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Tiny Frank Lloyd Wright-Inspired House Atop Miner’s Ruins

20 May

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Frank Lloyd Wright Miner's Shelter 1

Gleaming glass, oxidized steel and matte black wood contrast with the rough concrete ruins of an old miner’s shelter found in the desert near Scottsdale, Arizona. ‘Miner’s Shelter‘ was designed and built by Dave Frazee of Broken Arrow Workshop as part of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture’s student shelter program, and is situated to take advantage of the remote natural environment.

Frank Lloyd Wright Miner's Shelter 2

Intended to serve as a rustic shelter for respite and relaxation rather than as a permanent dwelling, the off-grid structure is just large enough to accommodate a bed, sticking to the limited size of the concrete pad discovered there. The existing concrete chimney was incorporated into the design, which frames views of adjacent mountains and the Phoenix Valley.

Frank Lloyd Wright Miner's Shelter 5

The backside of the shelter is covered in oxidized steel panels that help it blend into the warm desert tones of its setting. In the distance are several similar student shelters, some still in use and some in ruins.

Frank Lloyd Wright Miner's Shelter 3

Wright spent every winter of the final two decades of his life camping in a tent-like structure in the desert before starting the tradition of building permanent, modern structures through Taliesin West, the Arizona branch of his architecture school. The program “demonstrates how climate, building materials, site orientation, and client needs and preferences inform design choices based on the tenets of Wright’s organic architecture.”

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Empty Spaces: Photo Book Documents Eerie Urban Ruins

13 May

[ By Steph in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

Johnny Joo Abandoned Places Photography 1

Crumbling cathedrals, decaying theaters and half-destroyed camping cabins: urban explorer Johnny Joo has seen it all, and he doesn’t just document these abandoned places, he does so with an eye for spine-tingling drama. The 23-year-old photographer is releasing his collection of stunning images in book form with ‘Empty Spaces,’ available for pre-order for just a couple more days.

Johnny Joo Abandoned Places Photography 2

Johnny Joo Abandoned Places Photography 5

The 116-page, hard-cover photo book ‘Empty Spaces’ includes the photographer’s favorites from years of urban exploration. Pre-orders come hand-signed with a free gift; the book is also available in E-book form. Order it at Architectural Afterlife.

Johnny Joo Abandoned Places Photography 3

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The photographs take us on a visual tour of the abandoned Rust Belt. Some structures are so covered in moss and ivy, their former use is a mystery. Others, like bowling alleys and theaters, seem frozen in time, as if they’re just waiting for patrons to start filing back in.

Johnny Joo Abandoned Places Photography 7

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“Why were these places vacated? And why are they left to sit, uncared for? The remains of a person’s bedroom, bed still intact, covered in a layer of mold and dust. Walls surrounding with cracked complexions and vivid, yet transparent voices telling a story of time. Living through the history of abandonments as you explore what once was an entirely different scene; now transformed into a desolate, yet incredible, stimulating image of complex patterns and great detail. Through this book, we will take a journey through the rust belt to see the unseen and find the forgotten.”

[ By Steph in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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Ruins of America: 7 Castle-Like Abandoned Modern Wonders

10 Apr

[ By Steph in 7 Wonders Series & Travel. ]

American Castle Ruins Main

The word ‘castle’ may conjure up visions of medieval villages in places like Scotland or Romania, but believe it or not, America has its own incredible ruins of vast stone estates. They’re just not nearly as old. From an abandoned cement plant turned amusement park to luxurious private estates that are now claimed as state parks, here are 7 of the nation’s greatest castle-like abandonments and monuments.

