My next picture in the evolution of Batman via DC Direct.

 

In the far back is a readjusted Crisis on Infinite Earth's Batman. Adjusted how? Well for one thing I replaced his utility belt entirely. Originally when this figure was released the plastic the belt was made out of was SO soft no paint would actually dry on it and even latex pint just wouldn't stick. I used the utility belt from a JLI Batman figure I had that was broken. It needed a bit of adjustment as it was too big but it looks great. Then the face was fixed a bit. The original prototype showed a black mask section on the front and I really liked how that looked so I carefully painted that on. I was very lucky in that I was able to leave the eyes alone.

 

The next figure is a reissue Hush Batman from the Secret Identity line. Originally when I got it the figure didn't have his black shorts painted on. Not a problem but the sculpt still had them and I thought it looked odd so I dismantled the legs and used some flat black on him. Then I replaced the utility belt with the classic cylinder version and lastly used some fingernail clippers and used the curved shape to cut the leading edge of his glove barbs into the classic shape. You can't really see much there because I wanted the past suits out of focus.

 

I had to include the Jean Paul Valley Batman as his impact to the Batman universe was pretty big and lasted out for the next decade. This is the only actual Jean Paul Valley figure DC Direct has made so far.Which is odd when you consider that the only Azrael figure released was of the new Azrael and not Jean Paul Valley. Really wish they had done another wave of Knightfall toys.

  

And i the front is a Batman from the Superman/Batman line and one of my favorite sculpts. Even the paints are pretty awesome. The figure isn't really black, it's mainly a VERY deep blue. The only parts that are actually black are the shorts and Batsymbol.

Replacing a photo from 15-May-09 with a better version 28-May-09.

 

Named: "Monchengladbach".

 

First flown in Feb-04 with the Airbus test registration F-WWYV, this aircraft was delivered to Lufthansa as D-AIHI in Apr-04. It was placed in winter storage at Munich, Germany between Dec-15 / Mar-16.

 

When the COVID-19 Pandemic hit the world in Mar-20 the aircraft was initially stored at Munich and moved to Teruel, Spain for further storage in May-20. There was some discussion about permanently retiring the A340-600 fleet, however it returned to service in May-22.

 

The aircraft was permanently retired at Frankfurt-Hahn, Germany in Dec-25 and is due to be sold to USC Universal Sky Carrier GmbH for spares recovery. Updated 10-Dec-25.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 21-Mar-23.

 

I've stopped doing histories for the 'small stuff', it's usually very confusing and takes too long to sort out!

Thermit reaction

replaced with another variation

 

IMG_0042inv chmixIR

The Volvo 200 Series replaced the 140 Series, which were introduced in 1966. The 200 series were based on its direct predecessor. Both series were designed by In-house car designer Jan Wilsgaard (N, 1930-2016).

Available as a 2 and 4-door saloon and as a 5-door estate car.

The Volvo 200 series cars were very reliable, with an emphasis on safety aspects.

For 1979 the 244 sedan/estate received a new front with rectangular head lamps for the GLE, and wrap around rear lamp units, while the estate version kept their old model rear lamp till late 1981.

For 1981 the 245/240 series got again a new grille and the estate versions received new wraparound taillights.

For 1983 all body versions were called simply 240.

The very last 1991-1993 Volvo 240 estate versions were called Polar.

 

2316 cc L4 B23F Petrol engine with Lambda-Sond.

1305 kg.

Production 245 in Europe: Autumn 1974-May 1993.

Production Volvo 240 this version: late 1980-May 1993.

Original Dutch reg. number: July 15, 1988 (still valid, Sept. 2024).

Since Febr. 4, 2011 from current owner.

 

Amsterdam-Noord, Motorkade, April 7, 2017.

 

© 2017 Sander Toonen Amsterdam/Halfweg | All Rights Reserved

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version.

 

Delivered new to Air Europe in May-89, it was in service for two years until they ceased trading in Mar-91. It was returned to the lessor and stored at Lasham, UK, for a year until it was sold to Boeing Equipment Holdings in Mar-92 and leased to Markair as N691MA. Returned to Boeing Equipment Holdings in Oct-95 it was stored until Jul-96 when it was leased to Jet Airways (India) as VT-JAJ. Returned to the lessor in Aug-99 and stored at Delhi until it was re-registered VT-SII in Dec-91 and leased to Sahara Airlines. Sahara was renamed Air Sahara in Jan-01 and the aircraft continued in service until it was returned to the lessor in Feb-03 and stored at Victorville, CA, USA, as N768BC. Not for long however, as it was re-leased to Air Sahara in May-03, this time as VT-SIY. Returned to the lessor in May-05, it was immediately leased to Futura International as EC-JHX. It was returned to the lessor in Feb-06 and sold to Boeing Capital Leasing the following month and leased to Transaero Airlines as EI-DNM. As of Dec-14 it’s still in service, now almost 26 years old.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 04-Jul-19.

 

Taken just a few months before the BKK airport code was transferred from Don Muang to the new Bangkok airport at Suvarnabhumi. Don Muang was re-coded DMK.

 

This is the 'reversed' version of the original AirAsia livery which later became standard on the A320's.

 

This aircraft was delivered to Piedmont Airlines as N322P in Sep-86. It was sold to a lessor in Oct-86 and leased back to Piedmont. It was re-registered N342US in Nov-88 prior to being merged into US Air in Aug-89. US Air was renamed US Airways in Feb-97. The aircraft was returned to the lessor and stored at Mojave, CA, USA in Dec-02. In Oct-03 it was leased to AirAsia as 9M-AAJ and sub-leased to subsidiary company Thai AirAsia as HS-AAJ in Dec-04. The aircraft was permanently retired at Kuala Lumpur in Oct-10 after 24 years in service and was subsequently broken up at Kuala Lumpur in Oct-11.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 19-Nov-17, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 10-Jul-23.

 

This aircraft was delivered to ATA American Trans Air as N517AT in Nov-96. It was sold to a lessor on delivery and leased back to ATA. American Trans Air was officially renamed ATA Airlines in Mar-03. It operated ATA's last flight, from Honolulu to Phoenix, before they ceased operations on 03-Apr-08.

 

The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Apr-08. It was initially stored at Lake City, FL, USA and moved to Victorville, CA, USA in Sep-08 for further storage. In Jan-10 it was sold to The Dart Group PLC and leased to Jet.com as G-LSAK.

 

Blended winglets were fitted in May-10 before it entered service later the same month in standard Jet2 livery. The aircraft was sub-leased to RAK Airways (UAE) in Sep-11 and returned to the UK briefly in Mar-12 when it was repainted in Jet2 Holidays livery before returning to it's lease with RAK Airways. It returned to Jet2 in Jun-12. Current, updated 10-Jul-23.

 

I also have a photo of this aircraft with Jet2 Holidays at ...

www.flickr.com/photos/kenfielding/8936482868

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 17-Jan-22 (DeNoise AI).

 

This aircraft was delivered to the GPA Group and leased to Tradewinds (Singapore) as 9V-TRA in Jul-90, Tradewinds was renamed Silk Air in Apr-91.

 

It was returned to the lessor in Oct-99 and leased to Cronus Airlines as SX-BGK the following month. Cronus was merged into Aegean Cronus Airlines in Oct-01 and renamed Aegean Airlines in Apr-03.

 

The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Feb-08 and converted to freighter configuration in early May-08. It was leased to Swiftair (Spain) as EC-KRA later the same month.

 

It was wet-leased to Agro Air Cargo (Portugal) in Jan-09 and returned to Swiftair in late 2011. It was returned to the lessor in Mar-12 and leased to West Atlantic Airlines as G-JMCM in Apr-12. Current (Nov-16).

The buildings on the west side of Houston Street were originally built in the 1880s. Their interiors were reconstructed in 1983 as part of the Sundance Square development and were incorporated into Sundance West in 1991. The Caravan of Dreams occupied the buildings at the time but has since been replaced by the Reata Restaurant.

Battered effigy of Sir Eustace de Folville 1347 aged about 60.

www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/6WQd67 Underneath his head is a cushion which at this date was being replaced with a helmet. (in the 1540 survey his coat of arms could be seen on the breast where can be still seen a spike to support a shield)

 

Eustace was the 2nd of 7 sons of Sir Eustace Folville and wife Alice, a respectable member of the gentry who acted on many occasions as a Commissioner or Knight of the Shire for both Rutland and Leicestershire. His elder brother Sir John inherited all of his father's lands in 1309 and kept out of most (but not all) of the law-breaking of his younger brothers.

 

He is credited with the killing / assassination in 1326 of the unpopular and corrupt Sir Roger de Beler, flic.kr/p/Ns9LZF Baron of the Exchequer and henchman of the despised Hugh le Despencer and ineffective Edward II. (He is said to have erected the original east window here for one of his many pardons for the killing) He was the most active member of the Folville gang who engaged in acts of vigilantism and outlawry in Leicestershire in the early 1300s, often on the behalf of others such as members of Sempringham Priory and Haverholm Abbey Lincs,

When justice Sir Richard Willoughby, another one of corrupt commissioners was appointed to apprehend Eustace and his brothers Robert, Walter and John in January 1331 for allegedly stealing horse, oxen and sheep from Henry de Beaumont, they instead captured him and held him to ransome of 1300 marks.

Arrest warrants were issued naming Eustace and his brothers Robert, Walter & Rev Richard Folville and others, and they were excluded from a general pardon in September to all outlaws provided that they helped defend against the invasion, After the execution of the Despencers however, a pardon for the Folvilles was rushed through and granted in February 1327, presumably on the request of Roger Mortimer, now the new 14 year old king's Steward, and the new Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir William Trussell just ten days after Edward III had been crowned.

The Folvilles, finding themselves as 'heroes of the revolution' (at least locally, having saved their neighbours from the nefarious acts of Despencer and Belers), became emboldened and continued to commit acts of retribution and, as the years went by, found themselves on both sides of the law being repeatedly outlawed and then pardoned.

Upon their return to Leicestershire after the revolution they initially appear to have targeted Beler's lands at Kirby Bellars and elsewhere but within a few years petitions were issued to the Sheriff of Nottingham, 'complaining that two of the Folville brothers were roaming abroad again at the head of a band, waylaying persons whom they spoiled and held to ransom'.

Various indictments from the period portray Eustace and his brothers as freelance mercenaries, hired 'by the ostensibly law-abiding...to commit acts of violence on their behalf'

The Folville gang did not answer to the charges brought against them and fled to Derbyshire where they "rode with armed force secretly and openly", allied with the Coterel brothers being sheltered by Sir Robert Tuchet, Lord of Markeaton

A year after the Willoughby kidnap, Eustace was serving in the armies of Edward III against the Scots and in recognition of this military service, Eustace received another full pardon for his crimes. He was in combat again in 1337 and 1338, in Scotland and Flanders respectively. He finally died in 1347 a member of the council of the Abbot of Crowland, having stood trial for none of the charges lodged against him. (Only his brother Rev Richard was captured and beheaded outside his church at Teigh by Sir Robert Coalville, keeper of the kings peace.)

His monument has been badly damaged: a Victorian description states that 'the fragments of his helmet form the only part of his funeral achievement now remaining'

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustace_Folville

 

ADDED BY DLPhoto2006

Ref para 2. The seven Folville brothers (and one daughter) were actually the issue of Sir Eustace (d.bef.1284) by his wife Dame Alice. Their grandfather (also called Eustace) was murdered in his chamber at Ashby Folville in 1274 after which the manor fell to his 2nd son (the eldest having died vita patris), the Eustace who died sometime prior to 1284 leaving his widow with the eight children all in their minority. Thus 3rd eldest son, John (who also married an Alice!) held the manor which his son, heir and namesake inherited in 1310. John (the son) probably died sine prole after which the eldest son of Sir Eustace and Dame Alice (John - now of full age) succeeded to the manor through right of primogeniture. It was his younger brothers (Eustace, Richard, Robert, Lawrence, Walter and Thomas) who were involved (the latter merely assisted in their escape) in the slaying of Sir Roger Belers in 1326. Having fled to France to avoid capture, it appears they returned to England as part of Mortimer's invasion party to wrest the throne from Edward II. Ten days after Edward III was crowned, the Folvilles were all pardoned for their part in the murder. Subsequently, the Folville gang went on a crime spree over the following years. [source: my article on the Folvilles published in the Genealogists' Magazine, vol.34.4 (Dec 2022), pp.169-177.]

 

- - Church of St Mary, Ashby Folville, Leicestershire

The Salt Lake City and County Building, usually called the "City-County Building", is the seat of government for Salt Lake City, Utah. The historic landmark formerly housed offices for Salt Lake County government as well, hence the name.

 

The building was originally constructed by free masons between 1891 and 1894 to house offices for the city and county of Salt Lake and replace the Salt Lake City Council Hall and Salt Lake County Courthouse, both erected in the 1860s.

 

Construction of the building was riddled with controversy. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries the City and County Building was the symbol of non-Mormon citizens' open defiance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was designed to rival the Salt Lake Temple as the city's architectural centerpiece. It is even thought that the building's clock tower and statues were designed to mimic the temple's spires and statue of the angel Moroni. Ironically, the building was originally the 1880s brainchild of the Church-backed "People's Party." When the non-Mormon "Liberal Party" was campaigning for city government, they deemed the proposed "joint building" an example of the Church's extravagance and wastefulness. In a reversal of stance, the Liberals decided to go ahead with the building when they finally gained power in 1890. Construction began in February on State Street at about 100 South.

 

For nebulous reasons, construction was halted that November after only the foundation had been laid. The mostly non-Mormon city council questioned the buildings plans which had been completed during the People's Party reign, and wavered on how to proceed. The Deseret News complained that the Liberals were wasting taxpayer money. Ultimately, the original plans and site for the building were scrapped and the whole project was moved to the building's current location at Washington Square. The Deseret News claimed this move served the City Council, which owned property around the site and would profit from increased land values. Nonetheless construction on new plans began by late 1891. The cornerstone was laid July 25, 1892. Mormon president Wilford Woodruff's journals reported his attendance at the building's dedication on Dec, 28 1894.

 

The architectural firm of Monheim, Bird, and Proudfoot designed the Richardsonian Romanesque building (Olpin et al., 2005). Henry Monheim (a local architect since the 1870s), George Washington Bird (1854-1950; from Wichita, Kansas and William Thomas Proudfoot (1860-1928; also of Wichita) established the firm in 1891 specifically to design the building. Their firm won a building design contest against fourteen other submissions. However, The Salt Lake Herald—another LDS-backed paper—claimed that the competition was a "pretentious fraud." Monheim, a Prussian immigrant, died one year into construction. Bird and Proudfoot moved to Philadelphia and Chicago respectively by 1896, so the City-County Building was their firm's only output.

 

The building was monstrously over budget. Estimated by the firm at $350,000, the winning contractor bid $377,978, but by the building's dedication on December 28, 1894, it had cost nearly $900,000. Complicating matters was the Panic of 1893 which cut Salt Lake City and County revenues nearly in half. As a result of this, plans for large stained glass windows for the building were discarded.

 

Although now used exclusively by Salt Lake City government, the building originally served many functions. Salt Lake County offices called the structure home until the 1980s when the County elected to build a new complex at 2100 South and State Street.

 

The building served as Utah's Capitol from when statehood was granted in 1896 until the present Utah State Capitol was completed in 1915. The Salt Lake City and County building also housed Salt Lake's first public library and contained courtrooms, including one that condemned organizer Joe Hill to death amid international attention in 1914.

