Golden Era Preservation in Your Area

[Belladonna_dea]

I would love to hear about or see pictures of all the different places from the Golden Era that are still around where you reside or have traveled. I live near Houston Texas and there are some wonderful places to see. There is an art deco walking tour I looked up online that let's you walk/drive around downtown and see the art deco buildings. Galveston (which is right on the gulf and about 45 minutes away from Houston) has a long interesting history. Howard Hughes is buried in Glenwood Cemetary in Houston. I love to see people and societies preserving these well built works of art. There is a fabulous Ghost Tour in Galveston that starts at the old train station that is of course built in the art deco fashion and had some issues after the hurricane but is still around.

The JP Morgan Bank Building. I gasped when I walked in and looked at the ceiling. People were getting annoyed at me taking pics and the workers were making fun of me because it happens soooo often. One lady wouldn't let me go into a certain area to take pics of the brass fixtures near the elevators. So I stepped back and used zoom Snoody awful attitudes of the people working in such a beautiful preserved example of elegant art deco.

The ceiling

The top of the Esperson Building. My grandfather use to work here and at one time was the tallest building in down town Houston, Texas.

One of the elevators on one part of the Esperson Building. I would love to work in a place like this every day and could just imagine my grandfather catching a ride on one of these stylish elevators to his office!

The middle of the elegant detailed ceiling of Houston's City Hall building. I believe it was built in 1929.

Wonderful paintings and Art Deco clock at City Hall.

Howard Hughes' grave site

Galveston, Texas Train Station.

There are so many more places in these buildings I wish I could post all the pics if I had the time!

 

[Shangas]

There's a number of Art Deco buildings in Melbourne. This is the Rivoli Cinema which is just a few minutes' drive from my house. It's my local picture-house and it's been operating ever since 1940:

Whenever I want a movie, that's where I go. Gotta support local businesses and all that. Especially those that have been operating for 70+ years in the same location and building! The cinema exterior doesn't look nearly as impressive in the daytime. Best to see it at night with all the neon lighting it up. But for the hell of it...

This is what the cinema looks like in the light of day.

This is the Manchester Unity Building in the middle of town. Built in the 1920s.

Russel St. Police Station, built between 1940-1943.

 

[Steven180]

Great pictures and great sites!

M.

 

[Tomasso]

There is a fabulous Ghost Tour in Galveston

I have a sister that lives in Houston and she raves about that tour. Years ago I took the mansion tour offered by the historical society but she says the Ghost Tour is so much better.

 

[TidiousTed]

"Skibladner" the oldest steam padler in the world in constant use since it was buildt. You can buy a round trip from the Norwegian National Railways in Oslo. It feature a train ride to Eidsvold in the south end of Norways largest lake, Mjøsa, a trip with Skibladner to Hamar, a visit to Norways National railway museum in Hamar and a train ride back to Oslo. Took it once when my daughters were kids, great outing

 

[TidiousTed]

The first construction on the castle started around the late 1290s, by King Haakon V, replacing Tønsberg as one of the two most important Norwegian castles of the period (the other being Båhus). It was constructed in response to the Norwegian nobleman, Earl Alv Erlingsson of Sarpsborg’s earlier attack on Oslo.

 

[scotrace]

The official policy here seems to be:

1. Ignore structure unti it is rotting.

2. Skwawk about how unsafe it is.

3. Take over building as a public safety issue.

4. New, free Parking Lot for City trucks.

 

[Steven180]

The official policy here seems to be:
1. Ignore structure unti it is rotting.
2. Skwawk about how unsafe it is.
3. Take over building as a public safety issue.
4. New, free Parking Lot for City trucks.

Agreed. My family is from Europe and some still live there, they have renovation down to a fine art, along with that a healthy respect for the past. I often dine in a restaurant from 1695 in a village near my family.

I wish we could shake our cultural trait for living so fast we look to replace the old with the new instead of enhancing it. There's a lot to be said about a people's past, and having reminders around to keep those memories around.

M.

 

[TidiousTed]

Oslo West Station (Norwegian: Oslo Vestbanestasjon) or Oslo V, is a former railway station located in Vika in Oslo, Norway. It was the terminus of the Drammen Line between 1872 and 1980, until the Oslo Tunnel opened. The station remained in use until 1989.
The station building was drawn by architect Georg Andreas Bull in historism and built in tilestone. The fascade against The City Hall Square has two low towers diagonally against the buildings main direction. Windows and doors are arched. After the station closed, the building has been taken into use by among others the Nobel Peace Center.

In Europe we're good at giving old buildings new uses when they are no longer used for their original purposes.

 

[Shangas]

It's a beautiful building, Ted!

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

In Europe we're good at giving old buildings new uses when they are no longer used for their original purposes.

It always blows my mind to see a European McDonalds that's located in a building that's Victorian or older.

 

[TidiousTed]

It always blows my mind to see a European McDonalds that's located in a building that's Victorian or older.

I think this one is in Norway (the registration on the red car at least is Norwegian). Some cities got the guts to have rules for signwork on old buildings, note the small McDonalds sign on that building

 

[TidiousTed]

It's a beautiful building, Ted!

One of my favourites in Oslo

 

[dhermann1]

That's good to see. There was a time when McDonald's was infamous for buying historic buildings and tearing them down to make way for a new burger joint. A loud and sustained public outcry made them change their ways.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Can't say that I've ever been to a two-or three-story McDonalds.

 

[Belladonna_dea]

I have a sister that lives in Houston and she raves about that tour. Years ago I took the mansion tour offered by the historical society but she says the Ghost Tour is so much better.

Yes it is! I just took it last year but didn't get to finish because my husband (then fiance) ended up taking me to dinner and proposing! ha! But Dash said we could come back anytime and finish for free.

 

[Belladonna_dea]

Can't say that I've ever been to a two-or three-story McDonalds.

The first two story I ever saw was in Hawaii. Two stories of heart attacks and obesity waiting to happen!

 

[Belladonna_dea]

These are great photos, thanks for sharing!

 

[ginfizz]

Oh my goodness. I've never seen anything as silly as those mcdonalds. Though I suppose if they have to be around it's much nicer to look at than what we have here.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Oh my goodness. I've never seen anything as silly as those mcdonalds. Though I suppose if they have to be around it's much nicer to look at than what we have here.

Some more McDonalds in Europe

Paris

Venice

Milan
(Galleria Vittorio Emanuele -- The World's First Mall)

Trier (Germany)

Beograd (Serbia)

Budapest

Budapest (interior)