Buy Souvenir Building Replica of New Bedford Whaling Museum

Did you know a pewter souvenir building of the New Bedford Whaling Museum’s Bourne Building is available from their online gift shop? 

Gift Guide: Souvenir Buildings & Architectural Accoutrements

It’s that time of the year again…time to think about gifts for family and friends.  I searched for some new items of interest to architectural fans. 

Erase your troubles away with Design Ideas Eraser City New York - Set of 3 Buildings - White

This towering treat will satisfy your sweet tooth:

Empire State building,e, New York Empire State Building, Souvenir Gift, Solid Milk Chocolate, New York Landmark

Replica of a Polish Castle Handcrafted Marble 3D Building of Wawel Hill - Colored

New York City’s Gorgeous Replica of the Famous Saint Patrick's Cathedral

A stylish building pen & pencil holder: ARCHI Pencil Holder Classic Series Type 01

King Kong’s greatest movie role can now hold your kitchen roll: Kong Tower Kitchen Roll Holder - King Kong & Empire State

There are some holiday-related Downton Abbey / Highclere Castle replicas.

Check out other gift guides I wrote previously: 

Toys Gift Guide 

Gift Guide 2011

Gift Guide 2009

Gift Guide 2008 

Souvenir Shopping in Europe: Steven C’s Report

Fellow collector Steven C. also traveled to Europe and added a few buildings to his ever-growing collection. “My wife and I did almost the same trip about 18 months ago and had the same discovery that most of the buildings offered are resin. We did not do Germany, but did the other 3 countries. Above is a picture of what we found in gift shops, antique shops, and flea markets. I usually don't buy resin, but I did buy one of Schonbrunn in Vienna. On the front row, the Egyptian ashtray I found at the Escheri Flea Market (thanks to Bob Curtiss recommendation) in Budapest along with the 3 Russian buildings on the back row (large silver metal and 2 glass ones). The St. Stephen's Basilica from Budapest is sandstone. The next 3 are St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna - the first plastic sold in the bookstore of the cathedral and the other 2 metal found at street vendors. Then the resin Schonbrunn Palace from Vienna. On the back row, the first 5 are all metal - the first 2 are the Petrine Hill obs tower (Prague's Eiffel Tower), the next one is the Astronomical Clock from Prague, and then 2 versions of Budapest's Liberty Statue (only saw these at one high end gift shop right across from St Stephen's). Next are the 3 Russian pieces and then one we got for our son in Amsterdam on our layover flying home.” – Steve C. 

What Not to Buy When Traveling? I Beg to Differ.

I'm sure building collectors will agree with my disagreement with CNN's travel writers who suggest avoiding the purchase souvenir buildings when traveling. Check out number 6 in CNN's photo gallery. Julio T. sent me this tip and link. The writer points out what not to buy with a long list, but no suggestions of what you should buy. Yes, sometimes travelers buy too much junk when visiting countries, landmarks and cities. But, if you're a collector of these items you make a beeline to the gift shop in search of an addition to your collection. I wrote previously about a New York Times piece  also discussing travel souvenirs.

Texas State History Museum Building Replica

Souvenir replicas of the Texas State History Museum are available from their online gift shop. According to the site, the replica "is made of specially blended stone-like clay that has been air-dried and hand-tinted." It measures 4.5"w x 2"h x 2"d at base. The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in downtown Austin, Texas, tells the “Story of Texas.” Also available from the same website are replicas of the Alamo and the Texas State Capitol building.

Souvenir Gift Shops in DC

As the seat of the federal government, Washington, D.C.’s largest industry is paperwork and red tape. The second must be tourism. Especially in the spring and summer, droves of school groups invade the area. These tourists seek out knowledge, culture, history … and souvenirs to take home. However, DC’s souvenir shops are not concentrated like they are in New York City’s Times Square. In Washington, you’ll find gift shops in most museums, art galleries, historic buildings and even some monuments (the Lincoln Memorial has a small shop to the right as you are facing Abe and another downstairs under the great seated statesman.) The offerings in these shops vary greatly and many offer unique gifts that are related to and can only be found in that location. Other tourist-frequented areas also have general gift shops such as the downtown area, Union Station, the Old Post Office pavilion and others. There are also many street venders sprinkled around the National Mall selling everything from food to tee shirts to miniature buildings. One of my favorite gift shops is located at 15^th and G streets NW, just 2 blocks from the White House. They sell all the items you’d expect including souvenir buildings, but they also offer more, which makes it worth a visit. We hope to include a stop here after the SBCS convention’s White House tour. Historical presidential items and DVDs of presidential bloopers are also sold. One of the highlights of the store is the replica of the Resolute Desk. For a small fee or if you make a purchase, you can sit at the desk for a photo. The hidden door opens just like the famous image of John-John playing while his father, JKF, worked at the desk. A few other interesting items that I first saw at this shop I've found online as well. Arrive in style to your next black tie dinner with United States Capitol Cufflinks in the shape of the Capitol. Your next party could be a hit with a large glass CAPITAL DOMED CAKE PLATE.

Architectural Pen Set

In the era of emailing, texting and tweeting, we rarely take the time to put pen to paper. However, if you do and want to do so in style then these pens are for you. The set of 3 pens represent famous buildings in China, Paris and Moscow. The S.T. Dupont limited edition architectural fountain pens are designed by jeweler Philippe Tournaire who is known for his architectural masterpieces. Called “Architectural Masterpieces,” the series is inspired by three iconic monuments of the contemporary world—Paris’ Les Invalides, Russia’s St. Basil’s Cathedral, and China’s Pagoda of the Sun. Made of sold Bronze, the structures stand in magnetic pedestals. The tops are solid 18K gold and covered in enamel. Howie sent me this tip when he saw a set offered on eBay for a mire $35,000. Tournaire also created high fashion architectural rings. Only 15 sets were made for each of the design and, unfortunately, all 45 of them are already spoken for.

