (1927-29, Herman Jessor with Stefan S. Sajo), 2846-2870 Bronx Park East, reflecting Northern European Expressionist influences.
Among the hallmarks of the 1930s modernist modes in apartment houses were decorative and polychrome brickwork (usually lighter in palette), vertical and horizontal patterning, abstracted decoration, streamlined elements, curved walls, recessed spandrels, corner windows, and “Machine Age” materials such as steel, chrome, and glass brick. As observed by Paul Goldberger of the New York Times,
Art deco was style built largely on the image of a new kind of elegance – sleek and streamlined. It was not so much truly modern as romantically evocative of the modern, using modernism as a decorative theme rather than as a justification for the absence of decoration. Thus the art deco buildings of the Bronx are full of striped metal ornament, abstract geometric patterns on the door and radiator grilles, and vertical stripings of brick.9
The west Bronx, like Miami Beach, became renowned for the large number and variety of apartment houses in the modernist styles of the 1930s; though there was not a distinct Bronx district of these buildings per se, many are located along the Grand Concourse and environs. Located near the Grand Concourse, Noonan Plaza, with its elaborate garden court and impressive Art Deco style, exemplifies the significant trends of this neighborhood and era.
Horace Ginsberg and Marvin Fine, Architects
Among the leading and most prolific architects of apartment house design in the Bronx were Horace Ginsberg and Marvin Fine. Ginsberg (originally Ginzberg) (c. 1897-1969),11 born near Minsk, Russia, of Jewish descent, immigrated to the U.S. as a boy. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School, attended the Cooper Union and Columbia University, and worked for the architectural firm of Jacob Gescheidt & Co. before establishing his own architectural firm by 1921. Ginsberg (he changed his name to Ginsbern c. 1933) was especially active in the design and layout of hundreds of apartments in the Bronx from 1924 to 1940.
The task of designing the facades of these buildings, however, was assigned to Marvin Fine after he joined Ginsberg in 1928. Born in Harlem and raised in Upper Manhattan, Fine (1904-1981) was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (1929), where he was influenced by the work of architect Paul Cret. Early in his career, Fine had worked as a draftsman for Cass Gilbert (1925-26) and George and Edward Blum (1927-28). After the Park Plaza Apartments (1929-31), Fine’s first major job with the Ginsberg firm, they produced designs for numerous modernist apartments on the Grand Concourse and elsewhere throughout the city. Fine is known to have been directly influenced by the contemporary work of architects Raymond Hood and William Van Alen, who were responsible respectively for the American Radiator and Daily News Buildings, and the Chrysler Building.12 Carla Breeze in New York Deco opined that the Ginsberg firm “developed a unique style featuring streamlined forms with modernistic detailing. His [sic] experiments in brick, while planer [sic] rather than three-dimensional, rival those of Ely Jacques Kahn.”13 Noonan Plaza is significant as one of the earliest Ginsberg and Fine collaborations, as one of their early works in the modernist/Art Deco vein, and as a large apartment project with a highly sophisticated planning scheme.
Ginsbern participated in the design of the Harlem River Houses (1936-37, in association with Archibald Manning Brown and other architects), Harlem River Drive and 151st - 153rd Streets, the first federally-funded, -built, and -owned housing project in New York City, constructed to house African-American residents of Harlem, and was architect of the Chock Full O’ Nuts restaurant chain. Horace Ginsbern & Assocs. was organized in 1944, with Fine; Ginsbern’s son, Frederick Morton Ginsbern (1919-1986), a graduate of New York University (1942); and Jules Kabat (1913-1991). Kabat, born in Brooklyn, graduated from New York University (1934), worked as a draftsman and designer for Ginsbern (1934-41), and practiced independently and for Kindland & Drake (1941-45). Horace Ginsbern & Assocs. lasted until 1986.
Bernard J. Noonan
Bernard J. Noonan (c. 1875-1943), the Bronx developer of Noonan Plaza Apartments (1931, Ginsberg and Fine), was born in Edgeworthstown, County Longford, Ireland. He emigrated in 1886, lived in Pennsylvania, and attended St. Bonaventure’s College in Allegany, N.Y., prior to moving to New York City, where he was first listed in a city directory, and naturalized, in 1899. From 1901 until 1918, he was a saloon proprietor, in Greenwich Village, then Hell’s Kitchen, and later, the Upper West Side. For a few years (c. 1919-21), Noonan was working as a dry goods merchant -- through relatives, he became owner of “Flood’s Department Store” on Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village.
After venturing into real estate in Yonkers, he acquired several Manhattan apartment buildings, then decided to become involved in real estate full-time around 1921, both as developer and insurance broker. Noonan selected the Highbridge neighborhood in the Bronx as “the most desirable location”15 in New York City for constructing better apartment buildings, and by 1925 had moved his office to one of his buildings there.
The village of Highbridge (originally Highbridgeville) had developed on the high ridge of land along the Harlem River located to the east of High Bridge (1838-48, John B. Jervis, engineer), which was constructed as part of the Croton Aqueduct system that brought New York City its first adequate fresh water supply. The Bronx shore of the Harlem began to be subdivided in the 19th century for building lots along the main thoroughfare, Highbridge (now Ogden) Avenue.
The village was initially settled by the workers who built the Croton Aqueduct and High Bridge, as well as the railroad along the river. Almost entirely Irish originally, these workers were followed later by Jewish immigrants. Development of large apartment buildings was spurred by the Jerome Avenue elevated railroad in 1918 and the subway (with a stop at the Grand Concourse and 161st Street) in 1933. Remnants of the earlier days of Highbridge include the Union Reformed Church of Highbridge (1887-90, Alfred E. Barlow), 1272 Ogden Avenue, and Public School 91 (1889, George W. Debevoise), 1257 Ogden Avenue.16
Noonan’s apartment projects in Highbridge, at first centered in the southern portion of the neighborhood around West 162nd and 163rd Streets, appear to have mostly been collaborations with Horace Ginsberg as architect. Bernard Noonan served as president of the various real estate firms responsible for their construction, including the Manonga Realty Corp., R&B Building Corp.,
Woodycrest Building Corp., and Killsalough Realty Co., and in 1925 he also served as a director of the Broadway Central Bank. Noonan constructed Bernard Court (1921; demolished), 942-948 Woodycrest Avenue; Maryknoll Terrace (1924, Ginsberg), 957-965 Woodycrest Avenue; Wynne Terrace (1925-26, Ginsberg), 963-975 Anderson Avenue; Rose Terrace (1927, Ginsberg), 950 Woodycrest Avenue; Summit Lodge (1927, Ginsberg; demolished), 979-981 Summit Avenue; Noonan Towers and Annex (1924-28, Ginsberg), 939 Woodycrest Avenue and 930 Ogden Avenue, called by the New York Times in 1937 “one of the largest apartment properties in the Bronx;”17 and Noonan Manor (c. 1930), 1001 Woodycrest Avenue. In 1923, Noonan also purchased No. 1130 Woodycrest Avenue (demolished).
Noonan Plaza Apartments
After the mid-19th century, descendants of the James Anderson family began to sell parts of their Highbridge property, previously a farm and then an estate called “Woody Crest,” with a villa at today’s Anderson Avenue and West 164th Street. Following the death of Andrew Anderson, his executors in 1925 sold a large (312 by 288 feet) parcel on the sloping site at West 168th Street and Nelson and Ogden Avenues to real estate investor Stanley Murray for $42,500. This parcel was transferred in July 1930 to Walter J.M. Donovan, a wealthy real estate operator and stockbroker, for $100 subject to the $35,000 mortgage.
In October, the newly-chartered Nelden Corp. (Bernard J. Noonan, president; Morris E. Gallo, treasurer) acquired the property, also for $100 subject to the mortgage, of which $25,000 was due. In March 1931, a ten-year, $1 million dollar first mortgage was obtained for the construction of an apartment complex that came to be known as Noonan Plaza. The Times announced that the six-to-eight-story building, of the garden apartment type, would contain 283 apartments, including suites ranging from one-and-one-half to five rooms (the larger units having two baths), with the layout permitting “at least two exposures for each apartment,” 14 stores, and a “garden court 125 by 110 feet.” The Nelden Corp.’s prospectus, stating that “the style of architecture is modernistic,” boasted that
Noonan Plaza, as planned, represents the highest development in the art of the modern apartment house design and construction. The quality of workmanship used in the structure is unquestionably perfect, showing the finest type of craftsmanship possible. ... One may confidently choose NOONAN PLAZA as one’s permanent home, with the assurance that an attractive and perfectly planned apartment has been selected in a location destined to remain ever free from mediocrity.