Cementland: Abandoned Factory Turned Amusement Park, Missouri

American Castle Ruins Cementland

A crumbling abandoned cement factory in St. Louis had become a dumping site for construction waste when local sculptor Bob Cassilly first saw it. Among all of the trash, debris and rusted metal, Cassilly envisioned the beginnings of a reclamation project that would not only clean up the site, but transform it into something positively regal. So he got a bulldozer and began the process of cleaning it up himself. All of the junk that was formerly piled around the property became the turrets, gates and bridges of a modern-day industrial castle. People began to notice, wondering what it might turn into. While Cassilly had every intention of turning the site into an amusement park, it wasn’t to be. Cassilly tragically died in an accident with his bulldozer onsite, and the park remains unfinished, becoming somewhat of a memorial to the man who saw so much promise in what other people considered an eyesore.

Ha Ha Tonka Castle, Kansas City

American Castle Ruins Ha Ha Tonka 2

Also in Missouri, on a bluff overlooking Ha Ha Tonka State Park, this ‘castle’ is really just the ruins of a wealthy man’s failed dream. Kansas City businessman Robert Snyder bought 5,000 acres of land in 1905 and began construction on a lavish mansion complete with water fountains and grand arches hand-wrought by stone masons flown in from Europe. Snyder died just a year later, in one of the state’s first automobile accidents, but his sons kept the construction going, and one lived there for decades until the family’s money ran out. The property became a hotel and lodge. In 1942, the whole building was destroyed by a fire. When the state purchased the property to make it part of the park, they preserved the stone ruins as a unique historical monument.

Bannerman Castle, New York

American Castle Ruins Bannerman 1

Looking at photos of this striking castle facade, you might imagine that it’s located somewhere in Europe. Surprisingly enough, it’s actually within minutes of Manhattan. Bannerman Castle was built on an island in the Hudson River that had previously been used as a military prison by General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Businessman Frank Bannerman purchased it in 1900 and spent 17 years building his Scottish-style dream castle, which he used to house his enormous collection of surplus military equipment. The castle features docks, turrets, garden walls and moats, but for all its ornamentation, it was little more than a warehouse for decades. After Bannerman’s death, the estate was sold to New York State, the military goods given to the Smithsonian. However, a raging fire of indeterminate cause destroyed most of the buildings and the belongings that were left inside in 1969. All that’s left are these skeletal remains, which are now preserved by a historic foundation.

Bedford Limestone Pyramid, Indiana

American Castle Ruins Bedford Pyramid 2

Anyone who came upon this bizarre stone structure in the middle of the woods in rural Indiana might think they had stumbled upon ancient ruins. A series of partially-built pyramids can be found all over the property, as well as the remains of a large stone wall. But the origin of these structures are a little more mundane than the deteriorating history of a forgotten civilization. The pile of stones is all that’s left of a $ 7 million effort to build a limestone ‘amusement park’ that aimed to call attention to the ‘Limestone Capital of America.’ The town of Bedford wanted to compete with larger, more well-known cities for tourists and imagined that building a 1/5 scale replica of Egypt’s Great Pyramid, as well as their own miniature Wall of China, would do the trick. Bedford is, indeed, where much of the nation’s limestone is sourced, including that used to build the Empire State Building. But many locals felt that the project was wasteful, and soon, the funds to build it – in the middle of an open-pit mine in the neighboring town of Needmore – were depleted. The site has been abandoned for about three decades.

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Ruins Of America 7 Castle Like Abandoned Modern Wonders

[ By Steph in 7 Wonders Series & Travel. ]

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Seaside Ruins: 7 Abandoned Wonders of the Mediterranean

13 Feb

[ By Steph in 7 Wonders Series & Global. ]

Abandoned Mediterranean Main

Remains of everything from an island prison that once held mafia bosses to the shells of modern Greek villas that fell victim to economic strife bake under the hot sun in the nations situated around and within the Mediterranean Sea. Some of these modern additions to all of the ancient ruins, like the resort town of Varosha or the medieval village of Anavatos, fell victim to bloody wars, while others continue the same old sad storyline heard around the world of riches gained and lost.

