Tag: Historic

Bisbee, Arizona – January 2023 – The Shady Dell

Architecture, History, Transportation

Bisbee, Arizona is an eclectic little city that has for more than 100 years been a mining town. In addition for the last 40 years it has been a tourist town focused on their thriving artist community. As a result you get some really funky places like the Shady Dell.

The Shady Dell amazingly dates from 1927, when it was started as a motor court for the traffic that was going across county on U.S. 80, long before the interstates.

Today the Shady Dell is home to a number of permanently parked vintage campers that you can rent out for the night.

The Shady Dell’s environment encourages a sense of community.

If you are hungry Dot’s Diner is part of the setting for breakfast and lunch.

The trailers are scattered about, giving you a peaceful setting.

To add to the atmosphere there are a few old cars and trucks sitting around.

For a bit more luxury they offer a restored bus.

For those who love the water, this 1947 Chris Craft yacht is the ticket. Sorry no water, it’s Arizona.

The Shady Dell is truly one of those funky places that you must make a stop at. If you want to stay overnight, plan ahead, rumor has it they are booked up 6 months in advance.

Douglas, Arizona – January 2023 – Gadsden Hotel

Architecture, History

Our last stop in Douglas is the historic Gadsden Hotel.

Completed during the Douglas boomtime of 1907, the hotel was destroyed by a fire in 1928 and rebuilt by the same architect who designed all the other important buildings in town, El Paso architect Henry Trost.

It is a majestic building for such a small town.

Legend has it that Pancho Villa rode his horse up these stairs, resulting in a chip in the 7th step up. How, you say, can the staircases have damage from Pancho Villa, who died in 1923, when the hotel burned in 1928.

They, along with the columns, survived the fire.

The painting at the top of the stairs is titled Cave Creek Canyon – Chiricahua Mountain by Audley Dean Nichols.

Bisbee resident Michael Page is a set designer who has done significant work in Hollywood, and has used these staircases as inspiration for a set he completed for the Oscar’s.

In addition to being inspirations, it has been featured in movies, including the Paul Newman movie The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean.

The 42′ long mural at the top of the stairs was completed by Ralph Baker – who was a Tiffany protege.

The columns have gold leafing on them.

A closer look at one of the skylights.

The hotel still uses the old school keys, waiting behind the receptionist desk.

Adding to the overall retro feel is the shoe shine stand, telephone booths and water fountain.

There are conquistador statues gracing the staircase.

The Cafe 333 is the onsite restaurant. It too has the panache to match the rest of the hotel.

In addition to the restaurant they have the Saddle and Spur Tavern.

The Gadsden Hotel is a real treasure of Southern Arizona.

Douglas, Arizona – January 2023 – A Historic Border Town

Architecture, History, Transportation

The town of Douglas, Arizona was founded in 1905 as a copper smelting center. It sits directly on the border, across from Agua Prieta Sonora Mexico. For decades the two towns functioned as one.

As with most towns and cities in Southern Arizona it has a history of Native American, Mexican and European cultures.

The town very early on had an airport that attracted cross country flights, including Amelia Earhart who stopped by during a 1929 Women’s Air Derby.

It was known as the world’s first international airport since the runway crossed the border – not anymore.

The town has many historic buildings, including the former El Paso and Southwestern Railroad depot at the north end of town. It now serves as the police headquarters.

Completed in 1913 it is said to have an impressive interior, but sadly we were unable to see inside.

The Avenue Hotel consists of two buildings. The left one is made of adobe and dates from 1901. The one on the right is a 1915 brick building.

It is now a B & B.

The 1919 Grand Theater was the center of cultural events for Douglas. While it closed as a theater decades ago, it is in the process of being restored, albeit slowly. This is understandable given the significant cost for such a small town.

The Brophy Building was completed during the boom years in 1907. It was designed by famed El Paso architect Henry Trost.

It too is waiting for someone with the love, and money, to restore to it’s former glory.

This small building has had a varied history. Another Henry Trost building, it was completed in 1913 as the Airdome Theater.

It closed as a theater and became a Chevrolet dealership in the 1920s. The depression took out the dealership and it became a supermarket.

In the 1940s it became a USO canteen serving the thousands of soldiers from a nearby Army Air Corp training center. Later it became a real estate and insurance office. Today is still serves as a financial advisor’s office, and a copy center. They should call it the cat building as it seems to have had 9 lives.