 

At the conclusion of a few years of exhaustive renovation and remodeling of the building, and with an eye toward historical accuracy, the building was reopened in 1989. This was done in concert with a seismic upgrade called base isolation that placed the weak sandstone structure on a foundation of steel and rubber to better protect it from earthquake damage.

 

In March of 2020, the building was shuttered after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake that shook the Wasatch Front. However, thanks to the base isolation invested in decades ago, the repairs needed were minimal. The building was reopened to the public in November of 2021.

 

The Salt Lake City and County Building's central clock tower is topped with a statue of Columbia and rises 256 feet (78 m) from the ground. The building's primary axis runs north-south, and large entrances mark each cardinal direction. On the south wing (over the Mayor's office) is a bronze statue of the goddess Justice. Originally, the building had statues depicting Commerce, Liberty, Justice, and Columbia, but the others were removed following a 1934 earthquake. Columbia and the other missing statues were replaced on top of the building when it was renovated in 1989.

 

The building's surface is elaborately carved from the gray Utah Kyune sandstone it's made of. To the right of the entrance on the south side is the face of Father DeSmet, a Jesuit priest who preached to Native Americans and had contact with the Latter-day Saints before and after they traveled to Utah. To the left is the Spanish conquistador García López de Cárdenas who explored Southern Utah by 1540. Above the granite columns on the east and west sides of the building are carvings of pioneer women. Between the portal and balcony are portraits of Chief Joseph and Chief Wakara and Jim Bridger. Above the west entrance left-to-right are R. N. Baskin, mayor of Salt Lake City in 1892-1895, Jedediah M. Grant, Salt Lake's first mayor in 1851-1857, and Jacob B. Blair Salt Lake County's probate judge in 1892-1895. The north side features a depiction of the Domínguez–Escalante expedition which entered Utah in 1776 and named many of the state's physical features. Gargoyles, eagles, sea monsters, beehives, Masonic icons, suns, and other symbols dot the building's rich exterior.

 

Walter Baird and Oswald Lendi carved most of the building's features. Lendi, a French sculptor, whimsically carved his face between the words "City" and "Hall" above the north entrance.

 

The building has five floors and over one hundred rooms. Onyx lines the hall of each lavishly decorated floor. The third floor houses the mayor's office in the south wing and the city council chambers in the north. The council meeting room features an 1865 life-sized portrait of Brigham Young. Portraits of the city's past mayors up to and including Ross "Rocky" Anderson line the corridor between these offices. The third floor features an exhibit commemorating the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City.

 

Around the time of the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, and for a limited time, an electric display depicting the Olympic rings was allowed to be displayed on four sides of the central tower of the City and County building. The Olympic display has since been removed from the building.

 

The City-County Building sits between State Street, Second East, Fourth South, and Fifth South in Salt Lake City, a block called "Washington Square." Named for George Washington, the block is the site of the original 1847 Mormon pioneers' camp in Salt Lake City.

 

Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which had a population of 1,257,936 at the 2020 census. Salt Lake City is further situated within a larger metropolis known as the Salt Lake City–Ogden–Provo Combined Statistical Area, a corridor of contiguous urban and suburban development stretched along a 120-mile (190 km) segment of the Wasatch Front, comprising a population of 2,746,164 (as of 2021 estimates), making it the 22nd largest in the nation. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, it is the 117th most populous city in the United States. It is also the central core of the larger of only two major urban areas located within the Great Basin (the other being Reno, Nevada).

 

Salt Lake City was founded on July 24, 1847, by early pioneer settlers led by Brigham Young who were seeking to escape persecution they had experienced while living farther east. The Mormon pioneers, as they would come to be known, entered a semi-arid valley and immediately began planning and building an extensive irrigation network which could feed the population and foster future growth. Salt Lake City's street grid system is based on a standard compass grid plan, with the southeast corner of Temple Square (the area containing the Salt Lake Temple in downtown Salt Lake City) serving as the origin of the Salt Lake meridian. Owing to its proximity to the Great Salt Lake, the city was originally named Great Salt Lake City. In 1868, the word "Great" was dropped from the city's name. Immigration of international members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), mining booms, and the construction of the first transcontinental railroad brought economic growth, and the city was nicknamed "The Crossroads of the West". It was traversed by the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway, in 1913. Two major cross-country freeways, I-15 and I-80, now intersect in the city. The city also has a belt route, I-215.

 

Salt Lake City has developed a strong tourist industry based primarily on skiing, outdoor recreation, and religious tourism. It hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and is a candidate city for the 2030 Winter Olympics. It is known for its politically liberal culture, which stands in contrast with most of the rest of the state's highly conservative leanings. It is home to a significant LGBT community and hosts the annual Utah Pride Festival. It is the industrial banking center of the United States. Salt Lake City and the surrounding area are also the location of several institutions of higher education including the state's flagship research school, the University of Utah.

 

Sustained drought in Utah has recently strained Salt Lake City's water security, caused the Great Salt Lake level to drop to record low levels, and has impacted the local and state economy. The receding lake has exposed arsenic which may become airborne, exposing area residents to poisonous dust. The city is also under threat of major earthquake damage amplified by two offshoots of the nearby Wasatch Fault that join underneath the downtown area.

 

Originally, the Salt Lake Valley was inhabited by the Shoshone, Paiute, Goshute and Ute Native American tribes. At the time of the founding of Salt Lake City the valley was within the territory of the Northwestern Shoshone, who had their seasonal camps along streams within the valley and in adjacent valleys. One of the local Shoshone tribes, the Western Goshute tribe, referred to the Great Salt Lake as Pi'a-pa, meaning "big water", or Ti'tsa-pa, meaning "bad water". The land was treated by the United States as public domain; no aboriginal title by the Northwestern Shoshone was ever recognized by the United States or extinguished by treaty with the United States. Father Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, a Spanish Franciscan missionary is considered the first European explorer in the area in 1776, but only came as far north as Utah valley (Provo), some 60 miles south of the Salt Lake City area. The first US visitor to see the Salt Lake area was Jim Bridger in 1824. U.S. Army officer John C. Frémont surveyed the Great Salt Lake and the Salt Lake Valley in 1843 and 1845. The Donner Party, a group of ill-fated pioneers, traveled through the Great Salt Lake Valley a year before the Mormon pioneers. This group had spent weeks traversing difficult terrain and brush, cutting a road through the Wasatch Mountains, coming through Emigration canyon into the Salt Lake Valley on August 12, 1846. This same path would be used by the vanguard company of Mormon pioneers, and for many years after that by those following them to Salt Lake.

 

On July 24, 1847, 143 men, three women and two children founded Great Salt Lake City several miles to the east of the Great Salt Lake, nestled in the northernmost reaches of the Salt Lake Valley. The first two in this company to enter the Salt Lake valley were Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow. These members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("LDS Church") sought to establish an autonomous religious community and were the first people of European descent to permanently settle in the area now known as Utah. Thousands of Mormon pioneers would arrive in Salt Lake in the coming months and years.

 

Brigham Young led the Saints west after the death of Joseph Smith. Upon arrival to the Salt Lake valley, Young had a vision by saying, "It is enough. This is the right place. Drive on." (This is commonly shortened to, "This is the place"). There is a state park in Salt Lake City known as This Is The Place Heritage Park commemorating the spot where Young made the famous statement.

 

Settlers buried thirty-six Native Americans in one grave after an outbreak of measles occurred during the winter of 1847.

 

Salt Lake City was originally settled by Latter-day Saint Pioneers to be the New Zion according to church President and leader Brigham Young. Young originally governed both the territory and church by a High council which enacted the original municipal orders in 1848. This system was later replaced with a city council and mayor style government.

 

After a very difficult winter and a miraculous crop retrieval, in which Pioneers reported to have been saved from cricket infestation by seagulls (see Miracle of the Gulls), the "Desert Blossomed as the Rose" in the Salt Lake Valley. Early Pioneers survived by maintaining a very tight-knit community. Under Young's leadership Pioneers worked out a system of communal crop sharing within the various ward houses established throughout the Salt Lake Valley.

 

The California Gold Rush brought many people through the city on their way to seek fortunes. Salt Lake, which was at the cross-roads of the westward trek, became a vital trading point for speculators and prospectors traveling through. They came with goods from the East, such as clothing and other manufactured items, trading with the local farmers for fresh livestock and crops.

 

The Congress organized the Utah Territory out of the "State of Deseret" in 1850, and a few months later on January 6, 1851, the city was formally organized as "The City of the Great Salt Lake". Originally, Fillmore, Utah was the territorial capital, but in 1856 it was moved to Salt Lake City, where it has stayed ever since.

 

In 1855 Congress directed the President of the United States to appoint a surveyor general for Utah Territory, and to cause that the lands of that territory should be surveyed preparatory to bringing them on the market. Certain sections were to be reserved for the benefit of schools and a university in the territory. The surveyor general arrived in Utah in July of the same year to begin surveying. He established the initial point for his survey (base line and meridian) at the southeast corner of the Temple Block, and from there extended that survey over 2 million acres. Because of numerous conflicts between the surveyor and the territorial government the first surveyor general abandoned his post in 1857. His successors recommended that no additional land be surveyed. Conflict between the federal and territorial governments kept the issue on hold until 1868, and in the meantime, large sections of the territory were transferred to neighboring territories and states. Again in 1868, Congress directed the President to appoint a surveyor general in the Utah Territory, to establish a land office in Salt Lake City, and to extend the federal land laws over the same. The land office opened 9 March 1869.

 

In 1857, when the Mormon practice of polygamy came to national awareness, President James Buchanan responded to public outcry by sending an army of 2500 soldiers, called the Utah Expedition, to investigate the LDS Church and install a non-LDS governor to replace Brigham Young. In response, Brigham Young imposed martial law, sending the Utah militia to harass the soldiers, a conflict called the Utah War. Young eventually surrendered to federal control when the new territorial governor, Alfred Cumming, arrived in Salt Lake City on April 12, 1858. Most troops pulled out at the beginning of the American Civil War.

 

In order to secure the road to California during the Civil War, more troops arrived under the command of Colonel Patrick Edward Connor in 1862. They settled in the Fort Douglas area east of the city. Thoroughly anti-LDS, Connor viewed the people with disdain, calling them, "a community of traitors, murderers, fanatics, and whores." To dilute their influence he worked with non-LDS business and bank owners, and also encouraged mining. In 1863 some of his troops discovered rich veins of gold and silver in the Wasatch Mountains.

 

In 1866, Thomas Coleman, a Black Mormon man, was murdered, and his body was left on Capitol Hill with an anti-miscegenation warning attached to his body. In 1883, Sam Joe Harvey, another Black man, was lynched for allegedly shooting a police officer, and his body was dragged down State Street.

 

In 1868 Brigham Young founded the Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) as a way to ward off dependency on outside goods and arguably to hinder ex-LDS retailers. Although ZCMI is sometimes credited with being the nation's first department store, a decade earlier New York City's "Marble Palace" and Macy's vied for that title.

 

Change was inevitable. The world started to come to Salt Lake City in 1869 with the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit, north of the city. By 1870 Salt Lake had been linked to it via the Utah Central Rail Road. People began to pour into Salt Lake seeking opportunities in mining and other industries.

 

City government was dominated by the People's Party until 1890. The non-national People's Party was an LDS-controlled political organization, and each of the early mayors of Salt Lake City was LDS. Sparks often flew between LDS city government and non-LDS federal authorities stationed just outside Salt Lake. A dramatic example occurred in 1874 when city police were arrested by US Marshals, who took control of the national election being held in Salt Lake City. Mayor Daniel H. Wells, a member of the LDS Church First Presidency, declared martial law from the balcony of the Old Salt Lake City Hall. Federal troops arrested the mayor, but he was soon released.

 

In the 1880s, the anti-polygamy Edmunds-Tucker Act systematically denied many prominent LDS Church members the right to vote or hold office. Polygamists were detained in a Federal prison just outside Salt Lake in the Sugar House area. Consequentially, the non-LDS Liberal Party took control of City government in the 1890 election. Three years later the Liberal Party and People's Party dissolved into national parties anticipating Utah statehood, but both LDS and non-LDS leaders would govern Salt Lake City from that point onward.

 

The city became Utah's state capital on January 4, 1896, when Utah entered the union upon President Grover Cleveland's decree after the LDS Church agreed to ban polygamy in 1890.

 

In 1907, Salt Lake City was home to Industrial Workers of the World Industrial Union No. 202.

 

The city adopted a non-partisan city council in 1911. As LDS/non-LDS tensions eased people began to work together for the common good, improving roads, utilities and public healthcare.

 

The Great Depression hit Salt Lake City especially hard. At its peak, the unemployment rate reached 61,500 people, about 36%. The annual per capita income in 1932 was $276, half of what it was in 1929, $537 annually. Jobs were scarce. Although boosted by federal New Deal programs as well as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the economy did not fully recover until World War II.

 

After suffering through the depression Salt Lake's economy was boosted during World War II due to the influx of defense industries to the Wasatch Front. Demands for raw materials increased Utah's mining industry, and several military installations such as Fort Douglas and Hill Air Force Base were added.

 

After the Second World War, Salt Lake City grew rapidly. It began to suffer some of the same problems other cities face. Urban sprawl became a growing problem due to a combination of rapid growth and an abundance of available land. Military and aerospace also became dominant industries.

 

Salt Lake began its bid for the Winter Olympics as early as the 1930s, when the Utah Ski Club tried to bring the games to the valley. At the time, however, the Summer Olympic host city had the option of hosting the winter games, and all attempts failed. Salt Lake tried again throughout the decades until 1995, when the International Olympic Committee announced Salt Lake City as the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics.

 

After 132 years in business, ZCMI was sold to the May Department Stores Company in 1999. Remaining ZCMI stores, including one in downtown Salt Lake City, were converted into Meier & Frank stores, although the facade still reads "1868 ZCMI 1999".

 

In April 1999, the Salt Lake City council voted 5 to 2 along LDS membership lines to sell to the LDS Church the segment of Main Street that lay between Temple Square and the LDS Church office buildings for $8.1 million. The Church planned to build a large plaza on the land as well as a parking structure below. There was much public outcry about the sale of public lands to a private organization, but a Church representative assured residents that the plaza would be a "little bit of Paris", a characterization that would be used against the LDS Church later. Concerns also lay in plans to ban such activities as demonstrations, skateboarding, sunbathing, smoking, and other activities it considered "vulgar". The Utah ACLU believed that these restrictions were incompatible with the pedestrian easement that the city retained over the plaza. ACLU attorneys claimed this made the plaza into a public free speech forum. Nonetheless, the property was sold to become the Main Street Plaza. After the Utah District Court ruled against the ACLU, they were vindicated by the 10th Circuit Court in the Fall of 2002. Scrambling to satisfy residents, Rocky Anderson offered a plan for "time and place" restrictions on speech as suggested by the court. However, the LDS Church held firm to get the easement rescinded. Although The Salt Lake Tribune backed the mayor's initial plan, the city council disliked it. In its place, Anderson offered to waive the easement in exchange for west side property from the LDS Church to build a community and a commitment of donations for it. All parties agreed to the arrangement, and the Main Street Plaza is now wholly owned by the LDS Church. Some suppose Anderson's compromise was an effort to strengthen his 2003 re-election campaign among Latter-day Saints and west side residents. Both groups tended to have less favorable impressions of the former mayor.

 

The games opened with the 1980 US hockey team lighting the torch and President George W. Bush officially opening the games at the Rice-Eccles Stadium set designed by Seven Nielsen. Closing ceremonies were also held at that venue.