Abandoned Resort Town of Varosha, Cyprus

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Abandoned Mediterranean Varosha 2

(images vía: pablo fj, klearchos, sometimes-interesting)

Once a playground for the rich and famous, where stars like Elizabeth Taylor lounged on hotel balconies overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, Varosha now stands silent and empty, its windows smashed, its beach chairs rusting. Unlike other resort towns around the world that have found themselves on the decline due to changing tourism patterns and the economy, Varosha didn’t fall slowly. Rather, everything ground to a sudden halt in the summer of 1974, when the ongoing war between the Greeks and the Turks entered within the city limits. Smack dab in the middle of high season when it was packed with visitors,Turkish forces stormed the city with air strikes and ground forces. Everyone fled, tourists and residents alike, and the town that was once home to 39,000 was totally empty. The Turkish army fenced it off and forbade entry, and it has remained that way to this day.

Bones of Modern Villas in Greece

Abandoned Mediterranean Greece Villas 1

Abandoned Mediterranean Greece Villas 2

(images via: patrick van dam)

The hollow concrete bones of what were supposed to become luxurious villas in the Greek islands stand on the coast looking like modern versions of the nation’s celebrated ancient ruins. These homes are just a handful among many that were planned before the economic meltdown and left unfinished when the money ran out. Some of the developers reportedly still plan to pick them back up when conditions are better. Says photographer Patrick Van Dam, “The architectural lines combined with the ash-grey concrete structures are an attractive contrast against the rough, red-coloured rocks, the warm yellow high grass and the olive green bushes and trees. This almost abstract scenery shows a unique synergy between architecture and nature. It creates a new and intriguing landscape in which failure, poverty and hopelessness are easily forgotten.”

Kayakoy, Turkey

Abandoned Mediterranean Kayakoy 1

Abandoned Mediterranean Kayakoy 2

(images via: pavelrybin, chris_parfitt)

Stone ruins of a once-vibrant town bake in the sun at the base of the Taurus Mountains near Olu Deniz, Turkey. The haunting remains of Kayakoy stand as yet another symbol of the Greco-Turkish War. Established in the 1700s, Kayakoy was built on the site of the ancient city of Karmylassos and was home to Anatolian-speaking Greek residents. Nearly all of them fled during the official population exchange in 1923. About 300,000 Turks were forced out of Greece and into Turkey, and 200,000 Greeks sent back to their homeland. Kayakoy was heavily damaged by a 1957 earthquake and is now a preserved ghost town, run as a museum village and historical monument.

Asinara: Abandoned Prison Island, Sardinia

Abandoned Mediterranean Asinara

(images via: montereybay, parks.it)

It may now be a tranquil marine protected area where rare species like the muflone sheep can thrive, but the island of Asinara, Sardinia was once used for less peaceful purposes. The island is dotted with ancient Roman and Greek ruins and was home to pastoralists and fishermen in the 1800s, but it became a quarantine for people with diseases like smallpox at the turn of the 20th century and by World War I, it was used as a military concentration camp. In the 1970s, officials took advantage of its isolation to house terrorists, and later built a maximum security prison that’s got to have some of the best views in the world. The prison held mafia members like Totó Riina until it was closed in 1997, at which point the island became a national park. In addition to the remains of the abandoned prison, visitors can explore small cities built for and by the inhabitants of the quarantine camp. The prison can be seen in the video above at the 2:47 mark.

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Seaside Ruins 7 Abandoned Wonders Of The Mediterranean

[ By Steph in 7 Wonders Series & Global. ]

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The Ruins of Ancient Hauz Khas in Delhi by Jayant Neogy

14 Jan

Hauz Khas complex in Hauz Khas, south Delhi India houses a water tank, an Islamic Seminary or Madrassa, a mosque, a tomb and pavilions. These were built between 700 and 800 years ago. Today, the ruins abut a subsequently urbanized village which includes living areas, boutique shops and many eating places, A great tourist attraction […]
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Contemporary House Inserted into Crumbling Castle Ruins

25 Jul

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Modern Castle Renovation Home 1

A ruined 12th-century castle serves as a stunning historic shell for a contemporary residence in a renovation by Witherford Watson Mann architects. The medieval Astley Castle has been in ruins since the 1970s, when a fire destroyed the hotel that occupied it at the time. Now, it’s preserved as an integral part of a two-story holiday house, the crumbling areas of its sandstone walls filled in with clay brickwork.