A later advertisement claimed that Noonan Plaza and Noonan Towers were the “most modern apartment houses in the Bronx.” Noonan Plaza was touted as convenient to transportation, via bus, New York Central Railroad, subway, and elevated lines; nearby public and parochial schools; and “the Heights shopping and theatre section.”
With principal frontages along Ogden and Nelson Avenues and West 168th Street, Noonan Plaza is clad in tan ironspot brick with a vertical emphasis consisting of continuous piers contrasting with brown-and-black brick spandrel panels and black brick and geometric pattern accents on the top story. The complex, with a sophisticated site plan, is divided into eight units (each with an elevator) with exterior perimeter light courts and an interior garden court – this arrangement provided for apartment layouts with multiple exposures for maximum light and air.
The stores in the building were originally accessible from the interior of the complex. The main entrance, at the corner of Nelson Avenue and West 168th Street, features an angled “portico” (with cast-stone elements) with a gate lodge (“protect[ing] tenants from unwelcome passers-by”),23 and steps and a walkway leading to the interior terraced and landscaped Garden Court. Richard Plunz called the “courtyard entry at Noonan Plaza... one of the best-known examples of the [garden apartment] genre.”24 This entrance is flanked by twin towers with corner windows, intended as “an outstanding landmark of distinction,” which were originally ornamented with etched-glass lanterns (flanked by fins, according to original drawings).
The large Garden Court, onto which all of the interior apartments look and which has five building entrances, originally featured “mosaic” patterned cement walks, trees and shrubbery, statuary, a pond (with fish and swans) crossed by rustic wooden bridges, a lighthouse, and a waterfall in one corner. The complex contained a ballroom and community room, as well as a roof garden promenade (protected by a high balustrade) and playground with sand boxes, swings, and games. Noonan Plaza was assessed at $950,000 in 1931, at a reported investment of $2 million.
The New York Irish (1996), edited by Ronald H. Bayor and Timothy J. Meagher, stated that, despite Bernard Noonan’s heritage as an Irish immigrant and the fact that the Highbridge neighborhood was heavily Irish, Noonan Plaza was rented to upper-middle-class Jewish tenants until they began moving out in the 1950s.26
Later History
Noonan Plaza Apartments was continuously owned by the Nelden Corp. until 1962, when the complex was sold to Southern Assocs., Inc., an entity of what the New York Times called the “largest real estate empire in New York City,”28 that of partners Alex DiLorenzo, Jr., and Sol Goldman. The building’s mortgage (originally $1 million), held by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., was assigned to the Union Life Insurance Co. of Cincinnati, which consolidated it with a second mortgage of $580,000. At the time of DiLorenzo’s death in September 1975, the DiLorenzo-Goldman holdings encompassed over 400 apartment and office buildings just in Manhattan, including the Chrysler Building, as well as hotels, shopping centers, and industrial structures.
The partners were notorious for shielding their ownership through a variety of corporate names – Noonan Plaza was later owned by their Oxford Associates, Inc., Chatham Associates, Inc., and Avon Associates, Inc. The Times reported in May 1976 that Goldman had been “forced by financial reversals and the legal problems of Mr. DiLorenzo’s estate to relinquish more than 40 properties” and that his “setbacks have consequences not only for himself and his late partner’s heirs but also for the banks that hold mortgages on his properties, for tenants – 10,000 live in his apartment buildings and hundreds of thousands work in his office structures – and for the city government, which is owed taxes, and further affected by a drop in property values.”
At the same time as the reverses in the fortunes of the DiLorenzo-Goldman real estate empire, the west Bronx, including the area of the Grand Concourse, was suffering a severe decline that had begun after World War II. The rapid de-industrialization of the city, increasing suburbanization, heavy-handed urban renewal policies, disinvestment by area landlords, and the redlining of much of the Bronx by local banks all contributed to the economic downturn of the area. In the 1970s, many apartment buildings were abandoned by their owners and were set on fire, and the neighborhood suffered a catalogue of ills until it began to stabilize in the 1980s. The demographic composition of the Highbridge neighborhood also underwent substantial changes. The area’s residents, largely of European Jewish extraction, began to move to suburban areas, and the west Bronx became a diverse urban community as African-Americans and Latin Americans settled here.
After the DiLorenzo-Goldman interests defaulted on Noonan Plaza, in 1976 the property fell under the receivership of the Union Central Life Insurance Co., holder of the mortgage. The apartment building was featured in an exhibition that year organized by Donald G. Sullivan and Brian J. Danforth (with the Hunter College Graduate Program in Urban Planning) spotlighting the Art Deco style apartment houses of the Bronx, in which they called Noonan Plaza “nearly devastated” and “represent[ing] the worst that can happen to our fragile housing stock when it is left unprotected.”
This referred to charges of stocking the building with welfare families, followed by squatters, drug dealers, vandals, and hundreds of housing code violations. The New York Times observed that “vandalism has destroyed much of the art deco detailing that once made the building... one of the prides of the Bronx.”
A rescue of Noonan Plaza was attempted in 1976 by the Settlement Housing Fund, a nonprofit housing development corporation, with plans to rehabilitate the complex and convert it into a coop, with the participation of the Noonan Plaza Tenants Association and financing from the New York City Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development. Title to the property was taken by the Highbridge Development Corp., and in 1977 by the Highbridge Housing Development Fund Corp. By 1980, however, the situation reached its nadir, with only six families living there; the Settlement Housing Fund, too beleaguered by the project’s problems and costs, was forced to petition to sell the property, a decision followed by another round of vandalism.
In 1980, the property was acquired by Noonan Plaza Assocs., an entity of Glick Development Affiliates. A $9 million rehabilitation for federally subsidized apartments was completed in 1982 by Glick Construction Co., with the participation of Frederick Ginsbern, son of the original architect. This project received a 1982 Certificate of Merit Award from the Municipal Art Society of New York. Ownership passed in 2004 to Noonan Plaza Assocs., L.P., then in 2005 to Noonan Plaza LLC.
Description
With principal frontages along Ogden and Nelson Avenues and West 168th Street, Noonan Plaza is six to eight stories due to its sloping site, and has a sophisticated site plan, divided into units with exterior perimeter light courts (there are four sections and three light courts along Ogden Avenue; three sections and two light courts along West 168th Street; and two sections and one light court along Nelson Avenue) and an interior garden court. Storefronts are located at the corner of Ogden Avenue and West 168th Street.
The complex is clad in tan ironspot brick with a vertical emphasis consisting of continuous piers contrasting with brown-and-black-brick spandrel panels (above the third through seventh stories), brick patterning, and black brick and geometric pattern accents on the top story. The windows of the end bays of each section have polygonal-shaped heads (with brown-and-black-brick spandrels) on the second story, and historic ornamental wrought-iron railings on the third story. Some windows in the light courts on the second and uppermost stories have polygonal-shaped heads (with brown-and-black-brick spandrels). The original three-over-three double-hung metal sash were replaced by one-over-one double-hung anodized aluminum sash (1980-82). Fire escapes are placed in the light courts. Metal mesh grilles have been placed over the lower story windows. The walls are terminated by metal coping (1980-82). Ogden Avenue Facade: The base has stepped sections of brown-and-black-brick retaining walls (with concrete coping) with historic wrought-iron fencing with a geometric design.
The front of the northern light court has a low tan brick wall (with concrete coping), and non-historic wrought-iron fence and gates. The central light court has concrete steps, non-historic wrought-iron fence and gates, and concrete courtyard paving; a tunnel to the interior Garden Court has a geometric-design black-brick entrance surround. The southern section has an exterior fire escape. The southern light court and southern section of the building have five small shopfronts (all with non-historic entrances, windows, rolldown gates, and awnings); a section of historic black-brick cladding survives, with three windows (two with metal mesh grilles and one with a metal panel) and a geometric-design panel.