 

Controversy erupted when in the first week the pairs figure skating competition resulted in the French judge's scores being thrown out and the Canadian team of Jamie Salé and David Pelletier being awarded a second gold medal. Athletes in short-track speed skating and cross-country skiing were disqualified for various reasons as well (including doping), leading Russia and South Korea to file protests and threaten to withdraw from competition.

 

Heightened fear of terrorism following the September 11 attacks turned out to be unfounded, and the games proved safe.

 

The 2002 games ended with a dazzling closing ceremony, including bands such as Bon Jovi and KISS (who shared the stage with figure skater Katarina Witt).

 

Most of the 2,500 athletes paraded into Rice-Eccles Stadium, watching from the stands. Bobsledding bronze medalist Brian Shimer carried the American flag. Russia and South Korean both threatened to boycott the ceremony to protest what they felt was unfair judging, but showed up anyway.

 

Many improvements were made to the area's infrastructure. $1.59 billion were spent on highway improvements, including improvements of Interstate 15 through the city and new interchanges near Park City. A light rail system was constructed from downtown to the suburb of Sandy and later to the University of Utah.

 

The Athlete's Village is now student housing at the University of Utah. Many venues in and around the city still stand even after the games.

 

Many hotels, motels and restaurants were built for the games and still exist today.

 

Salt Lake City still somewhat struggles with its identity, trying to strike a balance between capitol of a major religion and modern secular metropolis. While founded by Mormons, the city is increasingly dominated by non-members, with its LDS population falling steeply and steadily since the 1990s. Considerable changes are being made to alter the downtown in adjustment to the phenomenal growth of the area. In the early 2010s, the LDS Church purchased the Crossroads and ZCMI malls and rebuilt them into the City Creek Center, which is connected by walkways, and with new high density residential and commercial buildings nearby. The commuter rail FrontRunner is in place along the northern Wasatch Front, with extensions planned for the southern portion of the region. Light rail extensions to the Trax system are ongoing to provide service to the western and southern parts of the valley, as well as to Salt Lake City International Airport. The controversial Legacy Highway has one segment completed (the Legacy Parkway), with the construction of the early phase of the next segment (the Mountain View Corridor) completed through the west side of the Salt Lake Valley.

 

Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It borders Colorado to its east, Wyoming to its northeast, Idaho to its north, Arizona to its south, and Nevada to its west. Utah also touches a corner of New Mexico in the southeast. Of the fifty U.S. states, Utah is the 13th-largest by area; with a population over three million, it is the 30th-most-populous and 11th-least-densely populated. Urban development is mostly concentrated in two areas: the Wasatch Front in the north-central part of the state, which is home to roughly two-thirds of the population and includes the capital city, Salt Lake City; and Washington County in the southwest, with more than 180,000 residents. Most of the western half of Utah lies in the Great Basin.

 

Utah has been inhabited for thousands of years by various indigenous groups such as the ancient Puebloans, Navajo, and Ute. The Spanish were the first Europeans to arrive in the mid-16th century, though the region's difficult geography and harsh climate made it a peripheral part of New Spain and later Mexico. Even while it was Mexican territory, many of Utah's earliest settlers were American, particularly Mormons fleeing marginalization and persecution from the United States via the Mormon Trail. Following the Mexican–American War in 1848, the region was annexed by the U.S., becoming part of the Utah Territory, which included what is now Colorado and Nevada. Disputes between the dominant Mormon community and the federal government delayed Utah's admission as a state; only after the outlawing of polygamy was it admitted in 1896 as the 45th.

 

People from Utah are known as Utahns. Slightly over half of all Utahns are Mormons, the vast majority of whom are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), which has its world headquarters in Salt Lake City; Utah is the only state where a majority of the population belongs to a single church. A 2023 paper challenged this perception (claiming only 42% of Utahns are Mormons) however most statistics still show a majority of Utah residents belong to the LDS church; estimates from the LDS church suggests 60.68% of Utah's population belongs to the church whilst some sources put the number as high as 68%. The paper replied that membership count done by the LDS Church is too high for several reasons. The LDS Church greatly influences Utahn culture, politics, and daily life, though since the 1990s the state has become more religiously diverse as well as secular.

 

Utah has a highly diversified economy, with major sectors including transportation, education, information technology and research, government services, mining, multi-level marketing, and tourism. Utah has been one of the fastest growing states since 2000, with the 2020 U.S. census confirming the fastest population growth in the nation since 2010. St. George was the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States from 2000 to 2005. Utah ranks among the overall best states in metrics such as healthcare, governance, education, and infrastructure. It has the 12th-highest median average income and the least income inequality of any U.S. state. Over time and influenced by climate change, droughts in Utah have been increasing in frequency and severity, putting a further strain on Utah's water security and impacting the state's economy.

 

The History of Utah is an examination of the human history and social activity within the state of Utah located in the western United States.

 

Archaeological evidence dates the earliest habitation of humans in Utah to about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Paleolithic people lived near the Great Basin's swamps and marshes, which had an abundance of fish, birds, and small game animals. Big game, including bison, mammoths and ground sloths, also were attracted to these water sources. Over the centuries, the mega-fauna died, this population was replaced by the Desert Archaic people, who sheltered in caves near the Great Salt Lake. Relying more on gathering than the previous Utah residents, their diet was mainly composed of cattails and other salt tolerant plants such as pickleweed, burro weed and sedge. Red meat appears to have been more of a luxury, although these people used nets and the atlatl to hunt water fowl, ducks, small animals and antelope. Artifacts include nets woven with plant fibers and rabbit skin, woven sandals, gaming sticks, and animal figures made from split-twigs. About 3,500 years ago, lake levels rose and the population of Desert Archaic people appears to have dramatically decreased. The Great Basin may have been almost unoccupied for 1,000 years.

 

The Fremont culture, named from sites near the Fremont River in Utah, lived in what is now north and western Utah and parts of Nevada, Idaho and Colorado from approximately 600 to 1300 AD. These people lived in areas close to water sources that had been previously occupied by the Desert Archaic people, and may have had some relationship with them. However, their use of new technologies define them as a distinct people. Fremont technologies include:

 

use of the bow and arrow while hunting,

building pithouse shelters,

growing maize and probably beans and squash,

building above ground granaries of adobe or stone,

creating and decorating low-fired pottery ware,

producing art, including jewelry and rock art such as petroglyphs and pictographs.

 

The ancient Puebloan culture, also known as the Anasazi, occupied territory adjacent to the Fremont. The ancestral Puebloan culture centered on the present-day Four Corners area of the Southwest United States, including the San Juan River region of Utah. Archaeologists debate when this distinct culture emerged, but cultural development seems to date from about the common era, about 500 years before the Fremont appeared. It is generally accepted that the cultural peak of these people was around the 1200 CE. Ancient Puebloan culture is known for well constructed pithouses and more elaborate adobe and masonry dwellings. They were excellent craftsmen, producing turquoise jewelry and fine pottery. The Puebloan culture was based on agriculture, and the people created and cultivated fields of maize, beans, and squash and domesticated turkeys. They designed and produced elaborate field terracing and irrigation systems. They also built structures, some known as kivas, apparently designed solely for cultural and religious rituals.

 

These two later cultures were roughly contemporaneous, and appear to have established trading relationships. They also shared enough cultural traits that archaeologists believe the cultures may have common roots in the early American Southwest. However, each remained culturally distinct throughout most of their existence. These two well established cultures appear to have been severely impacted by climatic change and perhaps by the incursion of new people in about 1200 CE. Over the next two centuries, the Fremont and ancient Pueblo people may have moved into the American southwest, finding new homes and farmlands in the river drainages of Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico.

 

In about 1200, Shoshonean speaking peoples entered Utah territory from the west. They may have originated in southern California and moved into the desert environment due to population pressure along the coast. They were an upland people with a hunting and gathering lifestyle utilizing roots and seeds, including the pinyon nut. They were also skillful fishermen, created pottery and raised some crops. When they first arrived in Utah, they lived as small family groups with little tribal organization. Four main Shoshonean peoples inhabited Utah country. The Shoshone in the north and northeast, the Gosiutes in the northwest, the Utes in the central and eastern parts of the region and the Southern Paiutes in the southwest. Initially, there seems to have been very little conflict between these groups.

 

In the early 16th century, the San Juan River basin in Utah's southeast also saw a new people, the Díne or Navajo, part of a greater group of plains Athabaskan speakers moved into the Southwest from the Great Plains. In addition to the Navajo, this language group contained people that were later known as Apaches, including the Lipan, Jicarilla, and Mescalero Apaches.

 

Athabaskans were a hunting people who initially followed the bison, and were identified in 16th-century Spanish accounts as "dog nomads". The Athabaskans expanded their range throughout the 17th century, occupying areas the Pueblo peoples had abandoned during prior centuries. The Spanish first specifically mention the "Apachu de Nabajo" (Navaho) in the 1620s, referring to the people in the Chama valley region east of the San Juan River, and north west of Santa Fe. By the 1640s, the term Navaho was applied to these same people. Although the Navajo newcomers established a generally peaceful trading and cultural exchange with the some modern Pueblo peoples to the south, they experienced intermittent warfare with the Shoshonean peoples, particularly the Utes in eastern Utah and western Colorado.

 

At the time of European expansion, beginning with Spanish explorers traveling from Mexico, five distinct native peoples occupied territory within the Utah area: the Northern Shoshone, the Goshute, the Ute, the Paiute and the Navajo.

 

The Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado may have crossed into what is now southern Utah in 1540, when he was seeking the legendary Cíbola.

 

A group led by two Spanish Catholic priests—sometimes called the Domínguez–Escalante expedition—left Santa Fe in 1776, hoping to find a route to the California coast. The expedition traveled as far north as Utah Lake and encountered the native residents. All of what is now Utah was claimed by the Spanish Empire from the 1500s to 1821 as part of New Spain (later as the province Alta California); and subsequently claimed by Mexico from 1821 to 1848. However, Spain and Mexico had little permanent presence in, or control of, the region.

 

Fur trappers (also known as mountain men) including Jim Bridger, explored some regions of Utah in the early 19th century. The city of Provo was named for one such man, Étienne Provost, who visited the area in 1825. The city of Ogden, Utah is named for a brigade leader of the Hudson's Bay Company, Peter Skene Ogden who trapped in the Weber Valley. In 1846, a year before the arrival of members from the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, the ill-fated Donner Party crossed through the Salt Lake valley late in the season, deciding not to stay the winter there but to continue forward to California, and beyond.

 

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormon pioneers, first came to the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. At the time, the U.S. had already captured the Mexican territories of Alta California and New Mexico in the Mexican–American War and planned to keep them, but those territories, including the future state of Utah, officially became United States territory upon the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848. The treaty was ratified by the United States Senate on March 10, 1848.

 

Upon arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, the Mormon pioneers found no permanent settlement of Indians. Other areas along the Wasatch Range were occupied at the time of settlement by the Northwestern Shoshone and adjacent areas by other bands of Shoshone such as the Gosiute. The Northwestern Shoshone lived in the valleys on the eastern shore of Great Salt Lake and in adjacent mountain valleys. Some years after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley Mormons, who went on to colonize many other areas of what is now Utah, were petitioned by Indians for recompense for land taken. The response of Heber C. Kimball, first counselor to Brigham Young, was that the land belonged to "our Father in Heaven and we expect to plow and plant it." A 1945 Supreme Court decision found that the land had been treated by the United States as public domain; no aboriginal title by the Northwestern Shoshone had been recognized by the United States or extinguished by treaty with the United States.

 

Upon arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, the Mormons had to make a place to live. They created irrigation systems, laid out farms, built houses, churches, and schools. Access to water was crucially important. Almost immediately, Brigham Young set out to identify and claim additional community sites. While it was difficult to find large areas in the Great Basin where water sources were dependable and growing seasons long enough to raise vitally important subsistence crops, satellite communities began to be formed.

 

Shortly after the first company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, the community of Bountiful was settled to the north. In 1848, settlers moved into lands purchased from trapper Miles Goodyear in present-day Ogden. In 1849, Tooele and Provo were founded. Also that year, at the invitation of Ute chief Wakara, settlers moved into the Sanpete Valley in central Utah to establish the community of Manti. Fillmore, Utah, intended to be the capital of the new territory, was established in 1851. In 1855, missionary efforts aimed at western native cultures led to outposts in Fort Lemhi, Idaho, Las Vegas, Nevada and Elk Mountain in east-central Utah.

 

The experiences of returning members of the Mormon Battalion were also important in establishing new communities. On their journey west, the Mormon soldiers had identified dependable rivers and fertile river valleys in Colorado, Arizona and southern California. In addition, as the men traveled to rejoin their families in the Salt Lake Valley, they moved through southern Nevada and the eastern segments of southern Utah. Jefferson Hunt, a senior Mormon officer of the Battalion, actively searched for settlement sites, minerals, and other resources. His report encouraged 1851 settlement efforts in Iron County, near present-day Cedar City. These southern explorations eventually led to Mormon settlements in St. George, Utah, Las Vegas and San Bernardino, California, as well as communities in southern Arizona.

 

Prior to establishment of the Oregon and California trails and Mormon settlement, Indians native to the Salt Lake Valley and adjacent areas lived by hunting buffalo and other game, but also gathered grass seed from the bountiful grass of the area as well as roots such as those of the Indian Camas. By the time of settlement, indeed before 1840, the buffalo were gone from the valley, but hunting by settlers and grazing of cattle severely impacted the Indians in the area, and as settlement expanded into nearby river valleys and oases, indigenous tribes experienced increasing difficulty in gathering sufficient food. Brigham Young's counsel was to feed the hungry tribes, and that was done, but it was often not enough. These tensions formed the background to the Bear River massacre committed by California Militia stationed in Salt Lake City during the Civil War. The site of the massacre is just inside Preston, Idaho, but was generally thought to be within Utah at the time.

 

Statehood was petitioned for in 1849-50 using the name Deseret. The proposed State of Deseret would have been quite large, encompassing all of what is now Utah, and portions of Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Arizona, Oregon, New Mexico and California. The name of Deseret was favored by the LDS leader Brigham Young as a symbol of industry and was derived from a reference in the Book of Mormon. The petition was rejected by Congress and Utah did not become a state until 1896, following the Utah Constitutional Convention of 1895.

 

In 1850, the Utah Territory was created with the Compromise of 1850, and Fillmore (named after President Fillmore) was designated the capital. In 1856, Salt Lake City replaced Fillmore as the territorial capital.

 

The first group of pioneers brought African slaves with them, making Utah the only place in the western United States to have African slavery. Three slaves, Green Flake, Hark Lay, and Oscar Crosby, came west with this first group in 1847. The settlers also began to purchase Indian slaves in the well-established Indian slave trade, as well as enslaving Indian prisoners of war. In 1850, 26 slaves were counted in Salt Lake County. Slavery didn't become officially recognized until 1852, when the Act in Relation to Service and the Act for the relief of Indian Slaves and Prisoners were passed. Slavery was repealed on June 19, 1862, when Congress prohibited slavery in all US territories.

 

Disputes between the Mormon inhabitants and the federal government intensified after the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' practice of polygamy became known. The polygamous practices of the Mormons, which were made public in 1854, would be one of the major reasons Utah was denied statehood until almost 50 years after the Mormons had entered the area.

 

After news of their polygamous practices spread, the members of the LDS Church were quickly viewed by some as un-American and rebellious. In 1857, after news of a possible rebellion spread, President James Buchanan sent troops on the Utah expedition to quell the growing unrest and to replace Brigham Young as territorial governor with Alfred Cumming. The expedition was also known as the Utah War.

