News

Times Change in 1883 August 19 2015

This is the eighth installment in our series of posts comparing significant events from a year in United States history with a few of our unique architectural plans from the same period.  1883, the topic of this installment, subsequently marks the eighth year of the American Architect and Building News' existence.

Click on the pictures to find the plans below in our store! 

On May 24 of 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City opened to the public after 13 years of construction.  The bridge connected Manhattan and Brooklyn, stretching over a mile across the East River.  Just six days after it's opening, a stampede on the bridge occurred over rumors of the bridge's collapse, causing 12 people to be crushed in the resulting chaos.  This design for the New York Produce Exchange by R. M. Upjohn would have been located nearby in Manhattan, and any Brooklyn or Long Island producers would now have an easy way to reach it and sell their wares.  Upjohn is well-known for his Gothic Revivalist style, spurring the movements popularity in the country.

New York Produce Exchange, New York, NY, 1883, R. M. Upjohn

 

November of 1883 brought along the founding of universal time zones throughout the United States.  The idea was put forth by the U.S. and Canadian railroad companies as a better means for planning arrivals and departures for their trains.  Though the boundaries for the zones looked much different than they do today, the establishment of these ended much confusion throughout the nation with regard to scheduling.  This combination United States Court House and Post Office designed by Jas. G. Hill in Quincy, Illinois would have benefited much from the zones' creation, as the Postal Service would have had a much easier time keeping their schedule.

 

 

 


Architecture Comes of Age in the US in 1876 August 04 2015

The American Architect and Building News, which began in 1876, signaled that architecture was becoming a full fledged profession.  When looking at buildings built in specific years, it's interesting to find out what was happening at the time.  In this series of postings, we will note some of the interesting events that took place while some of the buildings that appear on our website were being built.  In 1876, for example, the first electric dental drill was patented, the first recorded hockey game was played in Montreal and the first shutout in baseball was achieved by Chicago (1) over St. Louis (0).  

Click on the pictures to find the plans below in our store!

In Philadelphia, the Centennial Exposition celebrated the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  It was the first event of its kind in the United States, and was visited by over 10 million attendees.  The plan below depicts the headquarters building built for the state of New Jersey during the event, one of many built for each state.  This one was designed by Carl Pfeiffer.

 

Elsewhere, the leader of New York's corrupt Tammany Hall political organization, Boss Tweed, was extradited to New York City for prosecution after being captured in Spain.  Here's a plan by Cornwell & Maynicke for the new city hall built in Brooklyn, just a short walk over the East River from Tweed's usual stomping grounds.