West 168th Street Facade: The two western sections and the western light court have continuous shopfronts (all with non-historic entrances, windows, rolldown gates, and awnings); significant portions of the historic black-brick cladding survives. There is a visible roof bulkhead above the western light court. The front of the eastern light court has a low tan brick wall with posts (all with concrete coping), and non-historic metal mesh fence and gates. A concrete ramp with metal railings leads to a basement entrance with non-historic metal doors; basement windows have been covered with metal. The eastern section has an exterior fire escape.
The openings of the base of the eastern section of the building have a non-historic metal door, four windows covered with metal, and the rest with metal mesh grilles. Nelson Avenue Facade: Many of the windows of the base have been covered with metal; the others have metal mesh grilles. The southern section has an exterior fire escape. The front of the light court has a low tan brick wall with posts (all with concrete coping), and non-historic wrought-iron and metal mesh fence and gates. Bluestone steps (with metal railings) lead to a sunken courtyard, paved with asphalt.
The upper portion of the wall of the unarticulated setback northernmost portion of the complex has been parged with concrete. North Facade: This facade, at the rear of the property, consists of four sections and three light courts (having fire escapes), as well as the northern side of a section along Nelson Avenue (which has a rubble stone base). The tan brick walls are unarticulated. There are concrete steps and a non-historic metal gate at Ogden Avenue; a concrete walkway along the building with a chainlink fence; and a concrete ramp with a metal railing leading to the basement, with a metal mesh gate and chainlink fence, at Nelson Avenue. Entrance Portico and Towers: The complex’s main entrance, at the corner of Nelson Avenue and West 168th Street, features an angled “portico” set on a concrete base with tan-brick piers and geometric-design parapets (with cast-stone elements) supported by steel plates above the openings; the red-brick edging of the parapets and piers dates from 1980-82.
There are non-historic wrought-iron security gates (1980-82). The portico has an historic geometric-patterned ceiling, a section of surviving historic concrete paving with a geometric pattern, and end walls with black-and-brownbrick geometric-patterned panels. Several signs and functional boxes have been placed on the walls. In the center of the interior side of the portico is a round gate lodge, clad in tan brick, with historic multi-pane metal windows, and (on the interior side) a curved metal door (1980-82).
The entrance portico is flanked by twin “towers” with corner windows (originally with multi-pane steel casements, now paired one-over-one double-hung anodized aluminum sash (1980-82)); the lintels of these windows have been re-built. The towers were originally terminated by etched-glass lanterns (flanked by fins, according to original drawings); the bases have been parged (1980-82). These are flanked by sections of historic ornamental wrought-iron railings. Garden Court: Beyond the entrance portico is an angled two-level forecourt, paved in concrete, with a polygonal balcony (with tan brick walls (with metal vents), concrete coping (now painted), and historic ornamental wrought-iron railings), two sets of concrete steps and a later (1980-82) concrete ramp (with metal railings) flanked by similar tan brick walls with historic railings, leading to another set of concrete steps, flanked by similar brick walls (now painted) with historic railings and lamp bases, and the central walkway, which is lined with chainlink fencing set on concrete edging and planting strips.
Originally, the landscaped Garden Court featured a large polygonal pond, crossed by rustic wooden bridges, with a lighthouse and a waterfall in one corner. Today, there is a central round planted area (edged with concrete and a chainlink fence) and a circular concrete walkway with benches, radial walks to the apartment entrances, and outer planting areas with chainlink fencing. In the northwest corner is the altered rubble stone remnant of the waterfall, with a stone archway with a metal mesh door.
Garden Court Facades: The five entrances are ornamented with geometric brown-and-black-brick surrounds with molded openings with polygonal heads, piers with brick patterning supporting historic ornamental wrought-iron balcony railings (that at the northwestern corner is missing), historic milk glass transoms with wrought-iron decoration, and historic metal-and-glass double doors. The original entrance sconces are missing; there are modern light fixtures and brick patching. The tunnel leading to Ogden Avenue has a simple geometric black-brick surround with historic wrought-iron brackets, and non-historic wrought-iron gates. The walls follow a scheme similar to those on the exterior of the complex, with continuous piers contrasting with brown-and-black-brick spandrel panels and panels between windows, brick patterning, and black brick and geometric pattern accents on the top story. There are bowed brown-and-black-brick panels below some second-story windows. Fire escapes are placed on three sides of the court.
- From the 2010 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report
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Most hate for a person is ones self projection on a person that they don't like and they have no evidence of what they are calling a person.
This isn't actually Gal Gadot.
What? Really? You were pretty sure about that to begin with?
The Mezco One:12 line is a relatively new toy line, popping up in recent years as a response to the various 1/6 figure companies becoming more and more expensive. Most of them retail for $80 USD, though of course there are probably come con exception.
Now, through the years I've read reviews of various figures, but never bought any due to the fact none of the characters were particularly appealing to me, and I had missed the Armoured Batman from the BvS movie.
I had ALMOST actually bought Wonder Woman here over Christmas during the Boxing Week sale at the Silver Snail, but held out, thinking that my $100 + tax would be better used towards what I thought was going my inaugural analysis, Hela, which still hasn't materialized yet.
Mezco, as far as I'm aware, is an American company. I don't typically purchase American toys, with the exception of Transformers, so I had no idea what to expect, though I know enough that in general that my expectations should be tempered as compared to Figma, Figuarts, or even the Storm Collectibles stuff.
At any rate, enough preamble - lets get on with the show. As this is my first One:12 product, I'm going to be whining about everything.
So the exterior box is shipped protected by various plastic tags and sheets to protect against scratching. The actual packaging itself was fairly functional, consisting of an inner windowed box with a slip cover. Graphics are clean and bright, though somewhat simplistic compared to the Hot Toys, Medicom, hell even the Figuarts and Figma boxes, though that glossy image of what I think is the Mezco logo is quite nice.
Actual cardboard is pretty average quality, being fairly lightweight with a natural matte finish. I understand that the convention exclusives and other more uncommon figures come in a metal tin, which reminds me very much of those metal tins you get Mooncakes in.
The actual contents of the box are mostly spelled out on the back of the box: the figure, an alternative head, four additional hands, coiled and uncoiled lasso, her Godkiller Sword, her shield, a base with arm for dynamic posing, as well as a Figma styled plastic bag for holding the various loose goodies in.
Actual cardboard is pretty average quality, being fairly lightweight with a natural matte finish. I understand that the convention exclusives and other more uncommon figures come in a metal tin, which reminds me very much of those metal tins you get Mooncakes in.
The actual contents of the box are mostly spelled out on the back of the box: the figure, an alternative head, four additional hands, coiled and uncoiled lasso, her Godkiller Sword, her shield, a base with arm for dynamic posing, as well as a Figma styled plastic bag for holding the various loose goodies in.
The figure is, as one would guess, a 1/12 figure, putting it roughly 6 inches high. The only other competition the Mezco figure has is that Mafex BvS Wonder Woman that I picked up last year. I'll make this as painless as possible - with the exception of one factor, albeit a very important one, the Mezco destroys the Mafex I own.
Off the bat, I'd like to note that with the exception of the very fine detailing on her face and maybe some smaller metallic features, the overall paint work is actually pretty good. No areas where overspray caused me to gawk, nor was there any areas with obviously poor masking or line work, though I will admit that the lines on her bracers come awfully close. Her skin tone is a bit on the bronze side, which can make photographing her using yellow lighting challenging.
It goes without saying that the work here is significantly better than that of your Marvel Legends figures, and probably even the Black series stuff. Of course, these do cost almost 4 times as much.
Her sword is seems about the right length and girth, but the shield is definitely smaller than what the prototype picture on the box itself shows.
Grasping hands were all of a soft rubber which is easily malleable, allowing for easy manipulation to hold the sword without fear of constant breakage. Fingers look kind of muddled on these hands, and there are concerns on my mind about overall longevity of painted rubber parts (i.e. the split head on my Microman Chun Li) but only time will actually address that.
One of the key selling points of the One:12 line are the tailored outfits that the characters wear. Wonder Woman, unfortunately, really only has fabric skirt, and as such, much like the Hot Toys version, her armour is a moulded and painted piece of plastic.
The bracers and her leather strap are separate pieces, which is nice. I couldn't find any instructions included with my figure, so I'm guessing they never made a way for you to actually strap the shield and her sword to her back.
