#historic-architecture

#historic-architecture

On Christmas Eve 1895, George Vanderbilt welcomed family and friends to his new home for the first time. What they saw no doubt astounded them, even by the wealthiest echelon's standards of the era. The Gilded Age heir - a grandson of one of the richest men in US history - had built a 175,000-square-foot, 250-room French Renaissance Revival-style mansion that was a marvel of modern innovation, with 35 bedrooms, dozens of bathrooms with indoor plumbing, and two electric elevators.

In the past, not that many hotels planted their roots in Miami's North Beach, where private homes, condos, and low-rise buildings have kept the neighborhood's residential vibe. As someone accustomed to buzzy South Beach, North Beach felt like the unaffected counterpart, quieter and far less commercialized, with the beach steps away. So, as I arrived in Maison Felix, it was like stepping into a tucked-away gem.

Aiming to be the Sean Dyche-style safe pair of hands to Victor Garvey's calamitous Big Ange tenure, Hawksmoor feels like a perfect fit, immediately at home in this space. And what a space it is, by the way. The Grade I-listed dining room designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1873 is surely one of London's most beautiful, with soaring ceilings, decorative mouldings, huge windows, and polished wooden floors.

The ornate fireplace is just the icing on the cake for this historic studio apartment that comes flush with vintage accents and an overhead fan to help you beat the swampy humidity in NOLA. The small size is ideal for a couples' getaway or solo trip. And with such a central location on St. Charles Avenue, all of its restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops will be right at your fingertips.

Visitors of last spring's Pasadena Showcase House of Design will recognize the Bauer Estate and Gardens. This 1928 Monterey Colonial-style mansion and carriage house on 5 acres belonged to the late TV writer Stephen J. Cannell. Now, it's on the market for $22 million. If the property meets the asking price, it could surpass the City of Roses' most expensive home ever sold.

Because Brooklyn used to be a far less expensive place to live - for those among us who are Manhattan snobs - it comes as a shock that houses "way over there" can now cost as much as examples in gentrified parts of Harlem. Some housing in sections that have become almost exclusively white, like Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights, costs far more.

The First Unitarian Church of San Jose is one of the city's oldest and most picturesque houses of worship, with the Romanesque building overlooking St. James Park originally constructed in 1891. And today, after a $2 million renovation, the building is looking better than ever. The congregation and its church building have had a long and storied history in San Jose, with its members speaking out on social causes.

Near Prospect Park, this top-floor Windsor Terrace co-op has a roomy layout with six closets, parquet, and a renovated kitchen and bath. For those looking to spread out, this Windsor Terrace apartment has six closets, two bedrooms, and a roomy layout. The roominess does come with a price, but the unit at 71 Ocean Parkway also has a renovated kitchen and bath, wood floors, and some treetop views.

Cincinnati has arguably one of the most culinary exciting scenes in the Midwest, too. The city has long been known for Cincinnati chili, which is spiced with cinnamon and Mediterranean herbs and typically served with spaghetti, but the dining scene offers so much more. The city is peppered with James Beard-nominated eateries such as Wildweed and The Aperture, and is also home to international hotspots like Nepali restaurant Bridges and the Japanese izakaya Kiki-pretty impressive for a city of just over 300,000 residents.

And in the case of this beautiful 1900s Victorian-style home in Boston, the redone bathroom was giving turn-of-the century time capsule - just not the right century. "The bathroom had last been renovated in the early 2000s (think: lots of beige, white, and travertine tile)," says Elana Gaines, founder and designer at Afternoon Creative. "Overall, the space felt dingy and uninspired, out of step with the charm and craftsmanship of the rest of this early 1900s Victorian home."

Beyond work, I'm passionate about architecture, climate resilience, and plants - interests that also influence the way I shape and live in my space,

Marilyn Morawetz stares at the crumbling walls of a historic cafeteria building, still finding beauty in its prairie-style architecture. They're almost never seen in an industrial kind of setting like this, she said. If it goes down, our real fear is that everything will go down and that would be an incredible shame. The 100-year-old building closed in 2008 and sits in disrepair alongside five other heritage buildings that once formed Camp 30, on the edge of the Town of Bowmanville, Ont.

Not to-be-missed tours this Saturday, October 11 - Noon and 2pm at @2blocksofart_sf: Historic Building Walks - Discover Market Street's cinematic past during the historic building walking tours led by famed architecture & design firm @pageturnbull The tour will include notable historic structures and information on their original and current use in what was once the central cinematic corridor of San Francisco.

I found this apartment after a long-term breakup, when I was splitting my time between Greenwich Village in NYC and Charleston, SC. I had just missed the open house (that was attended by 40 other hopeful people), but I put down a deposit sight unseen and submitted my application anyway. Once it was accepted and I finally walked inside, I knew it was exactly what I had been looking for,

Are you ready to be charmed? You might not have to travel far, if you live in California. HGTV recently focused its big lens on a pint-sized subject town centers in America and came away with a basketful of California recommendations. In its story, The 40 Most Charming Small Downtowns in America, the cable channel cites not one but three hidden gems in the state: Pacific Grove, Carmel-by-the-Sea and that Dutch-inspired wonder, Solvang.

The North Wing at St Bartholomew's Hospital has opened following a 9.5m restoration project. The Grade I-listed building contains the Hogarth Stair, part of architect James Gibbs' 1730s redesign, which is surrounded by the large scale paintings The Pool of Bethesda and The Good Samaritan. Pro Charles Knight, chief executive of the hospital, said the renewal work stood "as a lasting legacy of our recent 900th anniversary, connecting centuries of medical excellence with our rich heritage."

Bespoke millwork, soaring ceilings, and light-filled spaces create an elegant, stately feel as you swan from room to room. Starting at the garden level, a wrought-iron gate takes you through a landscaped courtyard garden and into a marble vestibule. Just inside, the chef's kitchen sports a custom banquette and flows into the formal dining room, with hand-painted wallpaper and a wood-burning fireplace. French doors along one of the walls spill open to the red-brick rear garden, which includes mirrored trellises and a fireplace-warmed pergola.

Housed in a National Register of Historic Places-listed, red-brick mansion that dates back to 1886, the hotel is a glaring departure from the contemporary gray buildings that line Grant Street in the city's Capitol Hill district. Inside, the walls are lined with original burgundy wallpaper and ornate Bavarian woodwork. And the staircase, with its intricate carvings of flowers, gargoyles, and swans all across the balustrade, took my breath away.

"Tupper & Reed have ventured into a most startling departure in the beautiful and artistic building. ... They have departed widely from the stereotyped style of store building, the structure having more the appearance of an old-world dwelling than of a modern place of business. ... W.R. Yelland, the architect, describes the building as rural European. It has all the appearance of northern Europe."

Uniquely situated on a vertiginous Russian Hill lot, 1135 Green St. is one of three homes that make up "Greencliff" and is a historic property created by an influential San Francisco architect in 1908. For sale now at $2.995 million, this Tudor-inspired condo offers vintage appeal as well as modern innovations - including a striking underground garage that could easily accommodate the Batmobile.

"When I toured the Winchester-Merriman house in Los Altos, I was very excited to see a number of features identical to those in Sarah's home, both inside and out," Boehme said in a release.

Designed by the architecture firm Buchman & Deisler in 1898, this neoclassical townhouse features a limestone facade and original wrought-iron grille, protected from alterations.

The property, originally built around 1892, was a water tower that provided water to steam engines along the California coast and was decommissioned in 1980.

The transformation of the Flatiron Building into residential units marks a pivotal moment for this iconic landmark, with plans for 38 condos set for completion by 2026.