. . . or at least Birmingham. It is days like today that I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to work at a great architecture firm. Today, I had the chance to tag along on a little field trip to see a historic home on top of Red Mountain.
For those of you who have visited me, I have no doubt driven you to my favorite vantage point in the city nestled among the mansions on Red Mountain. Well, not too far from my scenic drive, in fact, only a few blocks away, is the historic home of Theodore Swann, an industrialist who built an enormous home to signify his new-found wealth in the late 1920s.
But you don't want to hear all the history - to my original point - I love seeing historic architecture! There is something so great about seeing a home that was built with such care and attention to detail. Some of the research I did on the home after seeing it referenced it as a mansion, even a castle, and it was every bit of one (all the way down to the creepy corridors and urban legends, ha). There was even a room that reminded me of the cathedrals from the 1400s that I saw on my trip to Wales. I can't believe that a family with young children uses it as their primary residence. It isn't exactly my kind of cozy little cottage, but the craftsmanship is something to be amazed by nonetheless.
Here are a few images I found online, mostly of the back terrace. If you're ever in town I'm more than happy to drive you by this beautiful house. I could look at the homes here for hours!
The home was open as part of a promotion for a college that teaches traditional building skills. There were people my age demonstrating skills like casting plaster, iron-forging, and hand-carved wood. I was really impressed by their passion for keeping the trades alive.
I can't wait for Tours of Homes to begin so I can scope out more great architecture!
For those of you who have visited me, I have no doubt driven you to my favorite vantage point in the city nestled among the mansions on Red Mountain. Well, not too far from my scenic drive, in fact, only a few blocks away, is the historic home of Theodore Swann, an industrialist who built an enormous home to signify his new-found wealth in the late 1920s.
But you don't want to hear all the history - to my original point - I love seeing historic architecture! There is something so great about seeing a home that was built with such care and attention to detail. Some of the research I did on the home after seeing it referenced it as a mansion, even a castle, and it was every bit of one (all the way down to the creepy corridors and urban legends, ha). There was even a room that reminded me of the cathedrals from the 1400s that I saw on my trip to Wales. I can't believe that a family with young children uses it as their primary residence. It isn't exactly my kind of cozy little cottage, but the craftsmanship is something to be amazed by nonetheless.
Here are a few images I found online, mostly of the back terrace. If you're ever in town I'm more than happy to drive you by this beautiful house. I could look at the homes here for hours!
I can't wait for Tours of Homes to begin so I can scope out more great architecture!