Her lassos are functional, though to be honest i didn't play around with the uncoiled one at all.
The box proclaims over 30 points of articulation. I didn't bother counting them because my point is this - it certainly didn't feel like there were that many. Her outfit effectively removes the waist as a point of articulation, nor are there any any ab crunch options. Shoulders do not collapse, which basically makes doing the cross armed pose impossible. Legs can at most be raised 90 degrees from a vertical position thus making kneeling poses with the figure very unnatural looking. Similarly, crossing her legs isn't happening either, making more stylish or elegant poses very hard to pull off. Thigh swivel joints are quite unsightly.
Now that I think about it, the elbows didn't bend more than 90 degrees either.
All in all, the various other high end 1/12 ish Wonder Woman figures offer better articulation than this one. I'm hoping this body is not the base one used for their various figures, but rather like the Hot Toys seamless body, one they developed specifically for Wonder Woman. But looking at preview pictures for all of the other One:12, articulation may be limited like this for all of their product.
While we're on the subject, if this is a custom body, then Mezco needs to improve the silhouette a bit, and really improve their game on the muscle tone, particularly on the arms and her back.
We now come to one of the greatest points of controversy for this figure, the face/head. From what I have read, release of this figure was significantly delayed due to Mezco fiddling with the heads, and many accounts I read said the final product was a marked improvement over the prototypes. Some even claim that the sculpt looks exactly like Gal Gadot.
Hence "This is not actually Gal Gadot".
No matter which way I stare at it, I honestly don't see any aspect of her at all in any of these, and still stick with my original analysis of "she looks like Olivia Munn".
Another hot topic is "why the hell does she look like she has chipmunk cheeks?". Several factors.
First off, to my eye, the base of the back of the neck for the default head sculpt is way too thick, and as such, this serves to widen her already problematic face. To my eye, the back of the neck on the alternate sculpt (one where she has no bangs) is slimmer in this area which helps to given a more streamline look.
Secondly, the sculptors really didn't emphasize her cheek bones that well. It's there, but you really need to have the light shining the right way for them to appear. Because these cheek bones are not emphasized, her jaw looks like a continuation of a blob that starts from her forehead. I also feel a dash of contouring paint apps would have helped with this issue, and allowed for easier photographs.
Sculpting of the hair is pretty good, but I think they missed an opportunity to have one sculpt feature a head of hair that is blowing sideways as opposed to having one that is all behind her head.
So that was my first foray into the One:12 line. A bit of a mixed bag, with my real disappointment being the surprisingly limited articulation, particularly given what Figma, Figuarts, and Mafex figures can do at a slightly smaller size. I'm going to wait for Hela to tell me how good their tailored costumes are, and hopefully see why people are highly excited about these products.
Last year (2018) there was a competition to see which bus route people think is the most scenic in England (or was it the UK?). The one that one was Yorkshire Coastliner’s 840, from Leeds to Whitby- I think the emphasis was on the section of route between York and Whitby. Personally,I think there are plenty of routes to compete with that, but it is quite spectacular.
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So we went over this crazy bridge about 4 times that connects a number of islands together. It was just the quickest route in most cases, but the views were amazing from it. Even if it did cost out the ass to drive over.
Southampton’s most important historic building, Tudor House is a timber-framed building facing St Michael’s Square was built in the late 15th Century.
John Wytegod was a wealthy merchant and Mayor. He owned the part of the property known as King John’s Palace as well as other properties nearby. Blue Anchor Lane, which runs alongside Tudor House, was originally called Wytegod’s Lane.
In 1338 Southampton had been attacked by French and Genoese raiders who wreaked death and destruction in the town. 20 years later, it was struck by the Black Death, causing further widespread death and misery. When calm returned, merchants began to arrive from foreign lands bringing wine to sell and buying goods to take back, especially wool. The river ran very close to King John’s Palace and ships and boats could moor here for loading and unloading.
King John’s Palace originally featured fine, large windows looking out over the river. However, when the town wall was built in 1360 to protect Southampton after the raids, these were bricked up for security and some converted to arrow slits.
Walter William, a merchant also known as Watkyn William, inherited Tudor House from his father. Like many other Southampton traders he sent wool and cloth by ship to many countries and imported salt, wine, leather, oil, fish and many other luxury goods including woad – used for dyeing clothes.
Becoming Sheriff, and in 1483 Mayor of Southampton, William was involved in a plot against King Richard III, to the extent where some said that he may have been responsible for killing the two young princes in the Tower of London. He was labeled a traitor and to avoid persecution and punishment fled to Beaulieu Abbey where he sought sanctuary. He died shortly afterwards.
The Battle of Bosworth Field in I485 saw Richard defeated by Henry Tudor and killed in battle. The new King – Henry VII – pardoned William’s fellow traitors from Southampton and rewarded them with important positions in the town. William’s wife Jane became the wealthy owner of Tudor House, later marrying Sir John Dawtrey. It was through this union that the house came into the Dawtrey family.
Coming from a wealthy family in Petworth, Sussex, Sir John Dawtrey moved to Southampton to become the Overseer of the Port of Southampton and Collector of the King’s Customs (any cart entering or leaving the town through the Bargate paid a toll according to the goods being carried). Dawtrey was also a major landowner and merchant, an MP and Sheriff. He was also responsible for maintaining the town’s great defensive wall and ditch in good repair.
Dawtrey married Jane William, who already owned three houses on the corner of St. Michael’s Square. Deciding that he needed a house more appropriate for a man of his status, he had them joined together into one much larger, more fashionable house, very much like the one you can see today. Jane subsequently died and Dawtrey married Isabel Shirley in 1509, giving birth to their son Francis the following year.
Dawtrey received large sums of money from Henry VIII to provide food for the navy, at sea in defence of attack by France. Money was also provided for the building and fitting out and provisioning of ships – including The Peter Pomegranate and The Mary Rose. Dawtrey died in 1518.
In 1528 Dawtrey’s widow Isabel married Sir Richard Lyster, one of the richest men in Southampton. Lady Isabel traded in millstones for the many windmills and watermills in England. Both importing and exporting, she rented land at West Quay for storage.
Lord and Lady Lyster – as they became – were very wealthy and often entertained regally at Tudor House. Lady Lyster organised the household, having eight servants, who fetched water, cleaned the house, made beds, and washed the clothes. Large houses often also had a bake house, a dairy, and a kitchen often in a separate building to avoid the risk of fire.
Young women who worked in service were expected to live within the household, working very long hours. They were provided with food and clothing and when they left to get married they were often given some money to help set up their own home.
Most families in Tudor Southampton used their gardens for growing vegetables and possibly for keeping bees, pigs and chickens. Richer families like the Lysters would have had a decorative garden, also growing herbs for use in cooking and cleaning. Lady Lyster may have prepared medicines and made perfumes and cosmetics from the flowers and herbs she grew.
Sir Richard Lyster was born in Wakefield, in Yorkshire 1480. He trained as a lawyer in London and after 16 years became Lord Chief Justice of England, acquiring considerable wealth, and land across the country. In fact for many years, Blue Anchor Lane, the lane leading past Tudor House, was known as ‘My Lord Chief Justice Lane’, later shortened to ‘Lord’s Lane’.
Following the death of Lady Isabel, Lyster married Elizabeth Stoke. They had a son, Michael and daughter, Elizabeth. Lyster divided his time between London and Southampton, where he retired in 1552.
Lyster took part in many important events during the reign of Henry VIII including the trials of Bishop Fisher and Sir Thomas More and the procession of Anne Boleyn through London prior to her 1533 Coronation, in which he actually rode.
Lyster died in 1554 and Lady Elizabeth erected a monument to him in St Michael’s Church, opposite Tudor House.
Met this guy within the seedy land known as Printers Alley. Only a place such as this offers gems such as Nude Karaoke, exclusive underground living quarters, and the self proclaimed most famous homeless guy in Nashville. I can't really go into detail as to what happened that fateful night but we ended taking Mr. Leo out on the town for a night nobody involved will ever forget. Let's just say we may or may not have made it rain that night. Heh heh.
