Growing up playing Minecraft made me always want to go build bases wherever I went. My parents knew this so whenever we visited my grandmother in Colorado we stopped at Bishop Castle. As a twelve year old seeing this whimsical castle it blew my mind and probably still would today. Bishop Castle is a cobblestone creation made by Jim Bishop who built it by himself excluding some help from his father. Seeing someone accomplish what I loved to do at such a grand scale was inspiring, Exploring each room within the castle and reaching the topmost parts of the castle made my visit there so much fun. I distinctly remember the roof being the coolest since it had bridges connecting the towers and provided a vantage point to admire the mountainous landscape near by. While I didn’t end up pursuing architecture, I hope I end up helping at some level with the construction of buildings and I attribute some of that desire to my visit to Bishop Castle.

Something I did not recognize as twelve year old was the castle’s defiance to the government. Jim Bishop had many legal disputes with the law in relation to his castle. From the rocks he used to its structural integrity, Bishop Castle stood for Jim Bishop’s political opinions which consisted of anti-government rhetoric. If you ever visit this interesting castle you can expect to see many political signs upon the property.

The Gateway Arch was the 9th National Park I’ve had the opportunity to visit. While the title of National Park is interesting for the arch, the monument is simply awe-inspiring. Walking through the city district of St. Louis to the lush paths within the park, I was amazed when the Gateway Arch came into sight. I always find it impressive when something exceeds expectations and the arch did exactly that for me. Leading up to this visit I reread Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief because in that novel the main characters visit and go up into the arch. Also I had completed a final project for my solid mechanics class where I had to conduct structural analysis for the arch under high wind loads and earthquakes. I thought my expectations wouldn’t be met because of these experiences with the Gateway Arch but that wasn’t the case. Taking the tram up to the highest point was such a fun experience and it felt just like a theme park ride! I spent hours afterwards in the museum since it had tons of great information involving all aspects of the arch. I would highly recommend visiting it if you happen to be passing by St. Louis since you can enjoy a lot of it in just an hour or two.

The use of 304 stainless steel gives the Gateway Arch a futuristic look that is toned down by the natural arch formation. The arch is modeled after an inverted, weighted catenary which is simply how a rope or vine would rest when connected between two points. The arch uses the largest amount of stainless steel for a single project thus giving it an exclusive look. My favorite monument now is the Gateway Arch because of its unique presence. I look forward to driving by it again and remembering how I amazed I felt being towered by it.

The Nash Library is USAO’s study hub and home to the best library cat Addison. My first encounter with this building was the summer after my sophomore year of high school. I remember feelings of uneasiness and determination during that first encounter – I had finished attending my first college lecture as I was taking chemistry there for dual enrollment credit. After the lecture, I headed to the library to spend time studying for not only my class but the ACT. Entering a place full of individuals much older than me made me feel nervous and worried, but I knew I needed a place to effectively study. My main objective was to use the summer to best prepare myself for the ACT so that I could get the scholarship OU provides for a getting a 34. I was determined to get that scholarship as it would help me immensely to afford college. The inside of Nash Library was not very welcoming with the bare concrete walls and minimal nature light. However, each day it grew on me since it helped me to focus on studying and ultimately helped me achieve my goal.

The design of the Nash Library is not what sticks in my mind when I think about the building. I remember the function and purpose it provided to me. When discussing buildings and their impact on individuals, I believe what the space provides can be more important than how the building appears. I imagine this is the case for athletes who look fondly back on their old practice facilities. I will forever remember the feeling of success after a day of studying when I left the library and was rewarded with petting Addison who was always basking in the setting sun.

At first glance the Chickasha Quality Academy appears lack luster or even oppressive, but I am only filled with nostalgia and happiness when I look at this building. When I first encountered the Quality Academy, it was a moment full of excitement and optimism. My robotics club finally was approved to move to a bigger room and the Quality Academy was that new location. This meant we would have more room to house more members and a brand new opportunity to fix our organization that had only gotten worse over the years. Looking back now I find it extremely interesting how this was such a positive experience for me and how each time I went to that building it was almost always a fun time even if it was for pulling an all-nighter to work on our robot.

The history of this building is extremely interesting as its different purposes probably invoke different feelings than the ones I have for it. Originally it was a car dealership which the large display windows on the far right still exist as a hint to this. It was then turned over to the Chickasha Public School District to be used as the Quality Academy. This was the school district’s school for special needs children. The Quality Academy was then relocated and the janitorial and maintenance crew took over the building, who still use the building today. A few rooms were given to the Chickasha Robotics Team in 2016 who still uses it today as well. It is impressive to me that the structure of the building has not been changed since it seems today that we knock down so many places rather than just repurposing them. It is also interesting to think about the different experiences people have had with this building. From the janitorial workers to special needs children, the feelings people associate with the Quality Academy must differ from mine of nostalgia and happiness.