 

As fear of invasion grew, Mormon settlers had convinced some Paiute Indians to aid in a Mormon-led attack on 120 immigrants from Arkansas under the guise of Indian aggression. The murder of these settlers became known as the Mountain Meadows massacre. The Mormon leadership had adopted a defensive posture that led to a ban on the selling of grain to outsiders in preparation for an impending war. This chafed pioneers traveling through the region, who were unable to purchase badly needed supplies. A disagreement between some of the Arkansas pioneers and the Mormons in Cedar City led to the secret planning of the massacre by a few Mormon leaders in the area. Some scholars debate the involvement of Brigham Young. Only one man, John D. Lee, was ever convicted of the murders, and he was executed at the massacre site.

 

Express riders had brought the news 1,000 miles from the Missouri River settlements to Salt Lake City within about two weeks of the army's beginning to march west. Fearing the worst as 2,500 troops (roughly 1/3rd of the army then) led by General Albert Sidney Johnston started west, Brigham Young ordered all residents of Salt Lake City and neighboring communities to prepare their homes for burning and evacuate southward to Utah Valley and southern Utah. Young also sent out a few units of the Nauvoo Legion (numbering roughly 8,000–10,000), to delay the army's advance. The majority he sent into the mountains to prepare defenses or south to prepare for a scorched earth retreat. Although some army wagon supply trains were captured and burned and herds of army horses and cattle run off no serious fighting occurred. Starting late and short on supplies, the United States Army camped during the bitter winter of 1857–58 near a burned out Fort Bridger in Wyoming. Through the negotiations between emissary Thomas L. Kane, Young, Cumming and Johnston, control of Utah territory was peacefully transferred to Cumming, who entered an eerily vacant Salt Lake City in the spring of 1858. By agreement with Young, Johnston established the army at Fort Floyd 40 miles away from Salt Lake City, to the southwest.

 

Salt Lake City was the last link of the First Transcontinental Telegraph, between Carson City, Nevada and Omaha, Nebraska completed in October 1861. Brigham Young, who had helped expedite construction, was among the first to send a message, along with Abraham Lincoln and other officials. Soon after the telegraph line was completed, the Deseret Telegraph Company built the Deseret line connecting the settlements in the territory with Salt Lake City and, by extension, the rest of the United States.

 

Because of the American Civil War, federal troops were pulled out of Utah Territory (and their fort auctioned off), leaving the territorial government in federal hands without army backing until General Patrick E. Connor arrived with the 3rd Regiment of California Volunteers in 1862. While in Utah, Connor and his troops soon became discontent with this assignment wanting to head to Virginia where the "real" fighting and glory was occurring. Connor established Fort Douglas just three miles (5 km) east of Salt Lake City and encouraged his bored and often idle soldiers to go out and explore for mineral deposits to bring more non-Mormons into the state. Minerals were discovered in Tooele County, and some miners began to come to the territory. Conner also solved the Shoshone Indian problem in Cache Valley Utah by luring the Shoshone into a midwinter confrontation on January 29, 1863. The armed conflict quickly turned into a rout, discipline among the soldiers broke down, and the Battle of Bear River is today usually referred to by historians as the Bear River Massacre. Between 200 and 400 Shoshone men, women and children were killed, as were 27 soldiers, with over 50 more soldiers wounded or suffering from frostbite.

 

Beginning in 1865, Utah's Black Hawk War developed into the deadliest conflict in the territory's history. Chief Antonga Black Hawk died in 1870, but fights continued to break out until additional federal troops were sent in to suppress the Ghost Dance of 1872. The war is unique among Indian Wars because it was a three-way conflict, with mounted Timpanogos Utes led by Antonga Black Hawk fighting federal and Utah local militia.

 

On May 10, 1869, the First transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, north of the Great Salt Lake. The railroad brought increasing numbers of people into the state, and several influential businessmen made fortunes in the territory.

 

Main article: Latter Day Saint polygamy in the late-19th century

During the 1870s and 1880s, federal laws were passed and federal marshals assigned to enforce the laws against polygamy. In the 1890 Manifesto, the LDS Church leadership dropped its approval of polygamy citing divine revelation. When Utah applied for statehood again in 1895, it was accepted. Statehood was officially granted on January 4, 1896.

 

The Mormon issue made the situation for women the topic of nationwide controversy. In 1870 the Utah Territory, controlled by Mormons, gave women the right to vote. However, in 1887, Congress disenfranchised Utah women with the Edmunds–Tucker Act. In 1867–96, eastern activists promoted women's suffrage in Utah as an experiment, and as a way to eliminate polygamy. They were Presbyterians and other Protestants convinced that Mormonism was a non-Christian cult that grossly mistreated women. The Mormons promoted woman suffrage to counter the negative image of downtrodden Mormon women. With the 1890 Manifesto clearing the way for statehood, in 1895 Utah adopted a constitution restoring the right of women's suffrage. Congress admitted Utah as a state with that constitution in 1896.

 

Though less numerous than other intermountain states at the time, several lynching murders for alleged misdeeds occurred in Utah territory at the hand of vigilantes. Those documented include the following, with their ethnicity or national origin noted in parentheses if it was provided in the source:

 

William Torrington in Carson City (then a part of Utah territory), 1859

Thomas Coleman (Black man) in Salt Lake City, 1866

3 unidentified men at Wahsatch, winter of 1868

A Black man in Uintah, 1869

Charles A. Benson in Logan, 1873

Ah Sing (Chinese man) in Corinne, 1874

Thomas Forrest in St. George, 1880

William Harvey (Black man) in Salt Lake City, 1883

John Murphy in Park City, 1883

George Segal (Japanese man) in Ogden, 1884

Joseph Fisher in Eureka, 1886

Robert Marshall (Black man) in Castle Gate, 1925

Other lynchings in Utah territory include multiple instances of mass murder of Native American children, women, and men by White settlers including the Battle Creek massacre (1849), Provo River Massacre (1850), Nephi massacre (1853), and Circleville Massacre (1866).

 

Beginning in the early 20th century, with the establishment of such national parks as Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park, Utah began to become known for its natural beauty. Southern Utah became a popular filming spot for arid, rugged scenes, and such natural landmarks as Delicate Arch and "the Mittens" of Monument Valley are instantly recognizable to most national residents. During the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, with the construction of the Interstate highway system, accessibility to the southern scenic areas was made easier.

 

Beginning in 1939, with the establishment of Alta Ski Area, Utah has become world-renowned for its skiing. The dry, powdery snow of the Wasatch Range is considered some of the best skiing in the world. Salt Lake City won the bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics in 1995, and this has served as a great boost to the economy. The ski resorts have increased in popularity, and many of the Olympic venues scattered across the Wasatch Front continue to be used for sporting events. This also spurred the development of the light-rail system in the Salt Lake Valley, known as TRAX, and the re-construction of the freeway system around the city.

 

During the late 20th century, the state grew quickly. In the 1970s, growth was phenomenal in the suburbs. Sandy was one of the fastest-growing cities in the country at that time, and West Valley City is the state's 2nd most populous city. Today, many areas of Utah are seeing phenomenal growth. Northern Davis, southern and western Salt Lake, Summit, eastern Tooele, Utah, Wasatch, and Washington counties are all growing very quickly. Transportation and urbanization are major issues in politics as development consumes agricultural land and wilderness areas.

 

In 2012, the State of Utah passed the Utah Transfer of Public Lands Act in an attempt to gain control over a substantial portion of federal land in the state from the federal government, based on language in the Utah Enabling Act of 1894. The State does not intend to use force or assert control by limiting access in an attempt to control the disputed lands, but does intend to use a multi-step process of education, negotiation, legislation, and if necessary, litigation as part of its multi-year effort to gain state or private control over the lands after 2014.

 

Utah families, like most Americans everywhere, did their utmost to assist in the war effort. Tires, meat, butter, sugar, fats, oils, coffee, shoes, boots, gasoline, canned fruits, vegetables, and soups were rationed on a national basis. The school day was shortened and bus routes were reduced to limit the number of resources used stateside and increase what could be sent to soldiers.

 

Geneva Steel was built to increase the steel production for America during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had proposed opening a steel mill in Utah in 1936, but the idea was shelved after a couple of months. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered the war and the steel plant was put into progress. In April 1944, Geneva shipped its first order, which consisted of over 600 tons of steel plate. Geneva Steel also brought thousands of job opportunities to Utah. The positions were hard to fill as many of Utah's men were overseas fighting. Women began working, filling 25 percent of the jobs.

 

As a result of Utah's and Geneva Steels contribution during the war, several Liberty Ships were named in honor of Utah including the USS Joseph Smith, USS Brigham Young, USS Provo, and the USS Peter Skene Ogden.

 

One of the sectors of the beachhead of Normandy Landings was codenamed Utah Beach, and the amphibious landings at the beach were undertaken by United States Army troops.

 

It is estimated that 1,450 soldiers from Utah were killed in the war.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 06-Apr-24.

 

Photo taken from the International Office Centre at the end of Ringway Road, on final approach for runway 24R.

 

Named: "City of Luxembourg / Grand Dutchy of Luxembourg".

 

First flown with the Boeing test registration N1785B, this aircraft was delivered to Cargolux Airlines as LX-FCV in Nov-93.

 

It was sold to UPS - United Parcel Service in Sep-09 as N581UP and initially stored at Roswell, NM, USA. The aircraft entered service in Sep-10. Current, updated 07-Apr-24.

 

Note: The registration LX-FCV was previously used on a Cargolux / Lion Air Boeing 747-121 (passenger version) between Jan-88 / Jun-90.

This is another one of my favourite kid pics from here.

I think I will replace these old elastic straps with leather ones and use buckles to hold them down. These braces are for sale as well as made to measure leg and body braces. Any type of metal and/or leather bondage device can be made for you. Contact me at my1970junk@msn.com.

 

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 04-Feb-23.

 

Operated for DBA by Maersk, with additional 'Hannover Airport' titles and graphics.

 

This aircraft was delivered to Maersk Air as OY-APL in Feb-98. It was leased to LOT Polish Airlines as SP-LKK in Mar-01 and returned to Maersk Air as OY-APL in Apr-04.

 

It was wet-leased to DBA,com (Germany) a few days later. DBA was acquired by Air-Berlin in Aug-06 but continued to operate as a separate company. It technically became DBA,com (powered by Air-Berlin) in Apr-07.

 

In the meantime, Maersk Air had become Sterling Airlines and the aircraft was returned to them in Oct-07. Two days later the aircraft was ferried to Centralia, ON, Canada and sold to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest as N737RH (as trustee for Travera Air, Indonesia).

 

In Dec-07 it was ferried via Bournemouth UK to Jakarta-HLP and was registered PK-TVZ with Travera Air. The aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Jakarta-HLP in Jan-19. It was sold to Enrique Pineryo as T7-CTA (San Marino) in Dec-19 and is operated on his behalf by Comlux San Marino, with a VIP interior.

 

It was stored at Madrid, Spain in Apr-21 as a consequence of COVID-19. Since then it has been stored at Vilnius, Lithuania. Ostrava, Czechia. Prestwick, Scotland, UK for varying periods and is currently stored at Montpellier, France. Updated 04-Feb-22.

 

Note: Enrique Pineryo is an Argentine-Italian ex airline pilot turned film actor, producer, crash analyst, aeronautical physician, film director, and screenplay writer, working partly in Argentina. Pineyro owns Aquafilms, a film production company in Argentina and currently has a VIP Boeing 787-8...

Rathfarnham Castle.

 

Origins:

 

The earlier Anglo-Norman castle which was replaced by the present building was built on lands which were confiscated from the Eustace family of Baltinglass because of their involvement in the Second Desmond Rebellion. It defended the Pale from the Irish clans in the nearby Wicklow Mountains. It is believed the present castle was built around 1583 for Yorkshireman, Adam Loftus, then Lord Chancellor of Ireland and Protestant Archbishop of Dublin. Originally a semi-fortified and battlemented structure, extensive alterations in the 18th century give it the appearance of a Georgian house.

 

The castle consisted of a square building four stories high with a projecting tower at each corner, the walls of which were an average of 5 feet (1.5 m) thick. On the ground level are two vaulted apartments divided by a wall nearly 10 feet (3.0 m) thick which rises to the full height of the castle. On a level with the entrance hall are the 18th century reception rooms and above this floor the former ballroom, later converted into a chapel.

 

Rathfarnham was described as a "waste village" when Loftus bought it. His new castle was not long built when in 1600 it had to withstand an attack by the Wicklow clans during the Nine Years War (Ireland).

 

Civil war:

 

Archbishop Loftus left the castle to his son, Dudley and it then passed to his son Adam in 1616. During Adam's ownership, the castle came under siege in the 1641 rebellion. It was able to hold out against the Confederate army when the surrounding country was overrun. Adam Loftus opposed the treaty of cessation in order the stop the fighting between the Irish Confederates and the English Royalists. Consequently, he was imprisoned in Dublin Castle.

 

During the subsequent Irish Confederate Wars (1641-53), the castle changed hands several times. From 1641 to 1647, it was garrisoned by English Royalist troops. In 1647, Ormonde, commander of the Royalists in Ireland, surrendered Dublin to the English Parliament and Parliamentary troops were stationed at the castle until 1649 when a few days before the Battle of Rathmines, the castle was stormed and taken without a fight by the Royalists. However, the Roundheads re-occupied it after their victory at the Battle of Rathmines. It has also been reported that Oliver Cromwell held council there during his campaign in Ireland before going south to besiege Wexford. Adam Loftus, who recovered his castle and lands under Cromwell, sided with the Parliamentarians and was killed at the Siege of Limerick in 1651.

 

After the English Civil War, the Loftus family retained ownership of the castle. In 1659, Dr. Dudley Loftus, great grandson of Archbishop Loftus, took over the castle. During his lifetime, Dudley held the posts of Commissioner of Revenue, Judge Admiralty, Master in Chancery, MP for Kildare and Wicklow and MP for Bannow and Fethard. His body is interred at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

 

The eighteenth century:

 

The property then passed by marriage to Philip Wharton. The young man lost his money in the South Sea Bubble and in 1723 the castle was sold to the Right Hon. William Connolly, speaker of the Irish House of Commons for £62,000. In 1742, the castle was sold to Dr. Hoadly, Archbishop of Armagh, and on his death four years later it passed to his son-in-law Bellingham Boyle. In 1767, he sold the property to Nicholas Hume-Loftus, second Earl of Ely, a descendant of Adam Loftus, the original builder of the castle.

The castle in 1774

 

Nicholas died within a few years, probably as an indirect result of great hardships which he had suffered in his youth, and the estate passed to his uncle, Hon. Henry Loftus, who was created Earl of Ely in 1771. In commemoration of regaining ownership, the Loftus family constructed another entrance for the castle in the form of a Roman Triumphal Arch. The arch can still be viewed from nearby Dodder Park Road. Henry Loftus, Earl of Ely was responsible for much of the conversion of the medieval fortress into a Georgian mansion and employed renowned architects Sir William Chambers and James 'Athenian' Stuart to carry out these works. The mullioned windows were enlarged and the battlements replaced by a coping with ornamental urns. A semi-circular extension was added to the east side and an entrance porch approached by steps, on the north. The interior was decorated in accordance with the tastes of the period and leading artists, including Angelica Kauffmann were employed in the work. Writers of the period who visited the house have left extravagant descriptions of its splendour.

