Shiloh Chapel

There is a lovely Art Déco church near my house called Shiloh Chapel. It's quite small but I personally think it's one of the prettiest churches in our city. (You know how I feel about Art Déco!) The congregation takes great care of this little chapel. It's hard to get a good picture of it, because it sits on a very busy corner, and as you can see, there are large trees in front of it. The other day I just happened to be waiting at that intersection for a green light, and I just happened to be at exactly the right angle, and the light just happened to be quite lovely, and I just happened to have a camera with me. Bingo! Finally got a picture of it after all these years of living only blocks away. Such a pretty church.

End of an Era

Like many cities, our downtown has undergone a renaissance or two. Or three. Our first organized "redo" took place in the 1960s and '70s, before I lived here (we moved to Colorado Springs in 1979). A number of old historic buildings were razed, replaced by some mid-century coolness and some not-so-cool brutalist behemoths, most of which remain. A clutch of mid-century movie theaters managed to hang on into the 1980s, but have long since been replaced or repurposed into office or retail space -- one is even a climbing gym now. The lone downtown movie theater survivor is this lovely little gem, probably built in the 1930s and somehow managing to escape the wrecking ball as the decades passed. It was always known as the Peak Cinema, and had really started to decline when it was saved by Kimball Bayles in the mid 1990s. He restored its original Art Déco glamor, started serving wine and desserts, and immediately set it apart from the big multiplex cinemas by featuring independent, arty films. It was an instant success, and in a way it kind of brought downtown more to life. Every city should have a theater like this, a place to see off-the-beaten track films, movies that don't feature car chases or explosions. Movies that make you think.

Kimball died last month of cancer. I did not know him personally but we had many friends in common. His passing sent a ripple of shock and sorrow throughout the community. The cinema is still closed. I truly hope that this isn't the end of it.

The Philanthropy Collective

I drove by one of my favorite Art Déco buildings the other day and saw this. The building has been recently rehabbed, for better or worse, but at least it's not decaying or under threat of being torn down for ugly apartments like my beloved old Art Déco Elks Club (I have murder on my mind because of that). Anyway, I didn't know what the The Philanthropy Collective was all about, so I looked them up. Their description is a little oblique, but at least on the surface it reads like a cool mission if they're on the up and up. But looking at the list of organizations, for starters the Gazette and the Anschutz Foundation jump out at me, and not in a good way. And the Pikes Peak Real Estate Foundation has me suspicious too, when you look at how badly developers have taken over our city, unchecked. I'm just so jaded by extremely right wing organizations here masquerading as a quasi progressive looking "philanthropic" outfits, when ultimately their collective goal seems to be dragging all of society backward into the Middle Ages. So I reserve judgment (and I'm also not saying those organizations have such a nefarious end game in mind, although the name Anschutz always sets off alarm bells for me -- and Anschutz owns the Gazette). Bah! Just glad that one of my favorite buildings will live on, I guess.

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Our beautiful Fine Arts Center, an Art Déco gem erected in 1936, looks especially heroic in strong winter light. When I drove past it a few days ago I was compelled to stop for a picture --its form reminded me of Ansel Adams' 1929 “Church at Ranchos de Taos”.

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An Art Déco detail on the beautiful Gold Room, next door to the Mining Exchange on Nevada Avenue downtown.

An Art Déco/Art Moderne Gem on the CC Campus

This is a building that I've never paid much attention to, and I don't know why that is, because if you read this blog regularly you know that I'm a big fan of the Déco period in design and architecture. The building is called the Frederick H. Cossitt Memorial Hall and it was built in 1914. It was added to the National Historic Register in 1997, and deservedly so. I really love the façade. I've never been inside but it'd be fun to explore it sometime.

Road Trip to Durango (Part 7)

I mentioned yesterday that Pat and I made a detour to Farmington, New Mexico to see a Muffler Man. Afterward, we took a quick tour of the town's bustling downtown, where we spotted tons of old Art Déco and mid-century buildings and signs, along with other cool stuff. Here are some pictures of what we saw. Tomorrow I'll post more, and on Friday I'll show you some images from our drive home.