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Canon 7D
Canon17-40mm f/4.0L
DIY Ringlight
Canon 430EX II Behind gelled
Post CS5
The most beautiful place at the Barr Al Jissah Resorts & Spa, owned by the Shangrila group. This is the vista from the deluxe Al Husn hotel. You walk through the lobby, past a rectangular pool, two scalloped arches, and then the swimming pool which overlooks the sea.
Next week there is a Street Art festival in Waterford and I plan to be there for most of the week. Based on past experience I decided that I needed a wide-angle zoom. The Sony 16-35 GM was at Euro 2500 too expensive and the Sony 12-24 f/4 was also too expensive at Euro 1900. Recently Tamron announced a 17-28 f2.8 which was not exactly what I wanted but with a retail price of about Euro 1000 i could live with it assuming that I had it before going to Waterford unfortunately I discovered that it might be available until the end of September. The other option was a new Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 but it would be heavy and could cost Euro 1,600 but it was not available.
I decided that my only option was to bring me Sigma 14mm f1.8 but it is a monster and I have had problems with it and lens flare is an issue. I could also bring a Sony 24-70 GM and a Batis 135.
Late in the day I discovered that a brand new Sony 12-24 f/4 was available at Euro 1,249 and within about an hour I had it in my hands. I have cancelled to Tamron order.
At DeAngelis, one of the most prominent food sculptures in all of Beaver County.
AN ARROW POINTS THE WAY to the building that contains the donuts.
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In Rochester, Pennsylvania, on July 10th, 2020, at DeAngelis Donuts at the northeast corner of Rhode Island Avenue (Pennsylvania Route 18) and Pleasant Street.
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Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names terms:
• Beaver (county) (1002171)
• Rochester (7016204)
Art & Architecture Thesaurus terms:
• cumulonimbus clouds (300404154)
• cumulus clouds (300404152)
• intersections (300003871)
• last names (300404652)
• outdoor sculpture (300047180)
• restaurants (300005182)
• roadsides (300003889)
• shop signs (300211862)
• summer (season) (300133099)
• traffic signals (300003915)
Wikidata items:
• 10 July 2020 (Q57396811)
• arrow (Q1139519)
• DeAngelis (Q66789066)
• doughnut (Q192783)
• doughnut shop (Q58036869)
• July 10 (Q2689)
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• Pittsburgh metropolitan area (Q7199458)
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• Western Pennsylvania (Q7988152)
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Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Fortune The Most Powerful Women
Washington, D.C., USA
MPW HIGH SCHOOL NOTEBOOK MENTORING
Presented By ANN INC. and Gap International
MPW Mentors share career advice with high school seniors.
She started as an intern, rose to top executive and now advises Starbucks, DreamWorks Animation, Groupon and Estee Lauder. A business-world star shares her lessons of life and career success.
Mellody Hobson, President, Ariel Investments
Interviewer: Pattie Sellers, Fortune
Photograph by Stephanie Merriken / Fortune Most Powerful Women
Orchids are among the most beautiful flowers in the world with around 880 genres and 250000 different species. These flowers are noted for their radiant colors and unique structures, which make them highly desirable and exotic. Orchids are considered to be the 14th anniversary flowers. Pink
Most of the textures I use are my own, but there are a few brushes used here that I fall back on time and time again.
I use 'splatters' from Bittbox, probably the best tutorial blog out there, and full of amazing freebies. You can download the brushset here.
A good source for 'scratches and marks' brushes is misprintedtype.com. Eduardo Recife who runs it is an extremely talented artist, and it is well worth a visit.
Most of the flowers at Longwood Gardens are housed in the massive conservatory. This area is part of the largest outdoor garden. Much of the space at Longwood is devoted to open spaces, man made ponds, topiary displays, fountains, hedges, and the like.
Most of the N&W stuff I caught in Des Moines simply amounted to the yard/local power. In July 75, I got my first road freight as it came into town. Here it is at the end of its journey at SE 18th St.
Kota (/ˈkoʊtə/ (listen)), previously known as Kotah, is a city located in the southeast of northern Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located about 240 kilometres south of the state capital, Jaipur, situated on the banks of Chambal River. With a population of over 1.2 million, it is the third most populous city of Rajasthan after Jaipur and Jodhpur, 46th most populous city of India and 53rd most populous urban agglomeration of India. It serves as the administrative headquarters for Kota district and Kota division. Kota is a major coaching hub of the country for competitive examination preparations and has a number of engineering and medical coaching institutes.
The city of Kota was once the part of the erstwhile Rajput kingdom of Bundi. It became a separate princely state in the 16th century. Apart from the several monuments that reflect the glory of the town, Kota is also known for its palaces and gardens. Mahesh Vijay of Bhartiya Janta Party was the last mayor of Kota. The city was also included among 98 Indian cities for Smart Cities Mission initiated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 and was listed at 67th place after results of first round were released following which top 20 cities were further selected for funding in the immediate financial year. It is popular among the youth of India for its coaching institutes for engineering and medical entrance examinations. Many students come to Kota to prepare for the IIT JEE, NEET and many other competitive exams.
HISTORY
The history of the city dates back to the 12th century CE when Rao Deva, a Chauhan Rajput chieftain belonging to the Hada clan conquered the territory and founded Bundi and Hadoti. Later, in the early 17th century, during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, the ruler of Bundi – Rao Ratan Singh, gave the smaller principality of Kota to his son, Madho Singh. Since then Kota became a hallmark of the Rajput gallantry and culture.
Kota became an independent state in 1631 when Rao Madho Singh, the second son of Rao Ratan of [Bundi] was made the ruler, by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Soon Kota outgrew its parent state to become bigger in area, richer in revenue and more powerful. Maharao Bhim Singh played a pivotal role in Kota's history, having held a 'Mansab' of five thousand and being the first in his dynasty to have the title of Maharao. Zalim Singh, a diplomat, and statesman, emerged as another prominent figure of the state in the 18th century. Although initially being a general of Kota's army, he rose to the regent of the kingdom after the king died leaving a minor on the throne. He remained a direct administrator of the state. In 1817, a treaty of friendship was signed between him and the British on his condition of carving out part from the existing state for his descendants resulting in Jhalawar coming into existence in 1838. Kota was not involved in the earlier events of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. However, when in October 1857 rebels murdered the local British resident and his two sons, British forces responded by storming the city and, after some resistance, capturing it in March 1858.
In the 1940s, social activist Guru Radha Kishan organised trade union activities and campaigned against the colonial government. He left Kota after the local administration learned of the arrest warrant issued against him for his participation in Indian Independence activities.
PRINCELY CITY OF KOTA
Kota became independent in 1579, after Bundi state in Hadoti region had become weak. Then, Kota ruled the territory which now is Kota district and Baran district.
GEOGRAPHY
Kota is located along the banks of the Chambal River in the southern part of Rajasthan. It is the 3rd largest city of Rajasthan after Jaipur and Jodhpur. The cartographic coordinates are 25.18°N 75.83°E. It covers an area of 221.36 km2). It has an average elevation of 271 metres. The district is bound on the north and north west by Sawai Madhopur, Tonk and Bundi districts. The Chambal River separates these districts from Kota district, forming the natural boundary.
The city of Kota is situated at the centre of the southeastern region of Rajasthan a region very widely known as Hadoti, the land of the Hadas. Kota lies along the banks of the Chambal river on a high sloping tableland forming a part of the Malwa Plateau. The general slope of the city is towards the north. The comparatively rocky, barren, and elevated land in the southern part of the city descends towards a plain agricultural land in the north. The Mukundara hills run from southeast to northwest axis of the town.
Kota has fertile land and greenery with irrigation facilities through canals. The two main canals; called as left main canal (towards Bundi) and right main canal (towards Baran) originate from the reservoir created by Kota Barrage. The tributaries of these canals make up a network in the city and surrounding areas of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and supplements the irrigation of these areas.
CLIMATE
Kota has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) with high temperatures throughout the year. Summers are long, hot, and dry, starting in late March and lasting till the end of June. The temperatures average above 40 °C in May and June, frequently exceed 45 °C with temperatures as high as 48.4 °C also been recorded. The monsoon season follows with comparatively lower temperatures, but higher humidity and frequent, torrential downpours. The monsoons subside in October and temperatures rise again. The brief, mild winter starts in late November and lasts until the last week of February. Temperatures hover between 26.7 °C (max) to 12.0 °C (min). This can be considered the best time to visit Kota because of intense heat in the summer.The average annual rainfall in the Kota district is 660.6 mm. Most of the rainfall can be attributed to the southwest monsoon which has its beginning around the last week of June and may last till mid-September. Pre-monsoon showers begin towards the middle of June with post-monsoon rains occasionally occurring in October. The winter is largely dry, although some rainfall does occur as a result of the Western Disturbance passing over the region.
