I have been to London multiple times and each time I am driven to walk by or drive by Buckingham Palace. The tradition, royalty, dedication and celebration this building stands for is amazing to me. Although we live in such a different political world in the United States I admire parts of their governmental system of having royals.

This is the home to the British Royal family. The detail, size and security of this palace is truly inspirational in person. Many renovations and changes have been made throughout history but the architects to list a few are John Nash, Ashton Webb, William Winde and Edward Blore. he interior of the building I have only seen from pictures but has stayed true to the regency style.

The royal place is powerful and a statement in England. The structure is as influential as the family. This structure is about tradition and the United Kingdoms history. It is the events that are traditional and continue to occur that make this building to interesting to me. The changing of the guards and the infamous garden parties are just two events that are held traditionally at the palace that I admire.

After seeing this architecture and building at a young age it still stands as one of my favorite to this day!

My first encounter with the Pantheon was when I was about 11 years old. This building is not only overwhelming in size and scale but also in detail. I remember stepping inside the doors and being overcome with the precision of the dome ceiling. This building is important to me because it was not only one of the first buildings I toured when traveling to Europe but it ignited my love for design.

This building is recognizable by many for one of the most outstanding forms of ancient roman architecture. After being rebuilt again the first commission for this building was said to be Marcus Agrippa and the second to be emperor Hadrian. The most outstanding feature to this building in my opinion is at the highest point of the oculus, the dome, to be a hole that is open. This not only saves weight for the heaviest point of the domes ceiling but allows sunlight to transcend the interior of this well preserved around 128 A.D. building.

The purpose of this inspiring building was so to be a temple for the gods but its main use now is to be a museum to resemble its great history. Its purpose in my life is that it started my interest in exploring what it takes to make a building. The structure, the details, the interior and they way a space makes you feel. Looking back my experience at such a young age would but such a different experience now if I went tomorrow. Learning about history changes us and architecture has changed me for the better. I am now an interior design major!

I know this ancient building impacts all people in different ways and will continue to do so for years to come.

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The town of Bath got its name from the structure you see above. These are Roman baths originally constructed in 60 AD. The Romans believed in the healing properties of the waters and used them for luxurious heated and chilled spas. As you walk through the structure you notice a hodgepodge of architecture. The overwhelming theme is classically roman. There are Columns, bocks, marble, and symmetry. However, the baths have been modified several times. In the 12th century a bath was added in the King’s Spring reservoir. In the 16th century the Queen’s Bath was added to the south of the spring. Ultimately, the Bath is now housed in an 18th century building made by John Wood. The structure surrounding the building is quintessentially Georgian.

While I was disappointed I could not swim in the murky green waters I was astonished by the structure. It was excavated in the 18th century to reveal the true expanse of the Bath houses. today we can walk right along and up to the same pools Roman’s did over 2,000 years ago. I was amazed by how similar and clean the entire system was to our modern world. I found it interesting that they used lead pipes to channel warm water into the bath.

As I finished my stroll along the baths I noticed a large line accumulating to “take the waters” from the natural spring which the romans used for centuries. I was so excited to try this mythical water of Bath. After 5 minutes of waiting I took a cup, and I could not have been more disappointed. I drank a warm sulfur smelling liquid, and immediately regretted it. At that moment I decided it was for the best I didn’t swim in that water.

As I toured the museum and the ruins of the Bath house I was truly amazed by the elegance of such an ancient structure. You could still see tools, and detailing of all the architecture. My conclusion was this. No matter how far we travel in history we are still connected in our humanity. The romans just like us today enjoyed rest and relaxation.

When I was working in England I bought a season pass to take the underground. Included in that pass was a round trip to anywhere in the UK I would want to go…by train. I flipped through the options, and I thought about Wales. It looked boring. I thought about Scotland, and realized very quickly I would’t be able to understand anyone. Then I happened on this old tourist town by the name of Bath. It is named so because of the Roman-baths that still exist there to this day. In the Georgian and Victorian era of England this was the premiere place to visit for any person of status to rest and relax.