A favorite

This is my favorite Art Déco building in town. We don't have many left from that era (I guess most of them were demolished and replaced in the 1970s, sadly), but this one at 305 E Pikes Peak Avenue still looks glorious and retains all of its fabulous Déco details.

Skywatch Friday

Last week I went to Lakewood, part of the Denver metro area, to do some engagement portraits at Belmar Park and the Lakewood Heritage Center. I remember having done engagement portraits there before, some time ago, but it had been so long that I'd forgotten what a cool place it is! The Lakewood Heritage Center (right next to the park) is a museum dedicated to 20th century, historically Lakewood-specific artifacts. Part of their permanent collection includes several lovingly restored old buildings from the early to mid-twentieth century. I loooooove Mid-Century Modern, and if you're a regular reader of this blog, you know how I feel about Art Déco -- I can't get enough! So it was a real treat to rediscover Belmar Park and do some portraits there. Between shots of my clients Melanie and Ben (which you can see HERE, if you're curious), I was able to get a few snaps of the buildings for you. One of these days I'll have to go back there when I'm not on a photography job and just enjoy all this great stuff.

For more Skywatch Friday pictures from bloggers everywhere, click HERE. Have a great weekend!

The white building in the background is a tiny old hotel. You can peer through the windows to see the rooms decorated in 1950s décor, including a cool old TV. In the foreground is an Art Déco era beauty shop with gorgeous, wrap-around glass brick. It's outstanding!

The small building on the right is a diner. Looking in the plate glass window, you can see the typical diner counter, complete with ketchup and mustard bottles, chrome stools, the whole nine yards. It's perfectly staged and looks exactly how you'd imagine an old diner would have looked in the 1940s. The Heritage Center has acquired another old diner, which has been placed across the street from these buildings (just outside the frame of this photo). It has yet to be restored but I can tell it's going to be the coolest thing ever once it's been spiffed up.

Another view of the hotel. There is apparently also an old barn and maybe even a farmhouse in the collection, but I wasn't able to photograph them. Next time!

The hotel sign does light up at night.

And last but not least, this silly goose, who fearlessly approached us at the lake and was clearly miffed when we didn't have snacks to offer him! If looks could kill! 😉

Las Vegas trip [Part 1]

Last Wednesday we drove 816 miles to Las Vegas for the 19th annual Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend. It was a blast! I plan to blog vacation pictures for the next several days, starting with these photos taken on the first two days of the trip. The photo above was taken west of Denver on I-70, between Idaho Springs and Copper Mountain. So funny -- those bighorn sheep were in someone's yard! Now that's not something you see every day.

It's always gorgeous driving west on I-70! This is (I think) west of Vail, nearing Glenwood Springs. As you can see, we still have plenty of snow in the high country.

It takes about 11 hours to drive from Colorado Springs to Vegas. We were pretty wiped out when we got there late on Wednesday night, but the next day we were ready to do some exploring. After checking with the convention, we decided to drive to Hoover Dam. What a cool place! This is one of a pair of heroic, winged Art Déco statues, designed by Oskar J.W. Hansen, that adorn the dedication plaza.

I guess I have a healthy fear of heights, because I was definitely hesitant to go all the way up to the wall to take pictures. I had to inch my way into position! By the way, that's the Colorado River way down there. It's also the border between Nevada and Arizona. Oh and yes that's a bridge way up there in the background. People were walking on it and driving across. (Oh hell no.)

Hoover Dam was built in the mid-1930s and controversially named after unpopular president Herbert Hoover. By the time it was completed, he had been out of office for a couple of years. The stock market crash of 1929 and subsequent Great Depression occurred during Hoover's presidency, and he was a strong proponent of prohibition. No wonder he wasn't reelected!

Don't worry, Hoover Dam authorities, I have no desire to get up on that wall!

No sir, not getting on the wall, no thanks. (Gaaaaah!)

If you're a regular CS Daily Photo reader, you know how much I love Art Déco! Hoover Dam's architecture and design elements made me swoon!

Take a step to the left and you're in Nevada. A step to the right, you're in Arizona.

Art Déco is so beautiful!

