Historic Architecture

 

Titanium Palace

Paper, ink, wood glue

13"x15"

Castillo De San Marcos, 1672

The fort was constructed in 1672 to defend the Spanish residents from a pirate attack. Queen Maria of Spain ordered the fort to be built to defend the colony and protect Spanish ships.

https://www.nps.gov/casa/index.htm#:~:text=Built%20by%20the%20Spanish%20in,450%20years%20of%20cultural%20intersections.

St. Augustine Main Post Office, 1937

The current version of the post office was constructed as a replacement for the late 19th-century building. 

https://tools.usps.com/locations/details/1380277?utm_source=google-my-business-url&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=yext

For this sculpture, I utilized design elements from both historic architectures, but predominantly from the Castillo De San Marcos, or "the fort." While bricks are used in both structures, they are used predominantly decoratively for the post office, whereas the fort utilized them for defense and to uphold an integral structure. For my sculpture, I wanted to have bricks be a decorative element while still providing visual interest and the illusion of heavy structure to the model. The majority of the inspiration was drawn from Castillo De San Marcos, most prominently the cylinder shape with windows in the center to create negative space. I drew additional inspiration from the post office and the unique stair structure integrated into the lobby entrance, as displayed above.

Once Upon A Dream

Paper, balsa wood, wood glue

14"x21"

Lightner Museum, 1888

The building was constructed to house the extensive artwork collection of Otto C. Lightner. Before it was a museum, the building was the Alcazar Hotel.

https://lightnermuseum.org/history/

Casa Monica Hotel, 1888

The Casa Monica is one of the oldest hotels in the United States and is a member of the Historic Hotels of America in the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The hotel was built in 1888 by Franklin W. Smith, a Victorian Architecture enthusiast.

https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/casa-monica-hotel/history.php

For this sculpture, I primarily utilized design elements from the Lightner Museum with minor influences from the Casa Monica Hotel. The Lightner Museum's use of pillars and heightened structures connected by a horizontal strip in the foreground of the building was the primary influence for my sculpture. The towering pillars with thin, sharp points inspired the fantastical and regal inclusion of the flags. The Casa Monica hotel's rigid and rectangular pattern lacing the tops of the highest structures inspired the similar lace lining the tips of the rectangular and cylinder towers in my sculpture, in addition to the ladders climbing the outermost sides of the pillars in my sculpture.

Historic Architecture

Castillo De San Marcos

Visual Details

• From a top-down view, the building has a symmetrical appearance and a unique shape that is unable to be viewed unless you are suspended from above.
• The building is extremely angular with hardly any organic shapes, the only ones present being cylinders perched at the top of every corner where walls meet at a point.
• The building is entirely monochromatic, the only color present being a grayish white that makes up the materials used to construct it. 

A Brief History

• The fort was constructed in 1668 to defend the Spanish residents from a pirate attack.
• Queen Maria of Spain ordered the fort to be built to defend the colony and protect Spanish ships.

Lightner Museum

Visual Details

• The museum has a symmetrical silhouette.
• The roofs are stark reddish copper while the rest of the building remains cream white, which provides a good contrast.
• There are small, rounded windows on almost every flat surface of the building.

A Brief History

• The building was constructed to house the extensive artwork collection of Otto C. Lightner.
• Before it was a museum, the building was the Alcazar Hotel.

Casa Monica Hotel

Visual Details

• The varying heights of the towers provide a unique silhouette.d
• The walls have varying depths and protrude at different amounts, giving the perimeter a unique shape.
• The corner towers have pointed tips and sharp roofs, whereas the walls have divets lining the top.

A Brief History

• The Casa Monica is one of the oldest hotels in the United States and is a member of the Historic Hotels of America in the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
• The hotel was built in 1888 by Franklin W. Smith, a Victorian architecture enthusiast.

St. Augustine Main Post Office

Visual Details

• Archways surround the majority of the perimeter bordering the outside wall.
• The white arched walls and the vibrant red brick of the inner walls constructing the main room provide a good visual contrast.
• The inside lobby has a circular stairway leading up to the main floor.

A Brief History

• The current version of the post office was constructed in the 1930s as a replacement for the late 19th-century building.

Sculpture 1 - Sketches 1 & 2

Sculpture 2 - Sketches 3 & 4