August 2011
2 posts
Dublin Castle, Ireland
Throughout its 800-year history, Dublin Castle has hosted army contingents, English viceroys, the Irish Parliament, troves of gold, state papers, prisoners of state, and at least one gladiator-style battle for justice.
The stretch of land on which the castle sits is easy to defend: it’s the highest ridge in the area, and two rivers once joined nearby, forming a natural barrier to...
Moscow's Hotel Ukraine: A Style of "Meglomaniacal...
An opulent relic, Hotel Ukraine is one of Moscow’s Seven Sisters, seven massive buildings constructed in a similar style during the 1950s. The other Seven-Sister buildings house institutions such as Moscow University and Russian’s Foreign Ministry.
Armed guards and impossibly expensive cars surround the Hotel Ukraine, whose lobby I visited during a trip to Moscow to see an...
July 2010
1 post
Coney Island's Cyclone
When Vernan Keegan designed Coney Island’s Cyclone roller coaster, he gave Roaring 20s New Yorkers just what they wanted: danger.
Or the illusion of it, at least.
“People nowadays like to wave to their friends and show off,” he told Popular Science in 1927, the year the coaster opened, “They want to believe the rides are dangerous. If they think they’re in peril every moment, they come back...
May 2010
3 posts
Shanghai's Structural Peaks
It doesn’t look as dismal in real life.
Pictured above are the tallest peaks of Shanghai’s impressive skyline.
The bottle-opener shaped tower on the right is the Shanghai World Financial Center. The pointy Jin Mao Building stands in the middle, and on the left you can see the unremarkable Citi Tower.
All the buildings pictured rise from Shanghai’s Pudong financial district. The area was...
Dohany Street Synagogue, Budapest
Walking through the Budapest Jewish Quarter, it’s tough to miss this eye-catching structure.
Also tough for some people? Figuring out what it is.
According to the synagogue’s website, many mistake the building’s onion-shaped towers for the minarets of an Islamic mosque.
The Stars of David (see them?) that divide the circular windows reveal the building’s purpose, but...
Building Stories
This is a blog about great buildings: who built them, how they work and what sets them apart.
When I look at a skyline, I’ll often see buildings that are sleek, powerful, or just plain fun to look at. I wonder about their stories.
Now, I’ll scope them out, write them down, and share them here once a week.
Enjoy!