Modern Castle Renovation Home 2

The architects blended the new elements of the structure with the old, yet made sure that there is a clear distinction between the two. It’s harmonious, but allows the historic castle to be seen as it was before it was altered. The modern home is nestled within the walls, with the historic bricks still visible throughout the interior.

Modern Castle Renovation Home 3

Extensions added to the castle in the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries were topped with a roof and massive skylight, but left open to the elements through the arched windows and doorways to create a sunny courtyard. Laminated wooden beams separate the structure into individual living spaces and bedrooms.

Modern Castle Renovation Home 4

Modern Castle Renovation Home 5

The home features four bedrooms on the ground floor, and a second-floor living room with large windows looking out onto the English countryside. Witherford Watson Mann won a competition held by architectural charity The Landmark Trust to design the home, and their renovation is one of six projects nominated for the prestigious 2013 Stirling Prize.

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Engineering Marvel: The Mysterious Ruins of Nan Madol

19 Feb

[ By Steph in Global & Travel & Places. ]

Mysterious Ruins of Nan Madol 1

The only ancient city ever built upon a coral reef, Nan Madol is a marvel of ancient engineering so complex, no one can figure out how it was conceived and built starting in the 8th or 9th century CE. Nan Madol is located off the island of Pohnpei in the present-day Federated States of Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean, and consists of nearly 100 small artificial islands bordered by tidal canals.

Mysterious Ruins of Nan Madol 2

The people who built it – the Saudeleur – ruled these islands for more than a millennium, yet there is nothing left of them but legend and the crumbling black basalt ruins. No art, no carvings, no writing. They were known to be deeply religious, tyrannical and cruel, and the remains of their civilization are often viewed with fear and superstition by modern-day Pohnpeians.

Mysterious Ruins of Nan Madol 3

The Nahnmwarki people, who overthrew the last Saudeleur leader and killed the islands’ inhabitants, found themselves unable to withstand the difficult lifestyle of living at Nan Madol, which required food and fresh water to be brought over from the main island.

Mysterious Ruins of Nan Madol 4

The ruins have been abandoned for hundreds of years. Often called the Venice of the Pacific, Nan Madol’s canals and islands were constructed starting in the 8th century, but its most iconic megalithic architecture came later, in the 12th and 13th centuries. Historians and archaeologists don’t know how the giant stones were transported and lifted into place; most Pohnpeians still believe the lore that credits magical flying abilities for the city’s construction. Another folktale tells of giants large and strong enough to move the rocks.

Mysterious Ruins of Nan Madol 5

The total weight of the black rocks that make up the city’s construction is estimated at 750,000 metric tons, an average of 1,850 tons a year over four centuries. The basalt ‘logs’ that make up the high walls can weight as much as 50 tons each. What’s even more mysterious is the Saudeleurs didn’t have pulleys, levers or metal to aid in the process.

Mysterious Ruins of Nan Madol 6

Unlike the similar ruins of Easter Island, Nan Madol is not a significant tourist draw, mostly due to the face that it has not yet been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Through this designation, Nan Madol would receive the funding necessary to rehabilitate the ruins and support a new tourism industry.

Images via wikimedia commons + CT Snow

[ By Steph in Global & Travel & Places. ]

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Engineering Marvel: The Mysterious Ruins of Nan Madol

08 Feb

[ By Steph in Global & Travel & Places. ]

Mysterious Ruins of Nan Madol 1

Mysterious Ruins of Nan Madol 2

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Mysterious Ruins of Nan Madol 6

Images via wikimedia commons + CT Snow

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Posts Tagged ‘Ruins’

Tiny Frank Lloyd Wright-Inspired House Atop Miner’s Ruins

Empty Spaces: Photo Book Documents Eerie Urban Ruins