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Historic Architectural Stability and the Earthquake:
I’m not going to lie, I found the earthquake jokes really funny, especially the one with the white lawn chair toppled over. But, people keep cracking jokes and it’s getting old really fast, almost as quickly as the earthquake panic and media got old.
The eastern seaboard of the United States has some of our oldest buildings and most celebrated works of architecture. These buildings, because of their age and how they are built, are more susceptible to damage unlike structures on the west coast. The National Cathedral had damage, the Washington Monument, as well as historic structures in Baltimore, among others. Where I live, Annapolis, the buildings downtown have split apart. Historic buildings and it will cost a lot of money to carefully put them back together.
What I’m saying is that a lot of the panic from the earthquake came from: never feeling an earthquake and the fact that buildings on the east coast are not built to survive earthquakes, especially the historic buildings. As a historic preservation major, even the slightest damage is the loss of history and important architectural elements that made our buildings and cities extremely special to our citizens and the world.
Maybe I’m being too serious, but I don’t think I am. The jokes were funny, but they’ve been beaten to death and this is someone who loves to beat dead horses. Here’s an analogy: the earthquake panic yesterday is to the earthquake jokes today.
More relevance from Gone With the Wind:
Scarlett had always liked Atlanta for the very same reasons that made Savannah, Augusta and Macon condemn it. Like herself, the town was a mixture of the old and new in Georgia, in which the old often came off second best in its conflicts with the self-willed and vigorous new.
Written in 1936 about 1862.
(via rachael-maddux)
Madrid High Bridge by Justin Hardecopf on Flickr.
High Trestle Trail Bike Bicycle Bridge, Madrid, Iowa
(via architectureandarts)
Tower Theater, Sacramento, California
by tenebrian“Postcard” of a historic theater in Sacramento.
Background courtesy of the photographer:
This poor historical landmark is constantly fighting to stay alive. We lost another awesome theater a few decades back called “The Alhambra”. It was a traditional art deco movie house and a great loss for the city of Sacramento.
(via decoarchitecture)
Savannah, Georgia
The Desoto Hotel (L) was demolished in the 1960’s to built the Desoto Hilton Hotel (R).
As a Historic Preservation student in Savannah, Georgia this, in my opinion, was one of the worst preservation losses in the city. It is right up there with the destruction of City Market to build a parking garage.