DEMOGRAPHICS
According to 2011 Census of India, Kota City had a population of 1,001,694 of which male and female are 528,601 and 473,093 respectively. The provisional results of census 2011 reported city's population as 1,001,365. The urban agglomeration of Kota consists of city only. The sex ratio was 895 and 12.14% were under six years of age. The effective literacy rate was 82.80%, with male literacy at 89.49% and female literacy at 75.33%.
Harauti, a dialect of Rajasthani is widely spoken in Kota with Hindi, Marwari and English being the other languages spoken.
According to 2011 census, Hinduism is the majority religion in the city practised by about 80.5% of the population. Muslims form large minorities (15.9%) followed by Jains (2.2%), Sikhs (0.9%) and Christians (0.4%).
Government institutions and courts
Governmental institutions in Kota include:
Municipal Corporation
Collectorate
Office of the Divisional Commissioner
Rajasthan Housing Board
Command Area Development (CAD)
Urban Improvement Trust (UIT)
Office of the Superintendent of Police, Inspector General of Police, and the Income Tax commissioner of Kota range.
Office of the Divisional Railway Manager, Kota Division, West Central Railway
Office of Deputy Commissioner of central excise and service tax
Instrumentation Ltd is a Public Sector company based in Kota. Its clientele includes public sector entities such as the Indian Railways, BSNL and VSNL. Presently, it has been shut down.
The District court provides court and notary services.
ECONOMY
The city is the trade centre for an area in which cotton, millet, wheat, coriander and oilseeds are grown; industries include cotton and oilseed milling, textile weaving, distilling, dairying, and the manufacture of metal handcrafts. Kota also has an extensive industry of stone-polishing (tiles) of a stone called Kota Stone, used for the floor and walls of residential and business buildings. Since last 15 years Kota has emerged as an Education hub of the country as producing excellent results in IIT-JEE and medical entrance exams.
KOTA EDUCATIONAL INDUSTRY
A major part of Kota's economy depends on its student population. Every year more than 150,000 students visit and study in Kota to study and prepare for JEE and NEET.
The entrance coaching industry in Kota generates business of about ₹40,000 million from them which further contributes towards the economy of the region. Over time, the economical growth and money generated through education in Kota seems to have overtaken other popular economical activities of the region by contributing more and more with time.
KOTA DORIA OR DORIYA AND SAREES
Weaving in Kota was started by Maharana Bhimdev in the 18th century.
The Kota saris like most traditional piece of work had started becoming lost before designer Vidhi Singhania moved to Kota and started working with the workers to revive its market.[38] Many textile shops in the city sell different varieties of Kota doriya. These saris have become one of the trademarks of the city.
KOTA STONE
The fine-grained variety of limestone quarried from Kota district is known as Kota stone, with rich greenish-blue and brown colours. Kota stone is tough, non-water-absorbent, non-slip, and non-porous. The varieties include Kota Blue Natural, Kota Blue Honed, Kota Blue Polished, Kota Blue Cobbles, Kota Brown Natural and Kota Brown Polished.
INDUSTRIES
Kota is one of the industrial hubs in northern India, with chemical, cement, engineering and power plants based there. The total number of industrial units in the district in 2010–11 stood at 12908 with 705 registered units. The district power plants show annual growth of 15–20% due to their strategic locations.
POWER PLANTS
Kota is surrounded by five power stations within its 50 km radius.
Kota Super Thermal Power Plant – thermal
Rajasthan Atomic Power Station in Rawatbhata Chittorgarh district (65 kilometres from Kota) – nuclear
NTPC Anta Gas Power Plant in Antah Baran district (50 kilometers from Kota) – gas
Jawahar Sagar Power Plant – hydro
Kalisindh Thermal Power Station (in Jhalrapatan, Jhalawar) – thermal
Surya Chambal Power Plant in Rangpur Kota district - biomass
EDUCATION
The city is specially known in India as a center for the preparation of various national level competitive examinations through which the students seek admissions in various engineering and medical colleges of the country. Often termed as the "Kota Factory", the town contains more than 40 large coaching institutes for aspiring students trying to pass entrance exams for Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), through the IIT JEE, other engineering colleges and prominent medical colleges of India.
Since 2000, the city has emerged as a popular coaching destination for competitive exams preparation and for profit educational services. The education sector of Kota has become one of the major contributors to the city's economy. Kota is popularly referred to as "the coaching capital of India". Over 150,000 students from all over the country flock every year towards the city for preparation of various exams such as IIT-JEE and NEET-UG etc. Many hostels and PGs are located in Kota near the vicinity of coaching centres for students. Students live here for 2–3 years and prepare for the exams. The annual turnover of the Kota coaching industry is about ₹1500 crore. The majority of the students here are enrolled in schools, providing the facility of "dummy schooling", which gives students admissions without the need to attend it regularly. However, it is an illegal practice. In 2019, The Viral Fever launched a Web Series called Kota Factory to shed light on the life of students who study at Kota.
Kota's emergence as a coaching hub began in 1985 when Vinod Kumar Bansal, an engineer set up Bansal Classes that eventually became Bansal Classes Private Limited.
STUDENT SUICIDES
In the past few years, reports of students dying by suicide in the city have increased. As per reports, students feel stressed and get pressurized in order to crack their target competitive exam. As per National Crime Records Bureau report of 2014, 45 suicide cases of students were reported in the city. In year 2015, 17 such cases were found. For the same cause, many coaching centers have also appointed counsellors and are organising recreational activities to help students.
MEDICAL AND ENGINERING COLLEGES
Government Medical College, Kota
University Engineering College, Kota
UNIVERSITIES
Agriculture University, Kota
Rajasthan Technical University
Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University
University of Kota
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kota
Jai Minesh National University, Kota
PLACES OF INTEREST
Some of the popular visitor attractions in and nearby the city include Chambal Garden, Chambal River Front, Seven Wonders Park, Kishore Sagar Lake, Jag Mandir, Kota Garh Palace, Chatra Vilas Garden, Ganesh Udyan, Traffic Garden, Godavari Dham Temple, Geparnath Temple, Garadia Mahadev Temple, Chattaneshwar Mandir, Kota Zoological Park, Abheda Biological Park, City Park(IL Oxizone), Chatrapati Shivaji Park, Maharao Madho Singh Museum, Kota Government Museum, Brijraj Bhawan Palace, Abheda Mahal, Royal Cenotaphs at Kshar Bagh, Kota Barrage, Khade Ganesh Ji Mandir, Shiv Puri Dham, Maa Trikuta Mandir, Kansua Shiv Mandir, Darrah National Park and Jawahar Sagar Dam.
TRANSPORT
Kota is well connected with road and rail to all major cities within Rajasthan as well as those located outside the state.
ROADWAYS
Kota have two major interstate bus terminals, namely, Nayapura Bus Stand at Nayapura and Roadways New Bus Stand at Ramchandrapura.[citation needed] National Highway No.27 (via Udaipur, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Guwahati) and National highway No.52 (via Hisar, Churu, Sikar, Jaipur, Indore, Aurangabad, Solapur and Hubli) pass through the Kota City. National Highway No.27 is a part of East-West Corridor(Porbandar - Silchar) and National Highway No.52 connects Punjab to Karnataka (Sangrur, Punjab—Ankola, Karnataka). The total road length in Kota district is 2,052 km as of March 2011. There are also three upcoming expressway projects in the form of Delhi–Mumbai Expressway (Via Kota, Rajasthan and Vadodara), Kota–Hyderabad Expressway (Via Indore) and Chambal Expressway.
RAILWAYS
Kota is well connected to all the major cities of India with rail. Kota Junction is one of the divisions in West Central Railway. It is a station on the New Delhi–Mumbai main line. There are four railway stations within Kota and in its vicinity. One Substation of East Kota City is Sogariya(Kota Bypass) Railway Station and Another suburban station of South Kota city is Dakaniya Talav railway station which has a stoppage of Avadh Express, Dehradun Express and Ranthambore Express.
