Paper Architecture & Buildings

Students at the University of Virginia Law school created a replica of the law school building out of rejection letters.  Reader Joe K. sent me this tip. I wrote previously about an artist who created 3D buildings out of business cards. Other paper architecture includes greeting cards. Or, you can create your own pop-up architecture cards with these books: 

Paper Magic: Pop-Up Paper Craft: Origamic Architectureand    Pop-Up Origamic Architecture

Skylines, Cityscapes, Building Compilations

You’ve seen them. Souvenir replicas of grouping of city buildings made together on one base. The skylines or cityscapes are usually not an accurate depiction nor to scale, but rather a compilation of famous buildings in that metropolis. New York City must have the top the list of most different types of cityscapes. The pot-metal, made-in-Japan, souvenirs from the 1960’s are not hard to find (see photo above). However, when you look closely, you’ll notice small variations in either the base or which buildings are represented.  The Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty are omnipresent in these, but sometimes you’ll see a bridge, the U.N. or Rockefeller Center. Larger cities usually have skyline souvenirs – Chicago, Paris, D.C., Boston, Baltimore, Toronto, and Quebec – while others are surprising like St. Louis and Plymouth, Mass. Any city with a large tourist draw may have them. Some are older like the large and detailed replica of NYC, Paris and D.C., while others are more recently made and usually produced in pewter.

Architectural Building Bookends Available

I searched the Internet to find building-shaped bookends available online. Made of various materials like metal or resin, these pillars, pavilions and pediments create stylish parentheses that add panache to your architectural books. Check out the links below. 

Cyan Design Pagoda Bookends in Gold Leaf (Set of 2)

Sydney Opera House Book Ends Bookends Australia

Historical Wonders "The Alamo" Book Ends Bookends

Great Wall Of China Sculptural Book Ends Bookends

Historical Wonders Mount Rushmore Bookends

Empire State Building Book Ends Bookends NYC New York

Historical Wonders Golden Gate Bridge Bookends

Roman Arch Of Constantine Bookends Book Ends
TMS P5642D-18 Bookends - Colliseum

Historical Wonders Taj Mahal Bookends Book Ends

St. Basil's Cathedral Bookends Book Ends Russia

Historical Wonders Mount Rushmore Bookends

I previously wrote about other building bookends.

Old Taylor Distillery Souvenir Building

The Old Taylor Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky seems to have at least two building replica versions. Most common is a pot metal coin bank with a copper finish. The other, a gold-colored presentation piece mounted on wood in a glass showcase. This piece was made as an award and the plaque reads, “Presented to Charles E. Davis at the National Distillers Biennial Sales Conference on August 16, 1961 for outstanding performance in the control states during the Old Taylor Year." Both seem to be from the same mold and the presentation replica may be painted or finished in gold rather than copper. Also made was a ceramic replica of the distillery as a liquor bottle / decanter. 

Animated Architect ABC Video

Do you know you're ABC's of architects?  If not, you will after watching this video.
The ABC of Architects from fedelpeye on Vimeo.

Building Doorway Souvenir Replicas

When is a door not a door? When Its ajar. That’s the old riddle that makes me think of souvenir coin banks and other replicas which just represent a door. From a bronze doorway bookend to a ceramic Asian entryway, souvenirs sometimes just depict part of a structure.  Other examples include the front of the Worchester Federal Savings Bank made by Banthrico and an antique brass doorway of a Norwegian bank reproduced as a coin bank. Do you know of other souvenir doorway replicas?

Chrysler Building Souvenir Miniature Replica

The Chrysler Building, an iconic Art Deco skyscraper in New York City, is renowned and recognized for its terraced crown. At 1,046 feet (319 m), the structure was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. There were at least 4 different, cast metal, miniature souvenir Chrysler Buildings produced in the 1930's - a paperweight, a pencil sharpener, a lighter, and a pencil weight. At least 3 of these were cast in a variety of finishes. All are scarce. One of the best are those produced in the 1930's by New York City based Kronheimer and Oldenbusch. These were made in 4 finishes - silver, copper, brass, and gold. The 4 sides of the base read - "Chrysler Building; 77 stories; New York; Height 1,046 feet". Monumental Miniatures #113. The silver souvenirs may be the earliest of the group, perhaps made to coincide with the building's opening in 1930 (K&O produced a silver-plated replica of the Empire State Building for that tower's opening in 1931).  An especially scarce (and mysterious) variant of the K&O Chrysler was cast in 1948, after K&O had gone out of business. This brass finished replica, apparently cast from the K&O mold, reads around its base "Calvert's Destiny; First in America; Asbury Park '48; Empire Division." Calvert's Distilleries occupied an office in the Chrysler Building during this period, perhaps this miniature commemorates a New Jersey meeting in the late 1940's. Scarcer than the K&O Chryslers, though marginally less satisfying, are the silver-plated, Japanese-made lighters and German-made, silver and gold painted pencil sharpeners. Especially intact K&O replicas retain their original felt bases and K&O logo trademark sticker. Scarcest and smallest of all is the Japanese produced pencil weight. In the 1990’s a company called Cornell Creations reproduced the Chrysler Building in metal with at least three different finishes – silver, copper and gold. Identifying the 1930’s replica from the 1990’s replica is easy, but only if you have both to compare. They are both the same size, but the antique version has crisp details, while the newer has blurry edges as if the finish is soft and melted. Check out side-by-side photos below and see for yourself.