 

Henry died in 1783 and was succeeded by his nephew Charles Tottenham. He subsequently became Marquess of Ely as a reward for his vote at the time of the Union.

 

The nineteenth and twentieth centuries:

 

In 1812, the family leased the estate to the Ropers and removed their valuable possessions to Loftus Hall in Wexford. The lands and castle were then used for dairy farming and fell into disrepair. To quote a contemporary account from 1838: "Crossing the Dodder by a ford, and proceeding along its southern bank towards Rathfarnham, a splendid gateway at left, accounted among the best productions of that species of architecture in Ireland, invites the tourist to explore the once beautiful grounds of Rathfarnham Castle, but they are now all eloquently waste, the undulating hills covered with rank herbage, the rivulet stagnant and sedgy, the walks scarce traceable, the ice-houses open to the prying sun, the fish-pond clogged with weeds, while the mouldering architecture of the castle, and the crumbling, unsightly offices in its immediate vicinity,…The castle, so long the residence of the Loftus family, and still the property of the Marquis of Ely, subject, however, to a small chief rent to Mr. Conolly, is an extensive fabric,.....The great hall is entered from a terrace, by a portico of eight Doric columns, which support a dome, painted in fresco with the signs of the Zodiac and other devices. This room was ornamented with antique and modern busts, placed on pedestals of variegated marble, and has three windows of stained gloss, in one of which is an escutcheon of the Loftus arms, with quarterings finely executed. Several other apartments exhibited considerable splendour of arrangement, and contained, until lately, numerous family portraits, and a valuable collection of paintings by ancient masters. But, when it is mentioned, that this structure has been for years a public dairy, and the grounds to the extent of 300 acres (1.2 km2) converted to its uses, some notion may be formed of their altered condition.

 

In 1852 it was bought by the Lord Chancellor, Francis Blackburne whose family resided there for three generations. The property developers Bailey & Gibson acquired the castle in 1912 and divided up the estate. The eastern part became the Castle Golf Club, the castle and the southwestern portion were bought in 1913 by the Jesuit Order and the northwestern part was devoted to housing.

 

The Jesuits are an order renowned for their education and one of them; Father O'Leary S.J. constructed a seismograph. This machine could detect earth tremors and earthquakes from anywhere in the world and for a time, Rathfarnham Castle became a source of earthquake information for the national media.

 

To the north of the castle was a long vaulted chamber formerly known as Cromwell’s Court or Fort. This was apparently a barn or storehouse erected as part of the castle farm and had narrow loopholes in its 5-foot (1.5 m) thick walls. In 1922, it was incorporated into the new retreat house, to which it formed the ground story and its character concealed from the outside by a uniform covering of cement plaster.

 

Not far from the Golf Club House was an attractive little temple built of stone and brick, another relic of Lord Ely’s occupation of Rathfarnham. Although rather out of repair, if restored, it would have added much to the charm of this part of the links. Unfortunately, by decision of the committee, it was demolished in 1979.

 

In 1986, the Jesuits sold Rathfarnham Castle but before leaving, they removed the stained glass windows, made in the famous Harry Clarke studios, from the chapel and donated them to Tullamore Catholic Church which had been destroyed by fire in 1983. The other windows were donated to Our Lady's Hospice, Harold's Cross and Temple Street Children's Hospital, Dublin.

 

Preservation:

 

The castle was sold to Delaware Properties in 1985 and it was feared that it was facing demolition. After immense public pressure to save the building, it was purchased by the state in 1987 and was declared a National Monument. Currently, by the Office of Public Works, there is an extensive refurbishment going through the castle but it is still open to the public during the summer months (5th May - 12th October). The Castle is presented as a castle undergoing active conservation, where visitors can see, at first hand, tantalising glimpses of layers of its earlier existence uncovered during research.

Replacing and earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 06-Jul-23.

 

All white livery with titles.

 

This was the prototype MD-83 which first flew with the McDonnell Douglas test registration N19B in Dec-84. After participating in the MD-83 development programme the aircraft was delivered to Finnair O/Y as OH-LMS in Oct-85.

 

It was sold to a lessor in Jan-99 and leased back to Finnair before being returned to the lessor and leased to Flying Finn Airways in Jan-03. It returned to the lessor in May-03.

 

In Jun-04 the aircraft was leased to Austral Lineas Aereas (Argentina) as LV-PJH. It was re-registered LV-ARF two weeks later. It was returned to the lessor in Dec-10 and leased to Andes Lineas Aereas (Argentina) in Jan-11.

 

The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Jul-12 and permanently retired at Orlando-Sanford, FL, USA after 28 years in service. It was last noted still at Sanford in Feb-13 without engines. Updated 06-Jul-23.

Replacing an earlier photo from Apr-15 with a better version 14-Sep-18.

 

Fleet No: '0901'.

 

Originally ordered by Continental Airlines, they were merged into United Airlines in Oct-10. This aircraft was built in Nov-11 and stored at the Boeing factory at Everett, WA, USA. It was first flown in Dec-12 and delivered to United Airlines as N27901 later the same month. Current (Sep-18).

replaced photo

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 06-Oct-24.

 

Another lessor owned aircraft with quite a history. First flown in Mar-93 with the Airbus test registration F-WWIU, this aircraft was delivered to ILFC and leased to Dragonair (Hong Kong) as VR-HYR in May-93. It became B-HYR in Aug-97 when Hong Kong became an autonomous region of China.

 

It was returned to the lessor in Jun-98 and immediately leased to TransAer International Airlines (Ireland) as EI-TLR. TransAer was one of the leading ACMI providers of its day and the aircraft was wet-leased to many other airlines.

 

The aircraft was wet-leased to Nouvelair Tunisie (Tunisia) between Jun/Nov-98, Transmeridian Airways (USA) between Nov-98/Apr-99, Britannia Airways between May/Sep-99, Khalifa Airways (Algeria) between Oct-99/Apr-00, Adria Airways (Slovenia) between Jun/Jul-00 and Air France in Aug-00.

 

In Oct-00 while the aircraft was with Air France, TransAer ceased operations. It was returned to TransAer, repossessed by the lessor and stored at Toulouse until Feb-01 when it was leased to EuroCypria as 5B-DBJ. The aircraft returned to the lessor in Jul-03 and was immediately leased to WindJet (Italy) as I-LING.

 

The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Nov-09 as EI-EEY and stored at Chateauroux, France. It was leased to Viking Hellas Airlines (Greece) as SX-SMU in Feb-10 and wet-leased to XL Airways France in Mar-10 for the summer season, returning to Viking Hellas in Oct-10.

 

Viking Hellas was renamed Fly Hellas in Apr-11, however the aircraft was stored at Montreal-Mirabel, Canada in Nov-11 and Fly Hellas ceased operations the following month. It was returned to the lessor as EI-EEY and remained stored at Montreal-Mirabel.

 

In Jun-12 it was sold to KCA Aviatrans (Ukraine) as UR-CKB and transferred to Khors Aircompany as UR-REZ in Aug-12. The aircraft was wet-leased to Iran Airtour in Sep-12 and the lease was transferred to Mahan Air (Iran) in Dec-12.

 

They bought it in Nov-13 as EP-MNK. It was transferred to Iran Aseman Airlines and re-registered EP-APE in Nov-14. The aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Tehran in Apr-17. It didn't return to service and is thought to be permanently retired. Updated 06-Oct-24.

Completed in 1961 for a cost of £900,000, this modern Cathedral is undergoing a £9m renovation. "Exorcising the asbestos" as someone said, to replace the discoloured plaster overhead which contained asbestos thought to enhance the acoustics. Work will finish next Spring

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 25-Jul-24.

 

Named: "St. Ronan / Ronan".

 

This aircraft was delivered to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation and leased to Aer Lingus as EI-CDH in Apr-92. It operated Aer Lingus' last Boeing 737-500 service at the end of Oct-05.

 

It was returned to the lessor in Jan-06 and leased to Pulkovo Airlines (Russia), still as EI-CDH, the same day. The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Dec-08 and stored at Southend, UK.

 

Pulkovo Airlines was re-named Rossiya - Russian Airlines and the aircraft was re-leased to them in May-09. It was returned to the lessor in Nov-12 and stored at Vilnius, Lithuania.

 

In Jan-13 it was sold to AviaAm Leasing as LY-AYZ (Lithuania) and remained stored. It was leased to SCAT Airlines (Kazakhstan) in Jun-13, still as LY-AYZ. The aircraft was re-registered UN-B3724 in Aug-18. After 32 years in service it was permanently retired at Almaty, Kazakhstan in Jan-24. Updated 25-Jul-24.

Replacing an earlier scanned 6"x4" print with a better version 03-Oct-21 (DeNoide AI). Taken through glass with some bad reflections.

 

First flown in Nov-88 with the Boeing test registration N1791B.

It had been ordered by the GPA Group (later to become part of GECAS) for lease to Istanbul Airlines. The lease was cancelled and the aircraft remained parked at Seattle-Boeing Field.

 

It was leased to BMA British Midland Airways as G-OBMG at the end of Mar-89. The aircraft was returned to the lessor at the end of Mar-99 and leased to Travel Service Airlines (Czech Republic) as OK-TVR the following day.

 

It was wet-leased to Jordan Aviation between Oct-00/Apr-01, and again between Feb/Jul-02. The aircraft was wet-leased to flyGlobespan.com (UK) between Mar/Oct-05.

 

In Jan-06 it was due to be leased to Air Class Airways (Spain) as EC-JQA. It was ferried to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, but the lease was cancelled and the aircraft was parked at Las Palmas until it finally returned to Travel Service in late Mar-06.. It was returned to the lessor in Feb-07.

 

At the end of Feb-07 the aircraft was leased to Hola Airlines (Spain) as EC-KBO. It was wet-leased to Olympic Airlines between Mar/Oct-07 and to Pyrenair (Spain) between Mar/May-08. Hola operated many short-term wet-leases for other airlines until the aircraft was repossessed by the lessor as N870AG in Feb-10. Hola ceased operations five days later.

 

In late May-10 the aircraft was leased to Safair (South Africa) as ZS-SPA for the southern hemisphere winter season, it returned to the lessor as N870AG in Oct-10 and was immediately leased to SkyKing (USA).

 

In mid Jan-12 the aircraft was operated on behalf of Direct Air, based in Florida, USA (a seat sales agency with no AOC or aircraft of their own). It was a shambles and ceased operations in mid Mar-12, almost taking SkyKing down with them.

 

The aircraft was returned to the lessor and stored at Miami, FL, USA before being leased to SkyKing again in Feb-13. They finally ceased operations at the end of Jan-14 when the aircraft again returned to the lessor and was stored at Miami.

 

In Aug-14 it was leased to Grand Cru Airlines (Lithuania) as LY-CGC. It was wet-leased to Ellinair (Greece) between Jun/Oct-16. At the end of Oct-16 Grand Cru was renamed GetJet Airlines. The aircraft was wet-leased to Tunisair (Tunisia) between Apr/Jun-17 and wet-leased to Ellinair again between Jun/Oct-17. The aircraft was permanently retired at Vilnius, Lithuania in Sep-18 after 30 years in service. It was broken up there in Jan-20. Updated 03-Oct-21.

St Mary Star of the Sea was built in 1891-1900 to replace an earlier church built in 1854. The new building was designed by the architect Edgar Henderson and the contract was awarded in September 1891 to C W Crompton. The 1890s depression and lack of funds slowed work considerably and in 1896, with the walls still incomplete, Henderson left Victoria for Western Australia. He was replaced by the architect Phillip Kennedy who made a number of alterations to Henderson's design, and is credited with the final design of the roof and the interior. In 1897 the spire was eliminated from the design due to financial problems. In 1898 the specifications were accepted for a new pipe organ, a huge electric-powered three manual instrument by Fincham & Hobday. Windows were commissioned from the leading manufacturers in England, Germany and Australia. The church was officially opened on 18 February 1900 by Cardinal-Archbishop Moran of Sydney. The fixtures and fittings were supplied by some of the most highly-regarded artists and furnishers in Melbourne and beyond. With the completion of the new church the old one was used as a school. A new boys' school designed by the architects Kempson & Conolly was built on Howard Street in 1910, and three years later the old church was demolished and a girls' school designed by the same architects was completed in 1914 on the Chetwynd Street corner. The old denominational school south of the old church was converted into clubrooms (now demolished and replaced by a new school building). Further decoration of the interior took place in the inter-war period and in the 1920s the original timber altars were replaced by altars of Italian marble. The building and interiors underwent major restoration works in the early twenty-first century. .

The St Mary Star of the Sea complex includes the church, the presbytery, and the boys' and girls' schools. The church is a Latin Cross plan French Gothic style building of brick faced with random coursed sandstone on a bluestone plinth, with limestone dressings, a slate roof and an incomplete tower on the north-east corner. The slate roof is embellished with a series of dormer vents, fabricated from sheet zinc. At the centre of the roof is a polygonal fleche of pressed zinc on timber framing, with louvred vents on the sides and surmounted by a tapering conical spire. The colonettes flanking the window and door openings are of polished red Aberdeen granite. The total length of the building is 175 ft. (54 m) and the height of the roof ridge is 75 ft. 23m). The interiors are opulently decorated, with a strong Italian Baroque influence. The nave is painted pink and there is extensive use of high-quality building stone such as Swedish red granite in the nave columns, Carrara white marble for the transept piers and Pyrenean rose marble for the chapel columns. This is further enhanced by the reflective finishes of the mosaic-tiled sanctuary floor, the brass altar rails, the scagliola (imitation marble) of the colonettes and the polished timber, especially in the distinctive two-toned groined ceiling. The ceiling is lined with timber panelling, and painted statues of angels blowing trumpets stand on the hammerbeams. The church retains much original furniture and fittings, including its pews (1900), elaborate marble altars (1925-7) and font (1900), a fine set of Stations of the Cross by Peter Hansen (1901), a Mission Cross by James Curtin (1891), a Bishop's throne made for Daniel Mannix in 1913, and several notable stained glass windows made by prominent local and overseas craftsmen. .

The Fincham organ in the gallery is a large three manual organ with richly gilded and decorated pipes arranged on either side of a large stained glass window, possibly by Brooks Robinson & Co, and with a fine blackwood console. The presbytery is a symmetrical two storey rendered building with a slate roof, and a two storey cast iron verandah with unusual round-arched flying buttresses supporting the walls. The boys' school is a two storey symmetrical rendered Free Classical style building with a slate roof and with twin gabled parapets on the front elevation. The front facade of the girls' school has a very similar composition, but is of face brick with rendered dressings and has Gothic arched openings..

.

St Mary Star of the Sea is historically significant as Melbourne's largest parish church and as one of the most costly parish churches built in Australia, a reflection of the spirit of the substantial Catholic population, predominantly of Irish extraction, of the area in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that helped fund its construction..

St Mary Star of the Sea is architecturally significant as unusual example of a church in the French Gothic style, and as a major example of the work of the distinguished architects Edgar Henderson, a Catholic architect who later achieved considerable success and renown as a designer of Catholic churches, schools and convents in Western Australia, and Phillip Kennedy. The complex includes an interesting presbytery designed by William Wardell and altered by Reed & Barnes and two early twentieth century school buildings by Kempson & Connolly..

St Mary Star of the sea is of aesthetic significance for its opulent interior, with imposing marble and granite pillars, an unusual timber ceiling, thought to be unique in Victoria, intricate marble fittings, especially the marble altars and font, Stations of the Cross by Peter Hansen and an oak mission cross by James Curtin. The magnificent stained glass windows are by prominent local and European makers, such as William Montgomery, Hardman & Company of London and Franz Mayer & Company of Germany.