The city is a halt for over 182 trains, including Mumbai Rajdhani Express, August Kranti Rajdhani Express, Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express, Madgaon Rajdhani Express, Mumbai New Delhi Duronto Express, Golden Temple Mail, Paschim Express, Bandra Terminus-Hazrat Nizamuddin Garib Rath Express, Kevadiya–Hazrat Nizamuddin Gujarat Sampark Kranti Express, Gujarat Sampark Kranti Express, Maharashtra Sampark Kranti Express, Goa Sampark Kranti Express, Kerala Sampark Kranti Express, Indore–Jaipur Express, Gangaur SuperFast Express, Mewar Express, Dayodaya Express, Jodhpur – Indore Intercity, Hazrat Nizamuddin - Indore Express, Garbha Express, Marusagar Express (Ajmer – Ernakulam Express / Ernakulam Express), Jaipur–Mysore Superfast Express, Swaraj Express, Chennai Central–Jaipur Superfast Express, Coimbatore–Jaipur Superfast Express, Jodhpur – Puri Express, Bandra Terminus–Gorakhpur Avadh Express, Bandra Terminus–Muzaffarpur Avadh Express, Jodhpur – Bhopal Express.
The Delhi—Mumbai railway line passes through the Kota Junction. The district has 148.83 km of railway line in the Kota – Ruthia section, 98.72 km on Nagda—Mathura (Mumbai-Delhi) section and 24.26 km on Kota —Chittorgarh section.
A broad-gauge railway facility between Kota and Jodhpur via Jaipur exists.
AIRWAYS
Kota Airport, (IATA: KTU, ICAO: VIKO) is a civil airport serving Kota, Rajasthan, India. Spread over 447 acres, Kota Airport was originally built by the Royal family of the princely state of Kota and was taken over by the government in 1951. This Airport Also Known As Rajputana Airport. Originally serviced by Indian Airlines Dakota aircraft and later by Vayudoot and Jagson Airlines, shutdown of major industries and Kota becoming a major railway junction effected decreased demand for air transport and the withdrawal of the airlines. Kota Airport has had no scheduled services operating since 1999. The nearest international airport is Jaipur International Airport situated around 240 km away from Kota. Development of Greenfield airport at Kota: The representative of Rajasthan Government intimated that runway length of Existing Kota Airport is only 4000 ft., which restricts flight operations under RCS. A new Greenfield Airport is to be constructed in Kota. State Government has earmarked required land for this purpose. State Government has provided Meteorological Information of past 10 years and AAI has carried out pre- feasibility survey & provided its report to the State Government. Further, AAI has been requested twice to carry out Site and OLS Survey and to provide further course of action to be taken by the State Government, which is approved. Directions need to be issued to AAI for early completion of the same. For development of Greenfield airport at Kota, 1250 Acres of land acquired by the State Government and handed over to AAI for development of New Greenfield Airport.
SPORTS
The city is home to Jay Kaylon Cricket Stadium located in Nayapura area. Among several matches, six Ranji Trophy matches have been played in the stadium. The stadium also hosted RCL T20 2016, an inter state cricket league with six participating teams.
MEDIA
TELEVISION
There are five major regional TV Channels in Kota.
DD Rajasthan
Media House Rajasthan(MHR News)
ETV Rajasthan
India news Rajasthan
Jan TV
A wide range of other Hindi, English, and other language channels are accessible via cable subscription and direct-broadcast satellite services. Dish TV, Tata Sky, Radiant Digitek, Airtel digital TV are entertainment services in Kota.
NEWSPAPERS
Major daily newspapers in Kota include:
Rajasthan Patrika (Hindi)
Dainik Bhaskar (Hindi)
Dainik Navajyoti (Hindi)
Chambal Sandesh (Hindi)
RADIO
There are five radio stations in Kota, with four broadcasting on the FM band, and one All India Radio station broadcasting on the AM band.
All India Radio (102.0 MHz)
Big FM (92.7 MHz)
My FM (94.3 MHz)
FM Tadka (95.0 MHz)
Radio City (91.1 MHz)
NOTABLE PEOPLE
Umed Singh II
Om Birla
Ijyaraj Singh
Onkarlal Berwa
Shanti Kumar Dhariwal
Vinod Kumar Bansal
Bhim Singh II
Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi
Bhuvnesh Chaturvedi
Krishana Kumar Goyal
Shail Hada
Taj Haider
Hari Kumar Audichya
Raghuveer Singh Koshal
Shiv Kumari of Kotah
Bhuvaneshwari Kumari
Nikita Lalwani
Pramod Maheshwari
Aniruddh Singh
WIKIPEDIA
Most famous crossing in the world.
Shibuya, Tokyo.
PENTAX ES II + smc Takumar 50/1.4 + Kodak ColorPlus 200
Town Hall Square (Vienna)
The inner part of the town square
Street sign town square
The Town Hall Square is located in the first District of Vienna, Inner City. It is named after the erected here (new) Vienna City Hall. Due to its size, design and architecture of the buildings bordering the square it is considered one of the most important places in the center of Vienna.
History
Vienna City Hall, View from 1891
In the area of today's town square was once the Josefstädter Glacis, a meadow terrain held as a free field of fire before the walls of Vienna and later the parade and drill ground of the Imperial Army. During the construction of the Ring Road from 1858 this military site remained untouched for some time until the army after long efforts of Mayor Cajetan Felder had renounced and the City Expansion Found could develop a Baulinienplan (building line plan) for the area. During this time, other locations were considered for the City Hall.
Now the Town Hall Square, the largest square in the recessed ring road zone was provided. The northern and southern part of the square shaped city gardener Rudolf Siebeck 1872/1873 as City Hall Park, the central part of the square, the axis Town Hall-Burgtheater, was kept free. 1873, the foundation stone was laid for the construction of the New Town Hall. 1874, work began on the Town Hall at the former Franzensring opposite the Burgtheater and the south of the square adjacent parliament building (north side front: Town Square 6). From 1877 on, the new main building of the University of Vienna (southern side front: Town Square 5 ) was built. Are installed on the three sides of the square five blocks with nine house numbers (No. 1 to No. 9), the fourth side is bordered by the Ring.
In course of time the name of the place changed four times. In 1870 it was created as Town Hall Square, renamed in 1907 after the incumbent Christian Social mayor in Dr.-Karl-Lueger square. The since 1919 dominant Red Vienna this appeared to be inappropriate, as Lueger in Vienna had prevented the universal and equal male suffrage, in 1907 introduced at state level. Therefore, the of a private committee donated Lueger monument under the rule of mayor Karl Seitz was not, as intended by the Committee, on the Town Square erected but built in 1926 on a previously unnamed square corner Wool Line/Stubenring and this place in the same year named Dr.-Karl-Lueger square named. The Town Square was returned its original name. In 1938, the place was again renamed into Adolf Hitler square, what was reversed in 1945.
Christmas Market at City Hall
The large space between City Hall and the Burgtheater was used by all the rulers for political rallies. Since 1921, its current form dating back to 1929 and interrupted from 1933 to 1945, it is the traditional final rally of the Vienna SPÖ Maiaufmarsches (May-Procession) on 1 In May at the Town Hall Square. In addition, the space is exploited for most of the year for cultural and social events. The most important of them since 1975, the Christmas market in November and December, the Vienna Ice Dream in January and February, the opening of the Vienna Festival in May and open-air cinema screenings with classical music in July and August. The Life Ball at Vienna City Hall refers also to the town square. Traditionally, a since 1959 every year from one of the states erected large Christmas tree as a gift to the federal capital.
Location and characteristics
The Town Hall Square is located between the extended Grillparzer street to the north, the University Ring to the east, the extended Stadion alley in the south and the extended Reichsrats street in the West. Except the ring on which there are no buildings on this side of the street, bear the buildings that are in the course of these streets at the place, house numbers of the Town Square. Stadion alley and Grillparzer street end before the square, the Reichsrats street is interrupted by the square.
About two-thirds of the space area of 40,000 m² are occupied by the City Hall park which is divided by a blocked to traffic, very wide access road between the Burgtheater and the Rathaus, offering space for events, into a northern and southern half. The Town Square is lined by some of the most important monumental Rings Road constructions in historicist style. In the square itself is a large number of monuments and statues. Thus, the town square is one of the most representative places in Vienna.