After 4 hours of trodding along the British country side we finally reached our destination. The area was green, but rather unremarkable. I never bother with guided tours, and therefore I decided to go for a walk, and get lost for a moment. What no one told me was how many hills were in this town. I walked through a park, and up many hills until I reached what appears to be the center of this beautiful place.

The Royal Crescent stands as the epitome of Georgian Architecture. This is a row of 30 townhouses connected in the center of bath that overlook one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen. It’s design reflects the classical Greek and Roman concepts of symmetry with elegant ornamentation of its time. Although it was finished in1774 it is still in use to this day. House 1 has been turned into a museum, however many of them are still residential homes. What I could not believe was the price each one fetched. The most recent sale was for 6.5 million pounds (around 8 millions USD). The sheer amount of stone involved in making this monument was jaw dropping. I loved so many aspects about it. The timeless design created homes I would want to live in. I loved the live-able aspect of a community park literally off your front doorstep. The green and lighting made for a home and connected feeling. I decided to have a lunch that day sitting in this park. As I laid against one of the few trees I saw couples talking, children at play, and everyone in between enjoying their day. People had done that in this place since before we were a country, and hopefully will continue living there long after. For anyone wanting to visit England I highly recommend Bath.

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June 23, 2016

Through the marred plexiglass window I watched the fervent debates that would decide the fate of my country. The House of Commons was practically empty except for the few up and coming PMs who wanted to make a name for their oratory prowess. Ornate wood paneling surrounds the room, and is diminished by the green leather chairs of this room. By the time this time the word fascist was being thrown around as though it was going out of style. My vote had already been cast, and my mind had been made. I decided to retire into the halls and go for a walk before I made my way back to the House of Lords.

For a thousand years these halls have held some of the greatest orators the world will ever know. An empire was forged and slowly dismantled from within these spires of stone and glass. The Palace of Westminster is one of the most awe inspiring buildings I have ever encountered. Its design and architecture dignifies the respect the history its halls hold. I was working that summer for the Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne in the House of Lords. The building was nothing short of stunning. As I left the House of Commons the spires reached toward the heavens. I walked into the great hall and I felt as though I was teleported back to the middle ages. The wood arches were made of entire trees each. The stone was cold and stark. At the end of the hall a giant window brought light into the entire room. Walking through the halls there is a timeless classical feel to the entire building. One can’t but an exact date to the architecture but it bleeds England. There are warm notes of wood, carpets, marble, and paintings that erupt every era of British greatness.

That day I took a longer stroll than I normally wood. I knew the significance of this vote. Brexit would decide the fate of the UK for generations to come. When I reached the house of Lords I was greeted by a seemingly more elegant wood, and a delicate ornamentation of gold around the room. The room was take by the golden throne representing the monarchy. Debates here were more cordial, elegant, and above all civil.

I left that evening out a back door of Westminster. I was so worried for weeks after lobbying to remain that England would crumble before my eyes. After walking through that building I understood. We have been here for a thousand years. This house of parliament has been burned down to the ground, bombed out, and attacked. Every time it has been rebuilt. It along with England would withstand the test of time.

This is the most important building from the second half of my high school career. OSSM is essentially a boarding school, and this was the first major building I encountered as an incoming student, the dorms. There are four wings with three floors each (two wings per gender) and each floor developed its own micro community. It represents one of the most grueling and fun times of my life for me. Since we were essentially trapped on campus all week, we would spend most of our time either doing schoolwork or messing around in the residence hall. I’ve meet some of my best friends here and bonded over the struggles of the rigorous workload at OSSM. Although it might have been considered a prison at the time, due to the strict conditions and literal bars on the windows, upon reflection it was one of the most fun time of my life all due to the communities that formed in the building. It might have sucked at the time, but now I only think of it fondly. Who knows, that might just be Stockholm Syndrome.

