St. Peter's Cathedral

Marquette is home to the beautiful and historic St. Peter's Cathedral. This church, with its twin domed steeples, sits upon one of the highest points in downtown Marquette and can be seen from afar. The building is lovely both inside and out, and is built from area sandstone.



The inside of the cathedral, looking toward the altar.



Looking toward the choir loft and the organ. The floor is made from beautiful tiles.



The steeples are adorned with colorful terra cotta tiling and stylized angels.



The cornerstone was laid in 1881 following a blaze that destroyed the first cathedral on the spot. A second blaze gutted the cathedral in 1935, but restoration started the following year. The domes were added to the top of the steeples at this time, hence the reason why the figures are depicted in an Art Deco style.

To read a full history of St. Peter's Cathedral, visit this site.

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The Bank of Lansing

Yesterday, we were in Lansing -- to see Stephanie's artwork displayed in the office building of the Michigan House of Representatives. Bravo, Steph!

One of the more notable buildings downtown is the Bank of Lansing. Now Comerica Bank, it was completed in 1931. It's a 15-story limestone structure, decorated in a fanciful and exotic art deco style. A pair of elephants guard the main entrance, while both animals and symbolism of local significance adorn the façade.

And, just in case... it's a fallout shelter too!

Labels: art deco, lansing, ornamentation

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Small Things

It's been kind of rainy here in Marquette for the past couple of days -- with more rain in the forecast for tomorrow. I don't mind the rain, but walking to class in it isn't my cup of tea. Personally, I'd rather have it snow -- but we'll be having a surplus of that in only a few short weeks. Anyhow, I digress. Yesterday -- before it started to drizzle -- I biked downtown to get some fresh air and take a few photographs along the way. I saw some pretty cool houses, but I'll wait to post any photos here until I've got a substantial series going. The sky being quite overcast, yesterday was good for photographing architectural details.



One of the few art deco buildings in Marquette



The Harlow Block, which has some great detail



Small details on the Landmark Inn



Interesting window treatments on the former Nordic Theatre, now Book World



A red window frame set in red sandstone

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University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History

One nice thing about having an older university in town is that established colleges tend to showcase beautiful architecture. The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is no exception, as its campus is full of many gorgeous buildings, including several museums. Besides the Kelsey Museum and the Art Museum, which will be featured on this blog in due time, U of M also has the wonderful Exhibit Museum of Natural History.

The Ruthven Museums building, which today holds not only the Exhibit Museum, but also the Museums of Zoology, Paleontology, and Anthropology, was completed in 1928. While the architect was Albert Kahn, much of the ornamentation -- including the two pumas that guard the entryway -- was executed by Carlton Angell. Built in the Classical Revival style (with a touch of Art Deco elements sneaking in), the museum is four stories tall. Less than half of the building is open to the public; the rest is devoted to research and housing the collections.

Two large Ionic columns stand above the main entrance.

The building is beautifully decorated, both inside and out. The rotunda features a coffered ceiling covered in gilded plaster rosettes; travertine Doric columns flank the graceful staircase. The exterior of the museum is embellished with many playful creatures, some fantastical and others scientifically accurate.

The lovely decorations above the main entraceway, sculpted by Carlton Angell.

Surrounding the doorway, many strange fauna can be seen, including the basilisk, a serpent, and a bird.

Delightful details can be found on the museum's wrought iron grills.

The front doors are decorated beautifully, all the way down to these tiny griffins, only a few inches off the ground.

These mythical creatures are sculpted into the platforms that hold the pumas. Currently the pumas are gone -- they are being cast into bronze and won't make their appearance until the spring of 2007.

. . .

The next time you visit the Exhibit Museum, take time to observe all the exterior ornamentation on this building -- not only around the front entrance, but on the sides of the museum, as well. You will find some surprises!

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