Tag Archives: Buildings

White House

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White House

A very white house.

  • The White House is the home of the United States president in office and his family, in addition to being the work place of the president and his staff, and has been the home of all the presidents, since the second president and its first occupants, John Adams and his wife.
  • The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC, United States and sits on over 18 acres (7.3 hectares) of land, and the site was chosen by the first president, George Washington.
  • The White House was designed by Irish architect James Hoban, and building started in 1792 and was not fully completed until the early 1800s, after President John Adams had already moved in.
  • The White House is a neoclassical style mansion that was inspired by the Leinster House in Dublin, Ireland and looks very similar to parts of the Château de Rastignac in France.
  • During its history, the White House has been called the ‘President’s House’, ‘President’s Palace’ and the ‘Executive Mansion’ and was called ‘White House’ by the public due to its white painted stone exterior, which US President Theodore Roosevelt made official, by using the name on his stationery in 1901.

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White House
Image courtesy of Damian Brandon/ Free Digital Photos
  • The White House has had numerous renovations during its time, including a major rebuild when the inside was destroyed by fire in 1814, by the British in the ‘War 0f 1812’.
  • The White House has generally been open to the public in one way or another since it was built, and has included self-guided tours attracting nearly 2 million visitors a year, until budget cuts closed the popular tourist destination in March 2013.
  • The White House has taken significant security measures to protect its occupants, which has included the closure and redesign of a portion of Pennsylvania Avenue and other streets surrounding the building, which has been closed to vehicles since the Oklahoma bombing in 1995, and at other times of potential threat, has been temporarily closed to pedestrians.
  • The White House contains 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 stairs, 3 lifts, 412 doors, 6 levels and 2 wings, a bowling alley and a 42 seat movie theatre, and the grounds contain a swimming pool, a number of gardens, tennis court, basketball court and a putting green.
  • The White House is featured on the back of the US $20 note.
Bibliography:
Inside the White House, n.d., The White House, <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/inside-white-house>
White House, 2013, Wikipedia, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House>

Saint Basil’s Cathedral

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Saint Basil’s Cathedral

Gazing… pretty.

  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral has many names, including, but not limited to, ‘Cathedral of Saint Vasily the Blessed’, ‘Protecting Veil of the Mother of God’, ‘Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat’, ‘Church of Intercession of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat’, ‘Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat’ and ‘Pokrovsky Cathedral’.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral is found in the city square known as Red Square in Moscow, the capital of Russia.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral is a group of nine churches or chapels, that sit on one foundation, and were built from 1555 to 1561.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral was believed to be the work of Barma and Postnik Yakovlev, and was ordered to be built by Ivan the Terrible (Tsar Ivan IV) who was Tsar of All the Russias and Moscow’s prince and ruler at the time.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral was built to commemorate Ivan the Terrible’s conquest of Kazan in 1552, which happened during the Feast of the Intercession of the Virgin, hence one of its alternate names.

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Saint Basil’s Cathedral
Image courtesy of Jose Calatayud/Flickr
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral is part of the Kremlin and Red Square UNESCO World Heritage Site which was listed in 1990.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral has many brightly coloured onion shaped domes that have many traditional red, white and gold colours as well as many other colours of the rainbow.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral’s structure is made of a traditional white stone foundation, and red bricks walls that contain wooden framework.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral has seen much renovation and restoration over the centuries, which includes major restoration by Ivan Michurin after a fire damaged the building in 1737.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral contains much symbolism and is said to have represented the Jerusalem temple, although the centre of Saint Basil’s Cathedral is now a museum and is open to public.
Bibliography:
Kubilius, K 2013, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, About.com, <http://goeasteurope.about.com/od/moscowtravel/p/stbasils.htm>
Saint Basil’s Cathedral, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Basil’s_Cathedral>

Tower Bridge

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Tower Bridge

Bridge of two towers.

  • The Tower Bridge is located in London, England and provides a major crossing of the River Thames.
  • The Tower Bridge is a suspension and bascule (meaning see-saw and balance) drawbridge and on average, it opens 1000 times a year, with 24 hours notice being required in writing if you wish to pass under the bridge with a vessel of 9.1 m (30 ft) or greater in height.
  • Originally the Tower Bridge was a greenish- blue colour, and at some stage it was painted brown, then in 1977 its new colour scheme became white, red and blue to celebrate Queen Elizebeth II’s Silver Jubilee Year.
  • The Tower Bridge is 244 meters (800 feet) in length, and the two towers, which are 65 meters (213 feet) high, are connected by two horizontal pedestrian walkways which were closed from 1910-1982 due to lack of use, and now house part of an ongoing exhibition about the bridge and its history and construction.
  • The motorway A100 Tower Bridge Road travels along the Tower Bridge, and on average, over 40,000 people cross the Tower Bridge daily.

