Slideshows

[Sitings] Oatlands: A Mansion for All Seasons

Posted on: April 6th, 2013 by Mame McCully 1 Comment

 

Oatlands, a Site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is a stately mansion with beautiful rolling farmland, exquisite gardens, and a repository of more than 200 years of American history and culture. Just an hour from our nation's capital in historic Leesburg, Va., the site offers historic house tours and four seasons full of activities and special events.

Upcoming this month: a visit from American Girl author Valerie Tripp, the Ancient Technology Expo, and the first full moon paranormal tour of the season! Make plans to visit soon -- and until then, enjoy this week's slideshow.

Oatlands is well-known for its beautiful tiered garden and peaceful setting in the rolling hills of Virginia. At the end of April, don’t miss the full moon tour of the property!
Mame McCully

Mame McCully is a marketing manager at the National Trust. Her heart is forever in the Midwest, but she loves to travel, explore new places, and spend time with family and friends.

[Sitings] The Farnsworth House in Plano, Ill.

Posted on: March 30th, 2013 by Mame McCully 2 Comments

 

Mies van der Rohe's iconic Farnsworth House is located about an hour west of downtown Chicago in Plano, Illinois. Conceived in 1945 for Dr. Edith Farnsworth, the home was completed in 1951.
Conceived in 1945 for Dr. Edith Farnsworth, the home was completed in 1951.

Plano, Illinois is a small town about an hour from Chicago, but what many don’t know is that it’s home to The Farnsworth House, an internationally known piece of architecture by famous architect Mies van der Rohe. Sitting alongside the Fox River, the glass-walled home is truly an experience for architecture and design lovers.

If you are in Chicago, don’t miss this gem and the chance to sneak away from the Windy City to see what else Illinois has to offer. Tours begin April 3; visitors are encouraged to get their tickets online in advance.

Another famous home, Philip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan, Conn., was inspired by van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House. Both homes are frequented by architects and those that love architecture from around the world.
Mame McCully

Mame McCully is a marketing manager at the National Trust. Her heart is forever in the Midwest, but she loves to travel, explore new places, and spend time with family and friends.

[Slideshow] Exploring “Iconic” Places with Photographer Brian Vanden Brink

Posted on: March 29th, 2013 by National Trust for Historic Preservation 1 Comment

 

ICONIC Book Jacket/Cover, 2012.

Brian Vanden Brink has been photographing unforgettable historic places since the 1970s, when he moved to the coast of Maine and began shooting for architects and magazines. Since then, he has cemented a reputation as one of the nation’s foremost architectural photographers.

“The images in Iconic, my sixth book, cover more than 35 years of this work -- my whole photographic life,” he says. “It’s almost like a personal travel journal documenting experiences with buildings I feel are important ... Whether it’s because of the way these structures sit in the landscape -- or what they represent culturally or socially -- I felt they had to be brought together for readers to see and appreciate.”

James H. Schwartz, the National Trust’s vice president for editorial and creative strategy, recently spoke with Brian to learn more about his work and inspirations.... Read More →

National Trust for Historic Preservation

National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded non-profit organization, works to save America's historic places.

[Slideshow] A Makeover for the Mayo Building

Posted on: March 27th, 2013 by Gwendolyn Purdom

 

A majestic relic of turn-of-the-20th century Tulsa, Okla., the Mayo Building, erected by two of the state’s founders, Cass and John Mayo, is the last remaining building in the city’s original “skyscraper district.” But as recently as 2005, the structure was abandoned and derelict.

Enter developer Wiggin Properties, LLC and architects Kinslow, Keith & Todd, who transformed the forgotten property into a mixed use residential and commercial building, earning the $30 million project the 2012 National Housing & Rehabilitation Association’s Best Historic Rehab Utilizing New Market Tax Credits award, among other recognition. There’s now even a permanent display in the structure’s public spaces that tells the Mayo Building’s unlikely story.

Take a look at our slideshow to find out more about this inspiring makeover.

The Mayo 420 Building is a lunchtime destination for downtown workers drawn to the YMCA and Billy’s Restaurant.
Gwendolyn Purdom

Gwendolyn Purdom

Gwendolyn Purdom is an associate editor at Preservation magazine. A Chicago native, Gwendolyn is passionate about the people and stories behind historic places – the quirkier the better.

[Slideshow] Philly Painting: One Community’s Extreme Makeover

Posted on: March 26th, 2013 by Gwendolyn Purdom

 

As you’ll see in our spring issue of Preservation, one dilapidated business corridor in north Philadelphia is finding there’s a surprising amount of power in a few -- okay, a lot of -- cans of paint.

Dutch artists Dre Urhahn and Jeroen Koolhaas have joined forces with the city’s Mural Arts Program and enlisted a group of locals to give the neighborhood’s collection of run-down commercial buildings new life with a Technicolor update, in a project called Philly Painting.

We include one before and after image in the print magazine, but there are plenty more transformations worth seeing among the late 19th-century and early 20th-century buildings where the work has been taking place. Take a look...... Read More →

Gwendolyn Purdom

Gwendolyn Purdom

Gwendolyn Purdom is an associate editor at Preservation magazine. A Chicago native, Gwendolyn is passionate about the people and stories behind historic places – the quirkier the better.