The Fincham pipe organ is historically and technologically significant as the largest example of nineteenth century indigenous organ building in Australia to remain essentially unaltered. It is the most intact surviving example of the work of the prominent organ builder George Fincham and was the last organ completed by Fincham himself. It one of a very small number of surviving three-manual Fincham organs, and is believed to be the second largest organ, after that in the Sydney Town Hall, to retain a tubular-pneumatic key and action stop..

St Mary Star of the Sea is socially significant for its important role in the lives of the Roman Catholic community of Melbourne..

 

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 07-Oct-16, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 20-May-25.

 

Named: "Deanie". Fleet No: "603".

 

This aircraft was delivered to Lufthansa as D-ADBO, a standard DC-10-30, in Jan-74 and was operated for 16 years until it was sold to Aircraft Trading and Services in Dec-90.

 

It was due to be leased to Zambia Airways as 9J-AFN but due to financing problems the lease never took place and the aircraft was stored at Frankfurt, Germany.

 

In Jul-91 it was bought back by Lufthansa and returned to service until it was withdrawn from use and stored at Marana, AZ, USA in May-93.

 

The aircraft was sold to Gemini Air Cargo in Nov-95 and remained stored until it was converted to freighter configuration with a main deck cargo door in May-96.

 

It was wet-leased to Sun Country Airlines in May-96, returning to Gemini Air Cargo in Oct-96. The aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Mojave, CA, USA in Dec-01. It was broken up at Mojave in Jan-06.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 25-Mar-18, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 07-Feb-24.

 

This aircraft was delivered to a lessor and leased to German Wings as D-AGWD in May-89. It was repossessed by the lessor in May-90 and stored at Bremen-Lemwerder (now closed).

 

It was sold to the Cirrus Capital Corporation as N848CP in Oct-90 and remained stored until it was leased to ZAS Airline of Egypt as SU-DAM in May-91.

 

The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Dec-94 and was leased to Allegro Airlines (Mexico) as XA-SWW in Jan-95. It was returned to the lessor in Jul-98 and sold to AeroMexico the same day.

 

AeroMexico sold it to Pegasus Aviation Inc in Dec-98 and leased it back. It was returned to the lessor in Apr-07 as N814PG and leased to EuroAir (Greece) as SX-BEU the following month.

 

It was withdrawn from service and stored at Malmo, Sweden in Oct-08 before being repossessed and re-registered N848SH in Feb-09.

 

It remained in storage until it was leased to AeroMexico and sub-leased to their 'low-cost' subsidiary AeroMexico Travel in Jul-10 (still as N848SH). It returned to the lessor in May-12 and was stored at Opa Locka, FL, USA.

 

The aircraft was sold to ASERCA Airlines (Venezuela) as YV539T in Mar-13 and it was permanently retired at Caracas, Venezuela in Sep-16 after 27.5 years in service.

Replacing an earlier scanned print with a better version 18-Nov-18.

 

Taken through glass from the old Emirates offices in the Control Tower Block Extension.

 

This aircraft was delivered to CSA Czechoslovak Airlines as OK-OBL in Nov-84. It was leased to Air Moravia in Dec-91 and returned to CSA in Jun-92 (presumably why it has no titles in my photo). The aircraft operated CSA's last IL-62 flight in Oct-94 and was stored at Prague. It was sold to Bemoair in Apr-96 and sold to Egretta in May-97. The aircraft was leased to Air Cess (based at Sharjah, UAE) in May-98. It was sold to Yana Air as XU-229 (Cambodia) in Jan-99 and operated out of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE with additional Sin-Sad titles. It was stored at Ras Al Khaimah in mid 2001 and broken up there in Oct-06.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 02-Dec-23

 

Team Lufthansa operated by Augsburg Airways.

 

First flown with the Bombardier test registration C-GFBW, this aircraft was delivered to Augsburg Airways in Dec-00. It started operations on behalf of Team Lufthansa as D-ADHA at the start of Jan-01.

 

Team Lufthansa was renamed Lufthansa Regional in Oct-03.

On 21-Sep-07 the aircraft made an emergency landing at Munich, Germany with the nose gear retracted. It was repaired and returned to service in mid Nov-07.

 

After 17 years of Augsburg Airways operating for Lufthansa, their contract was terminated at the end of Sep-13 and the aircraft was returned to Augsburg Airways in early Oct-13 and stored at Maastricht, Netherlands.

 

As Augsburg had operated solely for Lufthansa they had no other contracted flying. The company closed down at the end of Oct-13 and the aircraft was returned to Bombardier.

 

In Dec-13 it was sold to DR PPJ Aircraft Leasing (Canada) as C-FGNJ and leased to North Cariboo Airlines in Jan-14. The aircraft was ferried to Greenwood, MS, USA in Sep-15 and permanently retired. It was noted at Greenwood in early Oct-15 without engines, doors or registration. It was broken up by the end of Oct-15.

ISS036-E-018008 (12 July 2013) --- European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, Expedition 36 flight engineer, removes and replaces the particulate filter for the Water Pump Assembly 2 (WPA2) in Tranquility (also called Node 3) on the International Space Station.

Soon to be replaced on Megabus work by the new Volvo 9700DD coaches, Stagecoach Western Plaxton Panorama bodied Volvo B11RLET 50408 (YX69LCG) is seen here turning onto North Hanover Street, Glasgow working the M11 to London.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 11-Aug-19, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 29-Dec-24.

 

Fleet No: "1612".

 

This aircraft was delivered to Delta Air Lines as N1612T in May-01. It was fitted with blended winglets in Apr-09. It was withdrawn from service and stored at Victorville, CA, USA in Mar-20 as a consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

 

In Jan-21 the aircraft was sold to Amazon Services LLC and ferried to Mexico City to await cargo conversion. It was re-registered N617AZ in Feb-22 and freighter conversion with a main deck cargo door was completed in Jun-22.

 

The aircraft was ferried to Wilmington, OH, USA in Jul-22 and leased to ATI - Air Transport International in Aug-22. It's operated by ATI on behalf of Amazon Prime Air. Current, updated 29-Dec-24.

I bought this Acctim Radio-controlled clock from Robert Dyas. I could not get it to show anywhere near the correct time after several attempts - resetting it, leaving it to pick up a signal overnight, changing the battery, and switching it to a manual quartz clock and then back again. It was obviously picking up a radio signal but on each occasion that the hands stopped moving the time was several hours out.

 

I was about to return it to Robert Dyas when I decided to phone the manufacturers. The switchboard immediately told me that what you have to do is take out the battery, put it back the WRONG way round, leave it a few seconds, and then replace it the correct way round.

 

I tried this somewhat bizarre solution and the clock immediately worked perfectly. If this solution is so well known to the manufacturers that even the switchboard know of it, why can it not be included in the instructions?

Some background:

The G.91Y was an increased-performance version of the Fiat G.91 funded by the Italian government. Based on the G.91T two-seat trainer variant, the single Bristol Orpheus turbojet engine of this aircraft was replaced by two afterburning General Electric J85 turbojets which increased thrust by 60% over the single-engined variant. Structural modifications to reduce airframe weight increased performance further and an additional fuel tank occupying the space of the G.91T's rear seat provided extra range. Combat manoeuvrability was improved with the addition of automatic leading edge slats.

 

The avionics equipment of the G.91Y was considerably upgraded with many of the American, British and Canadian systems being licence-manufactured in Italy.

 

Flight testing of three pre-production aircraft was successful, with one aircraft reaching a maximum speed of Mach 0.98. Airframe buffeting was noted and was rectified in production aircraft by raising the position of the tailplane slightly.

 

An initial order of 55 aircraft for the Italian Air Force was completed by Fiat in March 1971, by which time the company had changed its name to Aeritalia (from 1969, when Fiat aviazione joined the Aerfer). The order was increased to 75 aircraft with 67 eventually being delivered. In fact, the development of the new G.91Y was quite long, and the first order was for about 20 pre-series examples that followed the two prototypes. The first pre-series 'Yankee' (the nickname of the new aircraft) flew in July 1968.

 

AMI (Italian Air Force) placed orders for two batches, 35 fighters followed by another 20, later cut to ten. The last one was delivered around mid 1976, so the total was two prototypes, 20 pre-series and 45 series aircraft. No export success followed. These aircraft served with 101° Gruppo/8° Stormo (Cervia-S.Giorgio) from 1970, and later, from 1974, they served with the 13° Gruppo/32° Stormo (Brindisi).

 

Those 'Gruppi' (Italian equivalent of British 'squadrons', usually equipped with 18 aircraft) lasted until the early '90s, as the only ones equipped with the 'Yankee', using them as attack/recce machines, both over ground and sea, until the AMX replaced them. All in all, Italy operated 65 Fiat G.91Ys until 1994.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: one

Length: 11.67 m (38 ft 3.5 in)

Wingspan: 9.01 m (29 ft 6.5 in)

Height: 4.43 m (14 ft 6.3 in)

Wing area: 18.13 m² (195.149 ft²)

Empty weight: 3,900 kg (8,598 lb)

Loaded weight: 7,800 kg (17,196 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 8,700 kg (19,180 lb)

Powerplant:

2 × General Electric J85-GE-13A turbojets, 18.15 kN (4,080 lbf) each

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,110 km/h (600 kn, 690 mph. (Mach 0.95 at 10,000 m (33,000 ft)

Range: 3,400 km (ferry range with droptanks) (2,110 mls)

Service ceiling: 12,500 m (41,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 86.36 m/s (17,000 ft/min)

Wing loading: 480 kg/m² (98.3 lb/ft² (maximum)

Thrust/weight: 0.47 at maximum loading

 

Armament:

2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA cannons

4× under-wing pylon stations with a capacity of 1,814 kg (4,000 lb)

  

The kit and its assembly:

A real world model, and IMHO one of the nicest special paint schemes I've come across because it's so simple. For its 70th anniversary in 1987, the Italian Air Force's 13° Gruppo turned one of its 32° Stormo G.91Y fighter bombers (as far as I could tell it's 32-13, confirmed by a small code number on the frontal landing gear cover) into a fill-fledged shark, taking the squadron's markings (a classic shark mouth on the aircraft's nose) literally to full scale.

 

But instead of adding lots of glitter and colors, the scheme remained very simple - a black shark on a white background, with minimal markings and stencils. I've already built this aircraft many years ago when I saw it in a print magazine in 1988 or so (remember - there was no internet at that time!), but I had the plan to re-create it on the basis of more and better photo footage.

 

Said and done, I dug a Matchbox G.91Y out of the pile and started. The kit is pretty simple, and in this case the fit of the fuselage halves was questionable, calling for massive PSR along the seams. In some areas the kit is really primitive, so I made some minor cosmetic mods:

 

The cockpit "tub" with an integrated seat is a clumsy joke and was replaced by a cockpit floor with side consoles from a Revell G.91. The seat comes from a Matchbox Gnat trainer and was pimped with ejection handles made from thin wire.

 

The kit's landing gear is rather simple, too, but I took it OOB since noone would later look into the wells.

 

The jet exhausts were drilled open (OOB these are just blank covers, only 0.5 mm deep!) and inside some afterburners were simulated.

 

The molded guns were cut away, to be later replaced with free-standing hollow steel needles. In order to add some more exterior detail I also scratched the thin protector frames around the nozzles with thin wire.

 

Finally, the drop tanks were replaced by F-86 alternatives with end plate fins, which were typically carried by Italian G.91s, including the anniversary G.91Y (as confirmed by photo footage).

  

Painting and markings:

I must admit that the paint scheme is, to a certain degree, the result of a guessing game, because any shots I found are profiles views, even in flight! Some details, like the black fins on the wings and the stabilizers could be deduced from the material at hand, but I have no idea how the wings' undersides look like. I think that they remained all-white, just like the aircraft's belly - at least that's what the information I have suggest.

 

And even though the two-tone paint scheme is rather simple it's still challenging - esp. because I do not use an airbrush. As a consequence, I had to improvise with the means at hand, which meant a basic coat of acrylic white (actually an off-white Volkswagen car color called "Grauweiss") from the rattle can with the shark added on top of that with matt black (in this case from Modelmaster). This is not the smartest way to create the scheme, but I wanted to avoid tedious multi-layers of uneven, brushed white. Horror... :-(

 

Anyway, the white basic layer ended up thicker than I expected (the paint turned out to be a bit pastous due to age), but the black shark would cover many problem zones, anyway. Painting was done free-handedly, the only masking was used on the canopy during the white base spraying.

 

The finish was not perfect, but I did not want a "uniform" aircraft, anyway, since most of the aircraft's pictures show it in a used state and not as a pristine museum piece. After a black ink wash (in order to emphasize surface details) the final blemisches were covered under some post-shading and dry-brushing with various shades of black, very dark grey and white that would add some more structure to the hull.

 

The few markings of this aircraft were taken from the OOB sheet. Since I was not able to find pictures that show it from above or below. I guesstimated the warning stencils on the wings.

 

The drop tanks became all-white and the "70 anni" slogan on the outer flanks was created with single, black 3mm letters from TL Modellbau.

 

Finally the kit was sealed with rather matt varnish, a mix of matt and semi-gloss Italeri acyrlic varnish in a 4:1 ratio. Apparently, 32-13 had been painted in a rather dull finish, despite carrying an anniversary scheme.

  

Well, I am not 100% happy with the result, I had hoped for a better, sharper finish. But it's an improvement when compared to my first attempt to build this machine 30 years ago, and I still find this simple anniversary to be very stylish and elegant, since it goes so well with the G.91Y's lines.

 

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The Israel Aircraft Industries Nesher (Hebrew: נשר, "Vulture" - often mistranslated as "Eagle") is the Israeli version of the Dassault Mirage 5 multi-role fighter aircraft. Most were later sold to the Argentine Air Force as Daggers, and later upgraded as Fingers.

 

Israel had to replace more than 60 aircraft lost during the Six Day War and the War of Attrition which followed. Before the war, Israel began co-development with Dassault to build the Mirage 5 and it was eventually built by Israel and named Raam in Hebrew (thunder).

 

Dassault Aviation had developed the Mirage 5 at the request of the Israelis, who were the main foreign customers of the Mirage III. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) wanted the next version to have less all-weather capability in exchange for improved ordnance carrying capacity and range as the weather in the Middle East is mostly clear.

 

In January 1969, the French government arms embargo on Israel (in response to the 1968 Israeli raid on Lebanon) prevented the first 30 Mirage 5 aircraft (which were already paid for by Israel) plus optional 20 from being delivered and cut off support for the existing Mirage IIICJ fleet.

 

This was a setback for the Israeli Air Force, who needed the new Mirage to compensate for the losses of the Six Day War and was still using the Mirage IIIC. Israel then decided to produce the (Raam A and B project)[1] airframes as it had the necessary plans, although Israel did not officially obtain a manufacturing license.

 

Officially, Israel built the aircraft after obtaining a complete set of drawings. However, some sources claim Israel received 50 Mirage 5s in crates from the French Air Force (AdA), while the AdA took over the 50 aircraft originally intended for Israel.

 

Production began in 1969[5] with the first empty airframes with no weapons, electronics, seat, or engine included, delivered directly from Dassault Aviation. The first Raam A was delivered in May, 1971. In November, 1971 the plane was renamed Nesher.

