San Luis Valley

I recently returned from a windy and dust-caked trip to the San Luis Valley.  Inspired by a book by writer and photographer Robert Adams, The Architecture and Art of Early Hispanic Colorado, written in 1974, I drove through the small towns and even smaller hamlets in the southern San Luis Valley taking pictures, quaking in the sand-filled winds and feeling a rush for architecture and place that I have been sorely missing.

I have lots of photos, mainly of the variety and typologies of small chapels, including the remarkable roofless chapel in Las Mesitas.  Over the next couple of weeks I hope to do a little more research and post some of the images and some thoughts about this oldest of vernacular architecture in Colorado.

By the way, if you don't know how flat and relentless the central valley can be:

(I don't recommend this photo technique as you drive as you can't see at all where you're going.  Mind you, not a lot of traffic out there.)

its a beautiful day

we only have a few months here where the hillsides are really green.  The golden brown color of dry grass, summer through winter, gives way briefly to the lush greens of Spring.

Sunshine Canyon A-frames

I am working on a remodel and addition to an odd A-frame hybrid house at the base of Sunshine Canyon, just west of Boulder.  The original house, built in 1964, was designed by architect Richard Brown.  Brown designed a number of these modified A-frame houses, mostly around Boulder, before he later took that form and proceeded to design churches.

After a little research, I found an article in the Sunday Denver Post from May 10th, 1964, that shows another of these houses.  The article goes on to talk about the number of steeply-sloping building sites that were being constructed on in Boulder.  In an interesting and prescient harbinger of a kind of critical regionalism, the article, written by Ellen Bull, goes on to say,

"...in nine cases out of ten, Boulder house designers actually are determined by the terrain."

"among the assets which builders and architects emphasize are the many days of sunshine, both summer and winter, the mountain views, and the fact that the mountains are close enough to use and enjoy."

"As each builder or architect finds the answers to these questions, in his own individual way, he develops a building not quite like any other anywhere.  The very difficulties he faces stimulate his imagination and ingenuity."

Well said.  In 1964.  It is a shame more of the subsequent building in and around Boulder did not heed that advice as we have more than our share of suburban McMansion boxes awkwardly grafted onto steep mountain sites.

(window mullions reflecting the shape of the pine trees beyond)

Our work will be removing some of the interesting features of the house, but as the whole house is in such bad shape, we will see what can be saved and what we can echo in the new construction.

city of steel - Chicago

I was at a jobsite earlier today and was watching one of the tradesman prepare some raw, exposed steel for final finishing.

steel almost always makes me think of Chicago

tough, uncompromising

city of steel, city of the blues

For some reason I have been thinking alot of Chicago as well.

In the Loop, the curbs are occasionally made of steel.  Those same curbs are granite in Boston, concrete in New York and most other cities.  But in Chicago, especially right out in front of the Inland Steel Building, the curb is steel and the concrete is formed to it.  Straight from the rolling mills of Gary to the Loop, Michigan pig iron, forged and fired in the blast furnaces along the shore of the Lake.  Earth, Wind, Fire and Water.

tractors - National Western Stock Show

Last weekend my family and I went to the Stock Show in Denver.  Amid all the cows and horses were an amazing collection of antique tractors.

Hard to get much more beautiful than these.

for Jim

Boulder's mystery artist

Many of you who live in Boulder may have read the Daily Camera stories about the mystery artist whose works have shown up at various places in the city.  It is an interesting, ongoing story that many would like to solve.  I think there have been two large works installed without the knowledge (or consent) of the property owners:  a tall columnar sculpture in the yard of Donna Coughlin and a even larger piece mysteriously installed in the front lawn of the Boulder History Museum:

The City of Boulder has removed the later piece while it decides what to do with it.  However, most other recipients seemed thrilled to have the works, many of which were directly mailed to them.

The Daily Camera and apparently a number of citizens are ardently on the trail of the artist and a prime suspect has been identified.  I don't have any illusions about the number of viewers of these blog posts or my ability to persuade, but I would like to send out an appeal to resist the urge to uncover the name and nature of the artist.  Clearly part of the work is in its delivery, mystery and surprise.  We should consider ourselves lucky to receive such gifts and we should take pleasure in display and appreciation of art in environments that are a far cry from stolid galleries and museums.  Please let this be - take it as a nice, soaking rain in Boulder - rare, beautiful and much-needed.

(all photos from the Daily Camera)