The "My Favorite Architecture In The USA" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Opened my email folder on my desktop iMac and began reading the multitude of mail I get every day.  I clicked on one that had a title of "Favorite pieces of architecture in the USA" and began looking at what the author of the article picked as his favorite building in each state.  All were very interesting, but I picked out my favorites and though I would share them with you.  Five of the places I have visited or have seen in my lifetime and I also found them to be remarkable.  My list is just as the author had made his list...in alphabetical order.  Perhaps you too have had a chance to visit a few of my picks and maybe after seeing the architecture that follows, you may be inspired to visit a few.  For those living in another country, if you ever visit the USA, you may want to stop at one of these buildings.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is located near Sedona, Arizona.  It was designed by one of Frank Lloyd Wright's students, Marguerite Brunswig Staude.  It juts out from the colorful red cliffs with the large stained glass window overlooking the Verde Valley. Click on photos to enlarge them.

This is the Air Force Academy Chapel located just north of  Colorado Springs,  Colorado.  This is a fantastic example of modernist architecture.  The Cadet Chapel is an iconic symbol of the Academy and features 17 spires with 100 identical 75-foot-long tetrahedrons.

The Center for Human and Civil Rights is located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.  Being a Philadelphia Phillies fan, it was hard to type that last sentence since the Braves are one of the arch-rivals of my favorite pro team.  This remarkable piece of architecture connects the American Civil Rights movement to today's struggle for global human rights.  This building was designed by the same architectural firm that designed the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

This is the USS Arizona Memorial located in Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.  I have stepped on this memorial twice in my life and each time it was a very moving experience.  Beneath the memorial rests 1,102 sailors who were killed in the December 7 attack on Pearl Harbor.  It is tough not to shed a tear or two as you stand, looking into the surrounding waters of the memorial.  It was built in 1962 and since that time close to 120 million visitors have set foot on its deck.

I love the look of this modern building.  It is the Visual Arts Building of the University of Iowa located in Iowa City.  Students of the University as well as visiting artists exhibit their craft ranging from ancient metalsmithing to VR technologies.  The original building was destroyed in a flood and was replaced in 2008 with this piece of art.

Wouldn't you love to have a library in your town that looks like this one that is located in Baltimore, Maryland.  It is part of the Johns Hopkins University and opened in 1878.  It is known as the George Peabody Library and has five tiers of cast-iron balconies that rise to a skylight that runs the entire length of the room.

Many people don't think of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri as a piece of architecture , but the 630-foot monument deserves to be recognized for what it really is...the tallest free-standing piece of art in the world.  Is sits on the Mississippi River and is a tribute to the American spirit.  

Even Montana made my list of favorite architectural designs.  This is the Cathedral of Saint Helena and was designed by architect A.O. Von Herbulis to look like Vienna's Neo-Gothic church, Votivkirche.  Building began in 190 and was finished in 1914.  The spires rise 230 feet above the street and can be seen all over Helana.  The stained glass windows came from Bavaria and tell the Christian story from the fall of Adam and Eve to the early 20th century.

This is the coolest building in Nevada.  I can't imagine what the crew that had to build this place thought when they saw the architectural drawings.  It is the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.  It was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry and opened in 2010.  It is located in Las Vegas.

During one of our vacations to the Caribbean, Carol and I flew into New York on the way home.  As we approached the New York airport we could see from our plane windows the skyline of New York City.  One World Trade Center stood out as it was meant to do so.  This fantastic piece of architecture is also known as the Freedom Tower and is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center Complex that was destroyed on 9/11.  It is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and was designed by the same firm that planned the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.  It is 104 stories tall and opened in 2014.

How could anyone drive past this piece of architecture and not notice it?  It is the Longaberger Company Headquarters in Newark, Ohio.  The companies the world-leader in quality hand-made baskets.  But, the sad part of this place is that the company no longer uses it for their office.  It has set vacant since 2016.

Ah, my favorite!  Naturally, since it is Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous architectural  designed house located in the Greater Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania.  Mill Run is home to Fallingwater, the home that looks like it is floating about a 30-foot waterfall.  He designed it in 1935 and was completed two years later.  One of its greatest features is the gravity-defying cantilevered balconies.

One more place that I have visited in my lifetime.  After getting married in 1967, Carol and I took a trip up the east coast on the United States from our home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Along the way we made a visit to what is known as The Breakers which is located in Newport, Rhode Island.  The architects were told to design an Italian Renaissance-style palace inspired by the 16th century palazzos of Genoa and Turin.  The manor was completed in 1895.  What I remember the most about the place was that it had both hot and cold regular water as well as salt water in the main bathroom.

No, this is not the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.  It is the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee.  It is a full-size replica of the ancient landmark.  The original Parthenon in Tennessee was part of the state's Centennial Expo in 1895-97 and remained after the expo closed due to its popularity.  But it fell into ruin and was replaced with the current one.  In 1990, a 42-foot-tall statue of Athena was added to the temple's interior.