 

The Neshers' airframe was identical to the Mirage 5, but there was an extensive refitting of Israeli avionics, a Martin-Baker zero-zero ejection seat, and improved provisions for a wider range of AAMs (Air-to-Air Missiles), including the Israeli Shafrir heat-seeking missile.The Nesher had simpler avionics than the Mirage IIIC but was slightly less maneuverable. However, it had longer range and bigger payload. The reduced maneuverability did not prevent the Nesher from performing well in air combat during the Yom Kippur war (see below).

 

The first Nesher prototype flew in September 1969, with production deliveries to the IAF beginning in May 1971 at Hatzor in May of 1971, with veteran test pilot Danny Shapira at the controls. In the months that followed, additional Nesher planes equipped this squadron, making up for the insufficient number of Mirage IIIs and raising the number of serviceable planes in the squadron. When the rate of production picked up at the Nesher assembly line at IAI, two new squadrons could be established, based solely on the Neshers. The first new squadron inaugurated 'Etzion Airbase at 'Bik'at Hayareakh' ('Valley of the Moon') near Eilat, in September of 1972, and the second was founded in March of 1973 at Hatzor.

 

When the Yom Kippur War broke out, in October of 1973, the IAF had 40 Nesher planes in its ranks, serving in the First Combat Squadron and in the two new squadrons.

Although they were originally intended for attack missions, in the course of the war the Neshers were primarily used in air-to-air combat. The IAF command decided to use the Phantoms, Skyhawks and Sa'ars against ground targets, and assigned the Mirages and Neshers the task of fighting enemy aircraft and establishing air superiority over the battle zones.

 

The Neshers proved to be good fighters and overcame their adversaries (MiGs and Sukhois) with relative ease. The first aerial victory of a Nesher took place on January 8, 1973, when 4 Neshers from the "First Fighter" squadron escorted F-4 Phantoms into Syria to attack a terrorist base. In an engagement with Syrian MiG-21s, 6 MiGs were shot down, two by the Neshers.

 

Neshers also took part in the Yom Kippur conflict later that year. One of the first air victoriy of the war was not an aircraft but an AS-5 Kelt air to ground missile launched against Tel-Aviv by an Egyptian Tu-16 Badger on the first day of the war, October 6th, 1973.

When Libyan Mirage 5s entered the fighting all Israeli Mirages and Neshers were marked with large yellow triangles bordered by a thick black frame to prevent a case of mistaken identity. At least two Mirage 5s were shot down by Neshers, as well as an Israeli Phantom shot down by mistake, the navigator and the pilot, a former Nesher squadron commander, parachuting to safety.

 

According to the statistics published after the war, there were 117 dogfights in the course of the Yom Kippur War (65 over Syria and 52 over Egypt). 227 enemy planes were shot down in these confrontations, and only six Israeli planes were shot down (they had been on interception missions, and were either hit by cannon fire or by sirface-to-air missiles). The Nesher squadron from Etzion was one of the leading squadrons, tallying 42 kills without a single plane lost.

 

The Neshers did not just go out on interception missions: they also carried out several attack sorties in the Golan Heights and on the southern front. The action was intense, with every pilot carrying out numerous sorties every day.

 

The war proved just how vital the Nesher's reinforcement of the IAF's order of battle had been, and convinced the defense community of the importance of continuing to develop fighters in the IAI. In 1975 the first Kfirs entered service, and the Nesher was gradually relegated to a less central role. All the Neshers were concentrated in two squadrons, and were transferred - in late 1976 - to Eitam Airbase, whicch had been newly dedicated in the northern Sinai.

 

Nesher production ended in February 1974 after fifty-one fighters (Nesher S) and ten Nesher two-seat trainers (Nesher T), and the type did not serve long with the IAF. In the late 70's there were already enough Kfirs in the IAF for completely replacing the Mirages and Neshers.

 

The Kfir was a significantly more advanced plane than the Nesher, boasting better performance as well as more sophisticated systems, and upgrading the Neshers was not deemed to be a worthwhile investment.

In 1981, the Kfir had supplanted the Nesher in Heyl Ha'avir, and the Neshers were renovated, for sale overseas. Neshers were sold to the Argentine Air Force in two batches, 26 in 1978 and 13 in 1980, under the name Dagger, comprising 35 Dagger A single-seat fighters and four Dagger B two-seat trainers. The Daggers then saw much action against the British in the Falklands War.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: one

Length incl. pitot: 15.65m (51 ft 3 in)

Wingspan: 8.22m (26 ft 11 in)

Height: 4.25m (13 ft 11 in)

Wing area: 34.8m² (373 sq. ft)

Empty weight: 6,600kg (14,535 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 13,500kg (29,735 lb)

 

Powerplant:

SNECMA Atar 09 engine with 4,280 kg (9,430 lbf)dry thrust

and 6,200 kg (13,660 lbf) with afterburner

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: mach 2.1 (39,370ft)

Range: 1,300km (810 ml), clean and with internal fuel only

1,186km (736 ml) with 4700 litres of auxiliary fuel in drop tanks

plus 2 Air to Air missiles and 2600 lb of bombs

Service ceiling: 17,680 (55,775ft)

Rate of climb: 16,400ft/min (83.5 m/s)

 

Armament:

2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 552 cannons with 125 rounds per gun under the air intakes

Five pylons for a wide range of up to 4.200kg (9,250 lb) of disposable stores

 

The kit and its assembly:

This short notice build towards the end of the 2016 "Cold War GB" at whatifmodelers.com was inspired by a CG rendition of an IAF F-4 in the unique brown/blue paint scheme, posted by fellow user SPINNERS a couple of days before. Seeing that design variant I wondered how a Kfir in this livery would look like...?

 

I had a C-2 Kfir in the stash, but also stumbled across a Heller Mirage IIIE/R/5BA kit without a real purpose in the stash and remembered the Kfir's predecessor, the Nesher, which was more or less a bluntly copied Mirage 5. Since the type was earlier and more appropriate for the brown/blue livery, I decided to convert the Heller Mirage into a Nesher, since it comes pretty close.

 

The Heller kit is old and rather basic by today's standards. You get fine but raised panel lines, only a rough interior, mediocre fit and a brittle plastic that catches scratches and dents when you only look at it.

 

Anyway, creating a Nesher from the Heller kit is not really complicated. Two major mods have to be made: the fin has to be enlarged or replaced, and the nose needs a special pitot installation.

 

The Nesher carried the bigger Mirage III/5 fin, and the Heller kit only bears the short version. Since I had a donation PM Model Nesher/Dagger kit in store (horrible kit, it rather resembles a mutated Mirage III but neither the israeli nor the Argentinian aircraft!) I just transplanted the fin. This appeared easier than adding a fin fillet, and having just the right donation part at hand made the decision even easier. :D

 

The nose is the Mirage 5's, but the tip was slightly modified and the pitot needed a separate fairing/attachment under the nose tip. The latter was created from a piece of round styrene and blended with the lower front fuselage.

 

After the major body work was done, some antennae/sensors were replaced or added, a Panzer IV’s sprocket wheel as an afterburner interior (just to have something inside the gaping exhaust hole) as well as launch rails under the outer wings for a pair of Shafrir-2s. The sleek drop tanks come OOB from the Heller kit – it only offers a pair of bigger tanks with fins, but no offensive ordnance at all.

In the cockpit I used a Martin Baker ejection seat from an Italeri Kfir, a slightly better option than the OOB part.

  

Painting and markings:

This is the actual whif aspect about this build, which is just the fictional application of a real world IAF scheme that was in use about 10 years before the Yom Kippur War. In real life the Nesher just came too late to carry the murky brown/blue pattern, because it was phased out in 1967, after the Six Days War. But putting it onto a more modern aircraft creates interesting results!

 

The scheme is based upon the original grey/green French pattern, just with the colors replaced with RAL 8000 (Grüngrau) or Field Drab (FS 30215) and RAL 5008 (Graublau), the authentic upper surface tones for this strange camouflage.

 

I’ve already built a (real world) IAF Ouragan in this style, so I had some practice and good references at hand. Model Master 1702 (alternatively: Humbrol 142) is a good option for the brown/tan tone, even though it is a bit too dark for my taste. "Israeli Armor Grey" from ModelMaster is a more approriate tone - it's lighter and actually an equivalent for RAL 8000, which is also used on Israeli tanks!

 

For the greyish-green dark blue I used Humbrol 77 (Navy Blue) which comes IMHO close. The undersides were painted in a pale grey, I used FS 36440 (Light Gull Grey, Humbrol 129 in this case). Some sources claim it to be RAL 7044 (Seidengrau), but the FS tone is practically identical.

 

All Neshers (even in later Argentinian service) had their nose painted black. There was no radar oder radome fitted, it was rather a deception in order to make enemies confuse the simple ground attack Neshers with the more potent (and radar-equipped) Mirage IIIs.

 

The kit received a light black ink wash and some dry-brushing for panel emphasis. The decals come mostly from the PM Model Nesher, including the large, yellow Yom Kippur War ID triangles which create a powerful contrast on the dark underground. Interesting result!

 

Anyway, while the decals might be the best thing about the PM kit, they have thier drawbacks, too. While they are 100% opaque the carrier film is thick, stiff and brittle, and they do not adhere well to the underground, despite decals softener and other tricks. :(

 

As a small detail I put the aircraft's tactical code on a silver background, as if the aircraft had originally been bare metal with the camouflage rather hastily applied. Since I had no IAF squadron markings left I added a yellow/black checkerboard pattern to the fin's rudder - the marking of the 113 Tayaset "Ha'Tsira'a (The Wasps), which actually operated the Nesher in the Yom Kippur conflict, just with a different camouflage.

 

Finally, the kit received some smoke/exhaust marks with graphite and was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish. To make matters worse, the Revell varnish turned white, so I had to repair that damage as good as I could, and the finish now is far from what I had originally hoped for, despite the general troubles with the PM Model kit's decals.

  

A rather subtle whif, and even the aircraft itself is real (or at least a "realistic" model replica). Anyway, the paint scheme application changes things considerably, and the model ended - with the ID trinagles and the other bright markings - more colorful than expected. But the finish ended up rather poor, so that I am a bit disappointed.

Besides, a highly recommended source for this aircraft is Amos Dor's "IAI Nesher (From Mirage to Kfir, pt. 2 of 3)" book from "The IAI Aircraft Series", AD Graphics/Milano, 2000. All the other publications from this series of books are also generally recommended for any IAF builds.

Photographed in Spithead on the afternoon 5 June 1994 as part of the line up for the Fleet Review to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings. Photograph taken during the review and all the speed boats dashing about

 

She was completed 1960 in Oskarshamn, Sweden. Her orderer was the Rettig's Bore Company. She was the first ship being capable to carry vehicles, about 50 cars, on her route Turku - Stockholm. Originally she was s/s Bore, but later her 4000 HP steam engines were changed to diesel engines.

Her length is 99,8 m, breadth 15,3 m and depth 5,3 m.

She was sold in 1977 to the Jakob Lines, was renamed Borea and her route was Pietarsaari - Skellefteå at Gulf of Bothnia.

Since 1984 she had several owners and duties until she was 1987 sold to the Rannikkolinjat Company - since 1990 Kristina Cruises - painted blue & white and as the flagship of the company made several cruisings at the Baltic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean and so on. She was retired in 2010. Her fate was unclear, but now she seems to become a restaurant and hotel by Aurajoki River in her original livery.

SS Bore was built at the Oskarshamn shipyard in Oskarshamn, Sweden as the last steamship to be built in the Nordic Countries. On 5 April 1960 she was delivered to the Finnish Bore Steamship Company, who were at the time collaborating with Finland Steamship Company and Rederi AB Svea (this collaboration gave birth to Silja Line in 1970). She was initially placed on the route Turku — Mariehamn — Stockholm, although she was often used on the Helsinki — Stockholm route as well.

In 1972 the ship was rebuilt with additional cabins. She ended service with Silja Line in September 1976, after which she was laid up in Stockholm until October 1977 when she was sold to Jakob Lines, a company which Bore Steamship owned a large share. She was renovated and renamed SS Borea. In 1978, the Borea started operating between Jakobstad and Skellefteå. Generally Jakob Lines only operated her during the summer months, the rest of the year was spent either laid up or occasionally chartered to other companies.

 

Jakob Lines sold the ship in 1984 to Finnish Aura Line who used her to restart steamship traffic from Turku to Stockholm as a tourist venture. Borea started traffic for Aura Line in June 1984, but in October of the same year Aura Line was declared bankrupt.

The ship spent another year laid up, until she was sold to a Canadian businessman who planned to convert her to a luxury cruise ship. The plan was never carried out, and the ship continued to be laid up in Turku until January 1987 when Rannikkolinjat, a Finnish company later known as Kristina Cruises, purchased her.

  

Kristina Regina entering Piraeus harbor and the ship was extensively rebuilt as a cruise ship, her steam engines switched to diesel ones and she was renamed MS Kristina Regina.

In 1988, Kristina Regina was placed on cruise traffic from Finland mostly to destinations along the Gulf of Finland, but later also destinations in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and Africa's west coast.

 

In her current construction the Kristina Regina does not fulfill the requirements of the SOLAS 2010 regulations, and as a result she will be withdrawn from international cruise service in 2010, being replaced by the much larger Kristina Katarina.

 

Details: Wikipedia.

This replaces an earlier image of the same vehicle. The Ayreshire Bus Owners (A1 Service) cooperative was exclusively a single-deck operation in its formative years, with the Albion Victor becoming the most common type by the mid-1930s. Like many hard-pressed operators, it received several examples of the utility-bodied Bedford OWB during the Second World War. Many were bodied by Scottish Motor Traction (SMT) to the standard Duple design. Generally disliked, they were replaced as soon as normal supplies resumed. The first double-deckers arrived in the late 1940s and, by agreement amongst the members, the fleet had become exclusively double-deck by the late 1950s (although some members operated coaches on private hire work) - a situation that continued until the mid-1970s (updated 11-Feb-17).

 

All rights reserved. Not to be posted on Facebook or anywhere else without my prior written permission. Please follow the link below for additional information about my Flickr images:

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7....

Title: New Leeds Estate, Mount Waverley.

Published: Melbourne : H. P. Knight & Co., 1951.

 

The Lot 14 house is at 85 Headingley Road. See on Google Street View.

 

The house at Lot 20 was at 117 Leeds Road. It has been demolished and replaced by a two storey dwelling:

see on Google Street View.

 

Contents:

Gordon Road -- Lechte Road -- High Street -- Leeds Road.

 

Subjects:

Auctions -- Australia -- Victoria -- Mount Waverley -- Maps.

Real property -- Australia -- Victoria -- Mount Waverley -- Maps.

Mount Waverley (Vic.) -- Maps.

Cadastral maps.

 

Copyright in this material has expired. The work is in the public domain and can be used for any purpose. Please acknowledge the University of Melbourne Library as the source of this material.

 

Source: Maps, Archives and Special Collections, University of Melbourne

Local series: Auctioneers' plans, Melbourne and suburbs

 

Link: hdl.handle.net/11343/293612

POPULATION 1841 405 / 1851 695 / 1861 1,701 / 1871 5,896 / 1881 16,859 / 1891 59,762 /

1911 78,674 / 1921 91,761 / 1931 116,803 / 1939 144,451 / 1951 154,956 / 1961 155,620 /

1971 153,425 / 1981 144,803 / 1991 151,303 / 2001 163,444

 

This image was taken from the centre of The Square looking over towards Old Christchurch Rd and Gervis Place.

 

Place your cursor over parts of the image to reveal further information.

  

A very potted history of The Square.........

 

The Square is where seven roads leading to and from all parts of the borough converge. Although not geographically at the centre of town it is at the heart of what is known as the Town Centre.