Image: Taken from the OSSM website (OSSM.edu)

The day is January 1st, 2017. I am in Pasadena, California. I am driving through the heavy traffic towards the San Gabriel Mountains. I get out of my truck and am surrounded by a sea of crimson walking towards the mountains. All of a sudden, I look up and see the two iconic words on the outside of the stadium: Rose Bowl. As I walk through the long tunnel to get to my seats, I feel as if I am walking in the colosseum in Rome. At the end of the tunnel, I am greeted by a bowl full of fans that are ready to watch a big football game. Everything about Rose Bowl Stadium is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life and is a place that I believe every person needs to visit at least one time in their life.

The Rose Bowl Stadium was built in the early 1920s and has served as the home of a variety of sporting events, including the annual Rose Bowl Game, Super Bowl games, and World Cup soccer games. The architecture of the stadium is a combination between the architecture styles from Greece and Rome. As stated earlier, I felt as if I was walking into the colosseum in Rome to watch gladiators fight. The walk through the tunnel almost sends you back in time to the Roman Empire.

If you have ever been to the stadium, you may notice that the stadium has not had many renovations made to it aside from implementing a jumbotron at one end of the stadium. There aren’t many additions being made to the stadium, whether it is seating, concessions, or anything that would impact the structure of the bowl. The Rose Bowl Stadium carries itself on tradition and that is why it is truly one of the greatest venues in all of sports. I hope that no changes will be made to the stadium because of its rich history and tradition. With its excellent location, you are able to watch the sun set behind the San Gabriel Mountains. Out of all of the venues that I have attended, the Rose Bowl Stadium is the one that I believe every single person needs to visit.

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Close your eyes and think for just a minute. It’s the second Saturday of October and you are at the State Fair of Texas. You are greeted by Big Tex as you walk into the fair. There are people riding carnival rides and children winning carnival games. You are surrounded by the aroma of Fried Oreos and Fletcher’s corn dogs. You look at your watch and realize that it is time for the classic Red River Showdown between Oklahoma and Texas. As you walk through the fair to watch the game, you look up to see the iconic Cotton Bowl Stadium and all feels right in the world.

The Cotton Bowl Stadium was built in 1930 and has been the home of major football games, including the Red River Showdown and the Cotton Bowl Classic. The stadium’s architecture has an Art Deco style, which was popular during this time and many buildings at the time were built in an Art Deco style (i.e. the Empire State Building). It can hold over 90,000 fans and is currently among the largest stadiums in the United States. Over the years, the stadium has made renovations to ensure that the Cotton Bowl remains in use for many years to come. However, as far as the Red River Rivalry is concerned, that very well may not be the case.

In the past decade, there have been complaints that raise concern that the stadium may not suitable to host the rivalry game for much longer. The foundation underneath the bleachers have been decaying after years of students standing on the bleachers to cheer on the Sooners and the Longhorns. Although the necessary renovations were made, the age and structure of the stadium may cause the end of the rivalry game to be played in Cotton Bowl Stadium. The rivalry is scheduled to remain at Cotton Bowl Stadium until 2025, but the future of the rivalry game being held in the famed stadium remains unclear.

There has been speculation that the rivalry game will eventually be moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. AT&T Stadium, built in the early 2000s and the home of the Dallas Cowboys, has more benefits to hosting the game as opposed to Cotton Bowl Stadium. Whether it is more seating, more innovative kinetic architecture, or more concession stands, it would be no surprise if the game were to soon get moved to Arlington. The stadium hosts a variety of events, including NFL football games, concerts, and ironically the Cotton Bowl Classic.

Nevertheless, Cotton Bowl Stadium has rich history and tradition. The feeling I get every time I step foot onto the State Fair of Texas is indescribable and is a feeling I hope to have for years to come. I believe it is truly one of the greatest venues in all of college sports because of its tradition. Unfortunately, an Art Deco styled football stadium may eventually be replaced by a football stadium with much more innovative architecture.

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