This large relief by Oskar J.W. Hansen is dedicated to the workers who died in building the dam. There were 112 fatalities officially associated with the dam's design and construction, and dozens more deaths attributed to "pneumonia" that were probably actually due to carbon monoxide poisoning. The companies that employed the workers likely didn't want to be on the hook for those casualties, so they found a way to blame pneumonia instead.

I finally get to be a tourist, and what do I do? I take photos of tourists! Actually, this lady was making it hard for me to get a picture of the dedication plaza, so instead I took a picture of her taking a picture of the dedication plaza.

The Peak Cinema by night

Kimball's Peak Cinema is the only movie theater still operating downtown. For generations you could have your pick of where to catch a movie downtown, but over the years, as giant mega-plexes sprung up in the more suburban areas of the city, all of the older movie theaters closed down, until by the late 1980s only the Peak was left -- and it was hanging by a thread, showing second run flicks for a dollar (I saw "Weekend at Bernie's" there two nights running, it was so affordable! Don't judge. I still think that movie is hilarious.). At some point in the '90s a guy named Kimball bought the Peak, rehabbed it, and made it respectable again. Now the Peak is known for showing the smaller, more arty films, though occasionally they do show a blockbuster. Oh and they serve wine and beer, which is something you'd be hard-pressed to find at any big mega-plex around here. Seeing a movie at the Peak is a treat! As a photographer, I've done many a downtown photo shoot using its iconic sign for a backdrop, but I've never photographed it on its own by night. I really love this beautiful old Art Déco building and its cool neon sign from another era. It's a downtown landmark.

The Fine Arts Center by night

Our beautiful Fine Arts Center, an Art Déco jewel built in 1936, is photogenic both by day and by night. These photos were taken on Wednesday night around 8:45pm. The photo below of the new wing makes it seem as if the FAC is illuminated by colored lights, when in fact it's actually the varied color temperatures of the many different kinds of lights that are creating the effect. To the eye, the lighting looks white, but in photos (especially long exposures like this), the color temperatures show up as various shades of green, yellow or orange.

Spencer P's hot wheels

This gorgeous Cadillac sedan (looks like a 1937) once belonged to Spencer Penrose, who built the Broadmoor Hotel. Mr. Penrose had many cars but surely this one must have been a favorite. Just look at that gorgeous Art Déco Streamline Moderne styling! It was a treat to see it proudly on display in front of the hotel last Friday. What a beaut! They sure don't make 'em like this anymore!

This is actually a composite of  two very wide angle shots, so it's a bit distorted. You can see my trusty red PT Cruiser in the background. It's obvious that designer of my car took his style cues from this Cadillac's era. My ride may not be nearly as elegant, but it's a good car for a working photographer! :^)

Road trip to Texas (part 2)

Today's pictures were all taken in Marfa, in far west Texas (nearly in Mexico, actually!). With a population of only a couple of thousand, this tiny town evolved into an artists' community after Donald Judd moved there in 1972. Over time, he purchased and rehabbed a large number of empty properties in the town and surrounding area, making it not just a home base for his family, but also a series of studios, personal libraries, and meditative spaces. In addition to commercial buildings, he essentially acquired an entire decommissioned military base outside of town that had been unused since 1945. All of Judd's acquisitions were rehabilitated to his exacting aesthetics and repurposed into art and gallery spaces, including a public institution for the arts called The Chinati Foundation. Thus today's Marfa is a curious balance of decrepitude and modernity; a fantastic architectural hodgepodge of late 19th century Spanish haciendas, angular Art Déco beauties, and Mid-Century Modern sleekness and kitsch. I LOVE IT. True, there are many old buildings in advanced states of decay, but that only adds to the beauty of the place. Much of Marfa has been lovingly and creatively restored, hewing carefully to each building's original period but somehow completely modern and cool at the same time. There are almost no modern-day structures at all.

Pat and I were so excited to finally see Marfa, we didn't even bother going to our hotel first. We just drove and walked around for a couple of hours, taking pictures of everything we saw. Here are some of my favorite images of my first impressions of this fascinating town.

The Chinati Foundation, Donald Judd's legacy.

Many of the buildings in town bear the name Judd. This one houses the Judd Foundation. I couldn't stop taking pictures of it.