The seven roads are.....Old Christchurch Rd ,Gervis Place, Exeter Rd, Commercial Rd, Avenue Rd, Bourne Ave and Richmond Hill.

 

Two hundred years ago and beyond it was the point at which the Bourne stream was crossed, by way of a ford, by those travelling over the unspoilt heath that lay between Christchurch and Poole.

The area was frequented by smugglers who carried out their illegal goings on along this isolated section of coast through much of the 1700s and early 1800s.

From the mid 1700s a small property, Bourne House / Decoy Pond Cottage stood where Debenhams now stands, with an associated decoy pond, used for hunting and trapping wildfowl, being created along the Bourne stream where the War Memorial now stands in the Central Pleasure Gardens.

  

The Square has undergone a number of facelifts in the last 200 years since Bournemouth was officially founded in 1810 by Lewis Tregonwell. The ford was replaced by a wooden bridge in the late 1830s, then a stone one in 1849. Over time the bridge was replaced and the area enlarged resulting in the stream running underground as it flowed from the Central Pleasure Gardens into the Lower Pleasure Gardens on its way to the sea, meaning it can be crossed by thousands of people every day without anyone having to get their feet wet.

 

Not suprisingly the area was known as The Bridge but became known as The Square from the mid 1850s.

 

In 1899 a roundabout with a tall lamp post was created in the centre of The Square which survived until around WW1 when a plain oval 'roundabout', minus the lamp post, replaced it.

In 1925 a Captain Norton donated a shelter cum waiting room, adorned by a clock, that was used by tram and trolleybus passengers until 1948, when it was replaced by a large roundabout in the middle of which stood a tall pedestal with the clock from the shelter ontop.

In 1992 The Square was semi-pedestrianised with a path created across the roundabout to link the two sides, with the opening of the fully pedestrianised Square, complete with a pebble mosaic, Millenium Flame and Obscura Cafe coming in February 2000.

  

FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ABOVE IMAGE.

 

A.

The original St Andrews Church was built from corrugated iron sheet over a wooden frame on this site in 1857, and was known as the Scotch Church. This method of construction was a relatively cheap and cheerful way of providing a variety of community buildings such as churches, scout huts and village halls, popular in Victorian times.

It was replaced by this stone building in 1872.

 

In 1888 Central Chambers, that housed the Mansion Hotel was built, which became the Empress Hotel in 1906.

Various commercial premises occupied the ground floor, most notably the Cadena Cafe, part of a national chain.

 

In 1930 the Cadena Cafe was replaced by the National and Provincial Bank who expanded their premises from next door, which they had occupied since 1879.

In 1968, after a merger, the bank became the National Westminster Bank [ Nat West ], who still occupy the buildings today.

 

The Empress Hotel closed in 1953, with the name transferring to the Osborne Hotel on Exeter Rd.

 

B.

 

This National and Provincial Bank building was built in 1879.

It was where the small wooden hut that was Robert Day's photographic studio stood from the early 1860s.

Day took many of the early images of Bournemouth.

 

The National and Provincial Bank expanded into the neighbouring Central Chambers in 1930, replacing the Cadena Cafe.

In 1968, as a result of a merger, it became the National Westminster Bank who still occupy the premises today.

 

C.

This building dates from 1881 and replaced Beckford House which was built in 1848 as the home of George Fox who originally rented the nearby Tregonwell Arms from Mrs Tregonwell in 1837, before purchasing it in 1840.

 

The pub also became the town's first post office in 1839, a function that later transferred to Beckford House.

 

The above building was replaced by the present one in 1963, and has been home to the 'Alliance and Leicester', now Santander, ever since.

 

D.

Rebbeck's Corner at the junction of Old Christchurch Rd and Gervis Place.

William Rebbeck came to Bournemouth in the 1830s as estate agent to the 'Bourne Tregonwell' estate.

 

In 1851, Rebbeck's small single storey office was built here and had an extra floor added in 1873.

The building directly behind is Gervis Villa, the Rebbeck family home.

In 1887 the office and the villa were replaced by a much larger Rebbeck's building which they occupied until 1934 when they moved to their new premises, next door to what is today the Moon In The Square pub, where they still trade as Rebbeck Brothers, although there is no longer any family involvement.

Their former premises were replaced by the current building, a shop, in 1936.

It was a Dolcis shoe shop for years and is a T Mobile store in 2011.

 

E.

The Lower Pleasure Gardens were formally laid out in 1873 after several years spent draining and preparing the land.

A relatively small area had been enclosed in 1849, opposite the Westover Villas that stood on Westover Rd where a path through the pine trees was created and called Invalids Walk. Later renamed Pine Walk it is still used today.

Built in 1903-1905, this Prairie-style mansion was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Larkin Company executive Darwin D. Martin, whom built the house as a way to bring his family, which had been scattered in various parts of the United States when his mother had died early in his childhood. The house was the culmination of immense personal wealth and professional success that Martin had enjoyed in his life despite his difficult childhood, starting as a soap seller in New York City, being hired by the Larkin Company in 1878, before moving to Buffalo and becoming the single office assistant to John D. Larkin in 1880, and in 1890, replaced Elbert Hubbard, who was a person that Martin immensely admired, as the Corporate Secretary of the Larkin Company. When the Larkin Company was seeking a designer for a major new office building for the company at the turn of the 20th Century, Martin, whom had witnessed Wright’s work in Chicago and Oak Park, wished to hire the architect as the designer of the new building, but needed to convince the skeptical John D. Larkin and other executives at the company of Wright’s suitability for the project. As a result, Martin decided to have Wright design his family estate. Darwin D. Martin became such a close friend of Wright that he commissioned the family’s summer house, Graycliff, located south of Buffalo on the shores of Lake Erie, to be designed by Wright in 1926, and spearheaded the effort to assist Wright with his finances when his personal residence, Taliesin, was threatened with foreclosure in 1927.

 

The main house is made up of four structures, those being the house itself, which sits at the prominent southeast corner of the property closest to the intersection of Summit Avenue and Jewett Parkway of any structure on the site, the pergola, which is a long, linear covered porch structure that runs northwards from the center of the house, the conservatory, which sits at the north end of the pergola and features a statue of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, which is visible from the front entrance to the house down the long visual axis created by the pergola, and the carriage house, which sits immediately west of the conservatory and behind the west wing of the house, enclosing the rear of the house’s main garden.

 

On the grounds of the mansion are two other houses, those being the Barton House, built at the northeast corner of the property along Summit Avenue to house Darwin D. Martin’s sister, Delta Martin Barton, and her husband, George F. Barton, which was the first structure to be built on the property and very visually similar to the main house, using the same type of bricks and incorporating many smaller versions of features found on the main house, and the Gardener’s cottage, built in 1909 to house gardeners who maintained the grounds of the property, which is the smallest and plainest of the three houses, which is sandwiched into a narrow strip of the property between two other houses, fronting Woodward Avenue to the west.

 

The main house features a buff roman brick exterior with raked horizontal mortar joints and filled in vertical joints, giving the masonry the appearance of being made of a series of solid horizontal bands with recessed joints, accentuating the horizontal emphasis of the house’s design and creating texture with shadows. The roof is hipped with wide overhanging eaves, with the gutters draining into downspouts that drop water into drain basins atop various one-story pillars at the corners of the house, with the roof having a T-shaped footprint above the second floor and three separate sections above the first floor, which wrap around the second floor to the south, west, and north, with the roof soaring above a porte-cochere to the west of the house, as well as a separate roof suspended above a porch to the east. The house’s roof is supported by pillars that sit near, but not at the corners of the building, with windows wrapping the corners. The windows are framed by stone sills and wooden trim, with some windows featuring stone lintels. The front door is obscured inside a recessed porch on the front facade, with the tile walkway to the door turning 90 degrees upon its approach to the doorway, a quite common feature of many of Wright’s houses at the time. The house is surrounded by a series of low brick walls with stone bases and stone caps, with sculptural decorative stone planters atop the pillars at the ends of many of these walls, with some of the planters containing carefully chosen decorative vegetation, and others serving as semi-hidden drainage basins for the adjacent one-story roofs.

 

Inside, the house features a foyer with a head-on view of the pergola and the conservatory to the north, simple but finely crafted wooden trim elements, the beautiful Wisteria Mosaic Fireplace between the foyer and dining room on the first floor that reflects light in different ways via various types of tile with different types of glazing, rough plaster painted a variety of colors, careful use of shadow to highlight certain elements while obscuring others, art glass windows featuring stained glass and clear glass panes in decorative patterns, wooden built ins and Frank Lloyd Wright-designed furnishings, a large kitchen with lots of white surfaces and wooden cabinets overlooking the garden, a living room with a vaulted ceiling and brick fireplace featuring an arched hearth opening, extensive use of expansion and compression via ceiling height to drive movement through the space, ventilation ducts that can be operated via decorative casement windows at the pillars ringing the various spaces of the house, wooden screens to obscure the staircase and second floor, custom light fixtures, art glass ceiling panels, and five large doors with art glass lights to the eastern porch on the first floor. The second floor of the house has multiple bedrooms with a variety of Frank Lloyd Wright built-in and freestanding furniture, wooden trim, and multiple bathrooms. The house is further decorated with Japanese art pieces procured by Wright in Japan, as well as being heavily inspired by traditional Japanese architecture, with usage of shadow and light to obscure and highlight different features, as well as the general form of the house, with the wide eaves providing ample shade to the interior during the summer months, while still allowing light to easily enter the space during the darker winter months.

 

To the north of the main house is an approximately 90-foot-long pergola with evenly spaced brick pillars framing the tile walkway, decorative wooden trim on the ceiling at each column, light fixtures at each column, and a glass transom and a door with large glass lights and a narrow frame providing a nearly unobstructed view of the interior of the conservatory at the north end of the pergola, focusing the attention of visitors upon their entrance to the house, as the conservatory and pergola form a continual visual axis from the foyer to the statue of the Winged Victory of Samothrace that stands in the northern end of the conservatory. This entire section of the house was rebuilt during its restoration, having been demolished in the 1960s after falling into disrepair. The pergola features a gabled roof that terminates at the bonnet roof around the perimeter of the conservatory to the north and at the first floor hipped roof of the house to the south.

 

The conservatory sits at the north end of the pergola, and has a latin cross footprint, with a glass skylight roof with a gabled section running north-south and a pyramidal hipped section at the crossing. The skylight terminates at a parapet that surrounds it on all sides, which features distinctive and decorative “birdhouses” at the north and south ends, apparently intended to house Blue Martins, but were not designed appropriately for the specific needs of the species, and have thus never been occupied. Two of the birdhouses survived the decay and demolition of the original conservatory in the 1960s, and were prominently displayed atop a wall in front of the house until the restoration of the complex in 2007. The interior of the conservatory features only a few concrete planters flanking the walkways and below the large Winged Victory of Samothrace that sits in the northern alcove of the space, with this apparently not having been what the Martin family had in mind, leading to the erection of a prefabricated conventional greenhouse made of metal and glass to the west of the Carriage House shortly after the house’s completion. The conservatory utilizes the same small tile on the floor as other areas of the house, with suspended wooden trim frames breaking up the large void of the space into smaller sections, supporting the space’s light fixtures and carefully framing the planters, fountain, and sculpture.

 

To the west of the conservatory is the two-story Carriage House, which features a simple pyramidal hipped roof with wide overhanging eaves, recessed corner pillars with central sections featuring wrap-around bands of windows on the second floor, a large carriage door in the center of the south facade, flanked by two smaller pillars and two small windows, and a one-story rear wing with a hipped roof. The interior presently houses a gift shop, but is set up like the original structure, demolished in the 1960s, would have been, with horse stables, red brick walls, a utility sink, and a simple staircase to the upper floor.

 

The house complex was home to the Martin family until 1937, when, owing to financial difficulties brought on by the loss of the family fortune during the 1929 Black Friday stock market crash and Darwin D. Martin’s death in 1935, the house had become too difficult for the family to maintain, with the family abandoning the house, allowing it to deteriorate. Additionally, Isabelle Reidpath Martin, Darwin’s widow, did not like the house’s interior shadows, which made it difficult for her to see. D.R. Martin, Darwin’s son, tried to donate the house to the City of Buffalo and the State University of New York system for use as a library, but neither entity accepted the offer, and the house remained empty until 1946, when it was taken by the city due to back taxes. In 1951, the house was purchased by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, which intended to convert the house into a summer retreat for priests, similar to the contemporaneous sale of Graycliff by the Martin family to the Piarists, a Catholic order. However, the property languished until 1955, when it was sold to architect Sebastian Tauriello, whom worked hard to save the architecturally significant and by-then endangered property, hoping the house would avoid the fate that had befallen the Larkin Administration Building five years prior. The house was subdivided into three apartments, with the carriage house, pergola, and conservatory demolished and the rear yard sold, and two uninspired apartment buildings with slapped-on Colonial Revival-style trim known as Jewett Gardens Apartments, were built to the rear of the house. In 1967, the University at Buffalo purchased the house, utilizing it as the university president’s residence, with the Barton House and Gardener’s Cottage being parceled off, both converted to function as independent single-family houses. The university attempted to repair the damage from years of neglect and did some work to keep the house functioning, modernizing portions of the interior and returning several pieces of original furniture to the house. The house would exist in this condition for the next half-century.

 

In 1975, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1986, was listed as a National Historic Landmark. In 1992, the nonprofit Martin House Restoration Corporation was founded with the goal of eventually restoring the historically and architecturally significant complex, and opening it as a museum. In 1994, the organization purchased the Barton House, and had the Martin House donated by the University of Buffalo in 2002. The restoration of both houses began under the direction of Hamilton Houston Lownie Architects shortly thereafter, and the Jewett Gardens Apartments were demolished upon the acquisition of the site by the nonprofit around the turn of the millennium. In 2006, the Gardener’s cottage was purchased from private ownership, and work began to rebuild the lost Pergola, Conservatory, and Carriage House, which were completed in 2007. Additional work to restore the house continued over the next decade, restoring the various interior spaces, with extensive work being put in to restore the kitchen and bedrooms. Finally, in 2017, the last part of the house was restored, being the beautiful Wisteria Mosaic Fireplace between the dining room and foyer, which had been extensively altered. An addition to the grounds, located on the former rear yard of an adjacent house, is the contemporary, sleek glass and steel-clad Eleanor & Wilson Greatbatch Pavilion Visitor Center, designed by Toshiko Mori, with a cantilevered roof that appears to float and tapers to thin edges, with glass walls on three sides, which houses the visitor information desk, ticket sales, presentation space, a timeline of the Martin House’s history, and restrooms. The restoration of the house marks one of the first full reconstructions of a demolished Frank Lloyd Wright structure, and is one of several significant works by the architect in Buffalo, including three designs that were built posthumously in the early 21st Century - the Fontana Boat House in Front Park, the Tydol Filling Station at the Buffalo Transportation Pierce Arrow Museum, and the Blue Sky Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Cemetery, which was designed for the Martin family in 1928, but not built until 2004.

 

Today, the restored Darwin D. Martin House complex serves as a museum, allowing visitors to experience one of the largest Prairie-style complexes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, faithfully restored to its circa 1907 appearance, giving visitors a sense of the genius and design philosophy of Wright.

Out-of-State utility crews replacing utility poles after the Taylor Bridge Fire swept through the area and damaging the existing poles.

Lumix G9 & Leica Summilux 9mm F 1.7

Photograph taken of forestry work being carried out in a local reserve. Trees are cut down and replaced by young saplings.