Casa Rustici was designed by Guiseppe Terragni and Pietro Lingeri. The residential building was built from 1933 to 1935. The building is located in Milan, Italy, and has become an example to rationalist architecture. The apartment building was designed in the beginning as two separate buildings, but were built perpendicular to the street. The buildings were then connected by a balcony. The architects then focused on using a grid of pillars and walls of the structure to showcase white marble. The building is 19,550 cubic meters, and consists of six floors and the ground. Floors 1-5 house apartments while the top floor houses the villa and the basement houses offices and garages.

Novocomum, one of the most popular buildings in Como, Italy, was built designed by Giuseppe Terragni. The apartment building was built from 1928-1929, and was given its name by Novocomum of Olgiate Comasco, the real estate company. The apartment building consists of a quadrangular lot and two short sides. The building’s foundation is made of reinforced concrete pillars, and it is built in the form of an inverted “C” leading to the street. The building’s main entrance is at the center of the front of the building and is 63.50 meters long, with the entire building being symmetrical. The building consists of five above ground floors, and eight apartments on each floor. The building also has a flat roof that is used as a terrace. The building was supposed to be traditional with a classical facade, but during construction the building an avant-garde building. Giuseppe’s work was initially considered for demolition, but quickly rose as an icon in Italian architecture.

The Mitchell house was built in 1968 in Dodge City, Kansas. It was designed by Bruce Goff. It was modeled using Asian influences, which was much different than the surrounding architecture at the time. The building features a lot of angular geometry and sloping roofs. This is my favorite of Bruce’s projects; the sloping roof into the ground reminds me of the entrance to a hobbit hole, albeit above ground.

The second project which we will explore by Benjamin Henry Latrobe is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also called the Baltimore Basilica. The Basilica was constructed between 1806 and 1863. This was the first Roman Catholic Cathedral constructed in the United States. It was also monumental as an example of expressing religions freedom after the ratification of the United States Constitution.

When exploring the design of the cathedral we can see the neoclassical influence across the Latin cross plan. The plan united longitudinal axis with a domed space. This is a major departure from previous American church designs, but honors traditional European cathedral design.  

When examining the exterior one can see on the main facade classical greek porticos with ionic columns in a double hexastyle pattern. The onion shaped domes atop the two towers were entirely a new design by Latrobe. The outside dome was constructed of stone from a nearby town. Thomas Jefferson suggested a wooden double-shell dome. Latrobe created a hybrid with the inner dome created out of a classically detailed masonry hemisphere.

The interior is occupied by a massive dome of the Latin cross plan. This creates a centralized effect. Latrobe created a much more light filled interior by adding a sophisticated system of barrel vaults and shallow saucer domes. This strikingly contrasted previous Gothic designs.

The Basilica has stood the test of time for over 200 years, and will continue to see millions more visitors. Its was designed to last a thousand years like the European Cathedrals it was modeled after. One must appreciate the history and firsts created from this work.

The Bavinger house was a building completed in 1955 in Norman, Oklahoma, designed by Bruce Goff. It is considered a prominent example of organic architecture. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places and 2001 and removed from the register in 2017 after it was demolished. In my opinion, I think the design of the house is very interesting and cool; I really like the ascending spiral connected by supporting lines. The house looks very unique, unlike anything I’ve seen before.

The Ledbetter House is a historic house located on Brooks street in Norman, Oklahoma. It was built in 1948 and is now owned by the University of Oklahoma. It is on the Nation Register of Historic Places. The most prominent feature is the suspended carport at the front of the house. There are also rooftop patios located at the top of the residence. As of right now, the residence is private.

For this series of Blog Posts we will explore the design and function of the works of Benjamin Henry Latrobe. The first project we will explore is the Bank of Pennsylvania otherwise known as the Second Bank of the United States. This was the first introduction of Greek revival in the United States. This highlights the forward thinking and reasoning behind Latrobe’s designation as the Father of American Architecture. Looking at the bank one can see the quintessential design associated with financial institutions across the United States. When a person thinks of a bank, they most likely imagine a building that resembles the Second Bank of the United States.

The bank was originally created as a private corporation with public duties in 1816. It handled all transactions of the United States Government, and was supervised by Congress and the Treasury. The federal government owned 20% of its capital, and 80% was owned by four thousand private investors. Most stocks of the institution were owned by a few hundred wealthy Americans. I find this similar to our current status of wealth where a few hundred individuals own 80% of the nation’s wealth. In its time, the Second Bank of the United States was the largest monied corporation in the world. The bank was created to stabilize small banks which provided credit on easy terms to speculators.

Congress finally passed a law chartering the Second Bank of the United States, which was created to help the national treasury out of its uncomfortable financial situation and to regulate the currency. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Second Bank started out with $35 million in capital, a fifth of which was provided by the federal government. The Bank served as a place in which the government could deposit federal funds, including tax revenues.

This was designed with Strickland as the essence of the Parthenon in Athens. The quintessential greek revival style is seen in the north and south facades. One can see the main level platform called the stylobate. There are also eight Doric columns. This makes the building appear like a Greek temple, and give it its name. Construction lasted from 1819-1824. The Greek Revival style directly contrasts the Federal style of the First Bank of the United States. The federal style has Roman-influenced Corinthian columns and a roofline topped with a balustrade making it appear more like a roman villa. Looking at this project one can appreciate the detail of both, and look forward to the innovation produced by Latrobe.

The Boston Avenue Methodist Church is a church designed by architect Bruce Goff. Finished in 1929 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, it is considered a shining example of Art Deco architecture. Bruce designed the church in tandem with Adah Robinson, an art teacher at a Tulsa high school. The church includes a tower that utilizes finials and crockets. At the top is a sculpture that represents two hands raised up in prayer. It uses many mixed materials, including metal, glass, and terra cotta. A piece of stone from the church is embedded in a wall of the Chicago Tribune Building.

The University of Toronto’s Graduate House is a student housing and an academic facility designed by Thomas Mayne in 1997. The building forms a pathway to the campus and establishes a noticeable identity for the University. Its exterior allows for the intense demands and requirements of college classrooms as well as the variety of amenities needed for student living. There are two main components to the building being a ten-story block on the eastern edge of the site and a seven-story block along the western edge. These two parts wrap around one another creating a fluid environment for academia. Elevators alleviate the high density and fast pace nature of college settings. This also creates more room for student learning rooms. Windows all along the inside of the building grant students and faculty with visual access to the surrounding urban environment as well as the courtyard the structure is built around. On the streets surrounding the building, there are retail spaces that encourage public activity and seamlessly envelope the building so that it fits right into the heart of the city while not disturbing daily traffic and commerce.

https://www.morphosis.com/architecture/15/