Our final stop in Douglas is the Gadsden Hotel, which is featured in the next posting by itself.

Douglas is a pleasant little city with some interesting history.

Chicago – December 2022 – Cultural Center

Architecture, Art, History

The very impressive Chicago Cultural Center started out life as the Main Chicago Public Library. Despite the plethora of legendary Chicago architects this building was designed in the late 1890s by the Boston architectural firm of Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge.

The details are immediately evident as you enter from the Washington Street entrance and start up the staircases.

The main circulation room when it was a library is now known as the Preston Bradley Hall. This room features the largest Tiffany glass dome in the world.

A second view looking straight up with the light in the center, changing the look and coloring of the dome.

At the north end of the building is the Grand Army of the Republic dome. This 40′ diameter dome was designed by Healy & Millet. It contains over 50,000 pieces of glass in a Renaissance pattern.

The Chicago Cultural Center has free admission and a number of exhibits, none of which are as impressive as the building itself.

Provo, Utah – September 2022 – Signs, Signs Everywhere There’s Signs

Art, History, Museum, Transportation

Like most cities Provo, Utah has a sign ordnance dictating the size and placements of advertising signs. Fortunately the Lakeside Storage Facility is either not in the city of Provo, or has an exemption as they have an amazing collection of petroliana (items relating to the gasoline industry).

We happened upon this place just after they opened their office for the day. The young lady in the office said that we could walk around all we like!

But it is not just signs they have….

There are multiple small airplanes on top of the storage units.

Most of the signs date from the 1940s through the 1970s, in various states of condition.

A few old cars and trucks are included in the collection.

They have another area across the road with more signs, but it was under construction and off limits. Still – who can resist Elvis and Marilyn on a flatbed truck outside the gate.

The Lakeside Storage and Sign Museum on the west side of Provo, Utah is one of those funky places that is a must for me!

Sonoita, Arizona – August 2022 – Empire Ranch

Architecture, History, Nature

In the high grasslands of Southern Arizona lies the Empire Ranch. This ranch at it’s largest covered 180 square miles, larger than the city of Philadelphia. While there are still some cattle still on the land, it is mostly a nature preserve.

Located between the Whetstone Mountains and the Santa Rita Mountains, the land lies at 5000′ in elevation, providing enough rain for the grassy fields to support the cattle.

In addition the Cienega Creek runs through the ranch, providing nearly year round water.

It is not normally this green, Southern Arizona has had an active monsoon season, and everything now is very green.

The original homestead is maintained by a non profit group called the Empire Ranch Foundation. Among other things they maintain the house, and additional buildings.

The home, as well as most of the buildings, is built out of adobe and wood. Many have had a skim of stucco added later.

Inside the ranch house, and attached other buildings, there is a collection of items from when the ranch was active including a butter churn, cowboy spurs and other items.

This view shows evidence of the original adobe walls.

With the green grass, and the old outbuildings, it felt as though you were in the midwest, as long as you ignored the 7000′ to 9000′ mountains in the distance.

This structure is known as the saddle drying barn.

One final look at another of the old adobe buildings before we head off to the next adventure….

Tucson – August 2022 – Ignite Sign Art Museum

Art, History, Museum

In a non descript building in a non descript light industrial area of Tucson you will find a collection that will light up your day, the Ignite Sign Art Museum.

The museum is owned by Jude and Monica Cook, who have had a local sign company for over 40 years. They have amassed a great collection of historic signs from Tucson and beyond.

Outside is a collection of larger signs.

Inside is where the collection really shines.

In the back of the museum they offer neon making demonstrations.

The Ignite Sign Art Museum is well worth the stop.

Boise, Idaho – May 2022 – Old Idaho State Penitentiary

Architecture, History

A cold, wet Memorial Day in Boise with little to do lead us to one of the few things in town open that day – the Old Idaho State Penitentiary. I am not sure why, but we have visited a number of these type of places over the years.

This complex is quite small, likely due to the small population of the state over the years.

Some of the buildings didn’t even have roofs.

The facility housed men, women and youth in the same complex, but in different buildings. This is the youth section

Springfield, Illinois – April 2022 – A Brief Stop in Lincoln Town

Architecture, History

A recent road trip to Chicago and back meant the need to have a few brief hour or two stops in various places. The first stop on the way west was Springfield, Illinois.

Springfield is the state capital, as well as the home of Abraham Lincoln (one of many towns in the country that make that claim).