The tram lines 1 and D operate on the Ring Road and have at the City Hall Square opposite the Burg Theatre and at the corner of Parliament stops. Coming from the south and turning from the ring, operates tram line 2 on the southern edge of the Town Square to Stadiongasse. The individual passage traffic runs heading north on the eastern edge of the square on the Ring Road in the opposite direction behind the Town Hall on the two-line (Zweierlinie). Cycling trails pass off on the Ring Road and at the Grillparzer street and Stadion alley. Behind the Town Hall runs the subway line U2 to the City Hall with the subway station as shuttle to City Hall and City Hall Square.
Building
City hall
The central building in the middle of the west side of the Town Square is the City Hall, built in 1873-1883 by Friedrich von Schmidt, New Town Hall, Town Hall called only since about 1970. The powerful, dominating the square building was designed by the Dutch Gothic models. It should express the political power of the strengthened bourgeosie against the monarch and the aristocracy.
The City Council has at the Town Hall no main entrance or direct access to the arcade court, they are located on the side fronts of Felder Street and Lichtenfels alley, another entrance is at the rear front at the Friedrich-Schmidt square. From the Town Hall itself essentially the so-called People's Hall on the ground floor of the Town Hall via a staircase outdoors is accessible (entrances centered under the Town Hall Tower and left and right). The People's Hall is occasionally used for exhibitions. At the corner towards Felder street there is the exit to the restaurant Rathauskeller/Town hall cellar.
Arcade, Town Hall Square 2-4
Foyer with ceiling painting Apotheosis of Vindobona, Town Hall Square 4
No. 2, 3 and 4: Arcade Shops
The block north of City Hall was built in 1880-1883 by Franz von Neumann. Plan requirement was to equip the buildings (such as on the west side of the Imperial Parliament Street, in the course of which they are) at the town square with arcades. Held in the old German style, houses have remarkable corner projections made with domes. At the central projection there are respectively balconies on herma. The attic floor is decorated with stucco relief female figures. The rib-vaulted arcades are painted with grotesques by Franz and Carl Jobst and equipped with cast iron lanterns. Particularly important are the foyers on No. 4 (and at the back of the block on the Ebendorfer street 4). Frieze reliefs show the allegories of commerce, the arts and trading. A large ceiling painting depicts the apotheosis of Vindobona. Lanterns and railings are made of wrought iron.
No. 5: University of Vienna, Main Building
Town Hall Square and front side of the university's main building in 1900
The Town Hall Square side facing the front of the main university building today (2007 )
On the north side of the town square is the front side of the main building of the University of Vienna. The main work of the late phase of the strict historicism was built in 1873-1884 by Heinrich von Ferstel. The 29-axle side facade is broken repeatedly by risalits as well as by half and full columns. Statues of Anton Schmidgruber and Franz Koch stand in relation to the Philosophical faculty. The building has no open entrance here.
No. 6: Parliament
On the south side of the town square is the side front of the parliament building, which was built as Reichsratsgebäude for Cisleithania. It is the most important work of the architect Theophil von Hansen that the latter one founded 1871-1883 by ancient Greek models. At the Town Hall Square, the Parliament has a covered side entrance, originally a carriage way.
No. 7, 8 and 9 houses with arcades
Dome on the corner risalt, Town Hall Square 7
South of the Town Hall is located one block of houses with arcades, built 1877/1878 of City Hall architect Friedrich von Schmidt and Franz Neumann in old German forms. These were the first houses with arcades of City Hall district. Dominant are domes on corner risalit and central dome, bay windows, balconies, putti frieze and statues of Venus and Mars on the facade. In the rib-vaulted arcades are embedded gates with half column portals and acroterion figures. The lobbies are decorated with stucco ceilings, among other rich and grotesque painting. At No. 8 is located under the arcades the in City Hall circles famous café and pastry shop Sluka.
City Hall Park
At the request of Mayor Felder the City Hall Park was created as a complementary recreation area in the Ring Road zone. It is a strictly historicist Park, which was created as the city park of city gardener Rudolf Siebeck. The green area is north and south of a link road from the Burgtheater on the Ring to the City Hall laid out, which extends space-like in front of City Hall. In each of the two parts is a Rondeau Park with fountains, which are intended to highlight the two Viennese spring water lines and were financed by the builder Antonio Gabrielli.
Orientation plan
Under the old trees of the park there are five trees that are designated as natural monuments in Vienna. A lime in the southern part of the park was planted on the occasion of the 50th anniversary jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1898, an oak tree, also in the southern part of the park in 1906 for the then incumbent mayor Karl Lueger. Winding paths lead through the two parts of the park. The garden fence is original historicist. In the northern part of the park is a large children's play area. A 1890 in the southern part of the park built weather house, destroyed during the Second World War, was renewed in 1955 with mosaics of Mary Biljan-Bilger. The modern toilet facilities were designed by Luigi Blau.
Monuments
Waldmüllerdenkmal (Monument) by Josef Engelhart, 1913
The Town Hall Square is home of a number of monuments, they are described here from the ring road starting.
(Disabled) access from the Burgtheater to City Hall
At the beginning of this approach is, turning off the Ring Road, left the monument to Theodor Körner, mayor, then President of the Second Republic, by Hilde Uray, bronze statue, 1963,
right of the monument to Karl Seitz, first head of state of the First Republic, then mayor in Red Vienna, by Gottfried Buchberger, bronze statue, 1962.
Directly between the two parts of the park in 1902 eight stone monuments of significant figures in the history of Vienna were placed four at each park side facing each other. They had been established in 1867 on the balustrades of the former Elizabeth Bridge over the river (Wienfluss) on Karlsplatz. When in 1897 the bridge was demolished in this area because of the light rail construction and the resulting vaulting of the Wienfluss, the eight monuments first have been put along the then still in the incision extending new light rail line on the Karlsplatz, where they but heavily by the soot of steam locomotives polluted monuments were popularly called eight chimney sweepers. Therefore, they were transferred to the town square later:
left ( south side):
Margrave Henry II Jasomirgott from the House of Babenberg, by Franz Melnitzky
Duke Rudolf the founder of the House of Habsburg, of Josef Gasser
Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg, defender of Vienna (second Turkish siege), by Johann Baptist Fessler
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, Baroque architect, Josef Cesar
right (north side):
Duke Leopold the Glorious from the House of Babenberg, by Johann Preleuthner
Niklas Graf Salm, defender of Vienna (first siege of Vienna), by Matthias Purkartshofer
Archbishop Charles Leopold of Kollonitsch, spiritual leader of Vienna (second Turkish siege), Vincenz Pilz
Joseph of Sonnenfels, judicial and administrative reformer of Maria Theresa, by Hanns Gasser (replaced in the Nazi era in 1939 by a statue of the composer Christoph Willibald Gluck, re-erected after 1945)
Next to the town hall (tower), outside of the southern part of the park: replica of the Vienna City Hall man at the top of City Hall tower in scale 1: 1, by Fritz Tiefenthaler, 1985
Southern part of the city hall park (towards Parliament)
At the corner of Park Ring/Parliament, addressed to the ring: Karl Renner, the first Chancellor of the First and first president of the Second Republic, portrait head of Alfred Hrdlicka on monument structure of Josef Krawina, 1965-1967
Josef Popper-Lynkeus, social ethicist, stone bust of Hugo Taglang, 1926. As artist and represented were Jews, the bust was removed in the Nazi regime in 1938, restored in 1951 according to the plaster model.
Johann Strauss (father ) and Joseph Lanner, statues of Franz Seifert, 1905, Art Nouveau, the bronze sculptures stand in front of a curved wall with marble reliefs of ball scenes and a poem by Edward von Bauernfeld. This concept and the architecture created Robert Oerley.
Northern part of the city hall park (towards the University)
Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, marble monument of Josef Engelhart, 1913, Art Nouveau
Ernst Mach, physicist, of Heinz Peteri, 1926
Adolf Schärf, vice chancellor, then president of the Second Republic, bronze bust of Alfred Hrdlicka, 1985
The most recent monument in the park, built in 1993, commemorates the wartime destruction of Vienna in 1945 and was by Hubert Wilfan under the title Yesterday - Today created from stone.