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Tower Bridge
Image courtesy of Vichaya Kaitying-Angsulee/ Free Digital Photos
  • Construction on the Tower Bridge commenced in 1886, and continued for 8 years with 432 workers and only 10 fatalities, and was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 30th June, 1894.
  • Over 63,500 tonnes (70,000 tons) of concrete were used for the supports, or the piers, for the towers, and over 10,000 tonnes (11,ooo tons) of steel were used to make the steel frames of the Tower Bridge.
  • At the time, the cost of the Tower Bridge construction was £1,184,000 which is now equivalent to nearly US$152 million (£100 million).
  • The Tower Bridge has used an electric and oil driven hydraulic system to raise the bascules since 1976, although it originally used two steam powered engines, with an extra one added in World War II, for backup.
  • A number of accidents and incidents have occurred in association with the Tower Bridge, which have included planes and road vehicles, and includes a near miss for a bus carrying 20 passengers, when the bascules were opening one evening in 1952.
Bibliography:
Tower Bridge, 2013, Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Bridge>

Statue of Liberty

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Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty, the liberty statue.

  • The Statue of Liberty is a neoclassical sculpture, depicting a woman or goddess with connotations of freedom, and can be found on Liberty Island, New York, in the United States of America.
  • The Statue of Liberty was designed by sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi, and given as a gift to the United States by France as a symbol of liberty.
  • The exterior of the Statue of Liberty, known as its ‘skin’, is made from copper and was originally a copper colour, although after a number of years in the weather it gained a green patina, which is still present today.
  • The Statue of Liberty is 46 meters (151 feet) in height and weighs 204.1 tonnes (450,000 pounds).
  • The Statue of Liberty was originally built in France, and was dismantled into 350 pieces and then packed in 214 crates and carted by ship to America.
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Statue of Liberty
Image courtesy of Bill Longshaw/ Free Digital Photos
  • The official opening of the Statue of Liberty was on 28th October, 1886, and the statue has since become iconic of the United States.
  • The Statue of Liberty, originally known as ‘Liberty Enlightening the World’, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.
  • Gustave Eiffel, the designer and engineer of the Eiffel Tower, was one of the main engineers used by Bartholdi for the Statue of Liberty.
  • On the tablet in one of the hands of the Statue of Liberty, the date “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI” is inscribed, a reference to the day of United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
  • At the Statue of Liberty’s feet is a broken chain, and is the most overlooked feature of the statue.
Bibliography:
Statue of Liberty, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty>

Empire State Building

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Empire State Building

Big, big, big building.

  • The Empire State Building is a skyscraper with 103 floors, mainly consisting of offices.
  • The Empire State Building is located in Manhattan, New York, United States.
  • The Empire State Building is 443 meters (1453 feet) high, and was the first building to have over 100 floors.
  • The Empire State Building was constructed from 1930-1931, and with the property, cost $41 million.
  • The Empire State Building was named after New York’s nickname, the Empire State.
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Empire State Building
Image courtesy of Matti Mattila/Flickr
  • The Empire State Building is owned by 2800 people who have invested in the company, Empire State Building Associates L L C.
  • The Empire State Building is currently under renovation worth $550 million to make the building more ecological and to restore and enhance some of its original features.
  • The Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world for 40 years, from 1931 to 1972.
  • Over thirty people have committed suicide by jumping off the Empire State Building.
  • In 1945, an aeroplane crashed into the Empire State Building, due to foggy conditions, killing 14 people.
Bibliography:
Empire State Building 9 March 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Building>

Leaning Tower of Pisa

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Leaning Tower of Pisa

Don’t knock it over!

  • The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a tilted, free-standing bell tower that is part of Pisa’s cathedral.
  • The Leaning Tower of Pisa is located in the city of Pisa, Italy and is famous for its tilt to one side.
  • During the construction process in 1178, the Leaning Tower of Pisa began to tilt since the ground was too soft on one side to support the weight of the building
  • The Leaning Tower of Pisa’s height is 55.9 – 56.7 meters (183.3 – 186 inches) and has a total of 296 steps to reach the  top.
  • Before restoration in the late 1900s, the Leaning Tower of Pisa had a tilt of 5.5°, and after the restorations the tilt was reduced to 3.99°.

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Leaning Tower of Pisa
Image courtesy of Matt Banks/ Free Digital Photos
  •  The Leaning Tower of Pisa was built from 1173 – 1372 in three stages, although work stopped for more than 100 years during that time.
  • Since the Italian government was afraid of the Leaning Tower of Pisa collapsing, similar to another tower incident in 1989, they removed earth from underneath the tower, which helped to stabilise the tilting.
  • The Leaning Tower of Pisa has seven bells installed in the tower.
  • Since monitoring began in 1911, it was discovered that the Leaning Tower of Pisa was moving at 1.2 mm (o.o5 inches) per year.
  • No one actually knows who the true identy of the architect is, that designed the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Bibliography:
Harris, W n.d, Will the Leaning Tower of Pisa ever fall?, How Stuff Works,   <http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/will-leaning-tower-of-pisa-fall.htm>
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