Guggenheim Museum Replicas

The design has been likened to a white ribbon curled into a cylindrical stack. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often called simply The Guggenheim, opened in 1959 in New York City. Its distinctive round design is the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The building was Frank Lloyd Wright last major works before his death and it opened 10 years after the death of Solomon Guggenheim. The museum is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern and contemporary art. Inside the building, the viewing gallery forms a gentle helical spiral from the main level up to the top. Paintings are displayed along the walls of the spiral and also in exhibition space found at annex levels along the way. The center rotunda is lit by an enourmous skylight. In 1992, an adjoining rectangular tower was added to the original structure and designed by the architectural firm of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects. Just as the orignial design was controversial, so was the addition to Wright's design. In the past, a few replicas have been produced in a few different materials including resin and wood, but I don’t believe one was ever made in metal. (If you know of one or have one, send me a photo) A white resin ornament and a silver painted resin souvenir replica paper weight of the museum were made in the past. No purely souvenir buildings are available at present, but some other Guggenheim Museum inspired items are available. A Guggenheim lamp by Megara could Light up your night in high design with Zita Watkin’s beautiful, functional tribute to the iconic Museum building. The semi-translucent polypropylene spiral opens into beautiful table lamp. A set of white porcelain dinner china inspired by the Guggenheim include a bowl and sugar / creamer set. A plastic snow globe is also available at the museum’s online giftshop. In the past, I’ve written about a Guggenheim Lego kit and diamond ring. I also wrote about another lamp in the shape of the New Museum in Manhattan.

Toys and Gifts for Budding Architects

Both adults and children would enjoy MUJI's New York in a Bag which comes with eight wooden city structures and six wooden cars. Included are New York City icons such as MoMA's original 1939 building, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Statue of Liberty, and the Guggenheim Museum. With a kit from Matchitecture, you can construct an Eiffel Tower, Matchitecture , the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building and more. Haba is making some wooden blocks for kids in shapes such as a Coliseum Set, Haba Russian House and a Haba Mayan Temple. Lego is making replicas of famous buildings including: Lego Architecture Series Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, Lego Architecture Series Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Lego Architecture Series Seattle Space Needle and more. Here’s info about other architectural games. Do you know of other architectural toys? If so, send me the information and I can add it to this gift guide post.

Souvenir Building Gift Guide

Perhaps you or a loved-one would love to unwrap a gift to find one of these inside…A handcrafted wooden Grand Staircase Replica-Architectural Model reaches a hight of overe 19 inches. And this Duomo Due Replica-Architectural Model has a distressed ‘French’ finish. How about a Pylones Stainless Steel Eiffel Tower Cheese Kitchen Grater -Large to display in your kitchen. For the puzzle fan, how about a 4D Cityscape 4D New York City Skyline Time Puzzle.UberArc, as the name implies, is producing a few very large building replica toys which you assemble including the UberArc 1200 Empire State Building Architectural Series. As always, InFocus Tech offers great souvenir buildings as gifts and Howard Models produces Finely-made pewter buildings as well. In case you missed it, check out last year’s Building Collector Gift Guide. Also, here are some Christmas ornaments in the shape of buildings.

Haunted House Souvenir Building

Reader Mark M. wrote this Halloween post about a theme park with thrills and chills.

“With Halloween looming, I started looking around my collection of miniature architecture for a location that might have some double meaning this time of year. My eyes landed on the small resin replica of the Haunted House from Camden Park in Huntington W.Va. Camden Park originated in 1903 as a picnic ground for the Camden Interstate Railway Company along the banks of Twelve Pole creek between Huntington, West Virginia and Ashland, Kentucky. Looking to boost rider ship on the weekend, picnic and amusement parks popped up along trolley lines around the country. Camden evolved from a picnic ground to an amusement park at one point the park boasted having a small zoo, a swimming pool, and a roller rink in addition to twenty-eight rides. Camden Park has survived as the only amusement park in the state of West Virginia and the only park in the country with a 2000-year-old Adena Indian Burial Mound. Camden Park is a very small, but what it lacks in size it makes up in nostalgia - which many modern amusement parks have lost. The park is home to two American Coaster Enthusiasts Classic roller coasters and an original Whip ride manufactured in Coney Island NY. Camden Park has made some renovations in the past few years and continues to add new attractions. What the future holds is still uncertain as the local joke for the past forty years is that the current year will be the last year it will be open. The Haunted House at Camden Park is the second ride of its type built in the park. The Pretzel Amusement Ride Company sometime around 1947 designed the original Haunted House ride; the single rail dark ride operated until sometime in the mid 1960’s. At this time the park redesigned the Haunted House into the gravity-powered ride that exists today. During the renovation the park used the original Pretzel Cars and added a chain operated lift hill to take the cars to the top of a small hill. The cars would then make a turn descend down hill and up another hill and back into the twisty turns that most amusement park’s haunted houses are known for. Camden Park is one of only two amusement parks in the country that feature gravity-powered cars and the only park in the country where an employee must physically catch the cars as they come out of the ride, often shouting “Boo!” The Haunted House at Camden Park is also one of a few that have the original mural art and exterior facade designed by the well-known Haunted House artist Bill Tracy. A miniature replica of the Haunted House measures 3 inches long, 2.5 inches deep, and 2 inches high. The replica is available from their online gift shop at Camden Park’s website for $5.99 plus shipping. The turn-around was not the quickest during my ordering experience. “ – Mark.

Architectural Bling

For the architect or architectural fan who has everything, you can now get some city bling. Get jiggy with jazzy jewelry. Small skyscrapers. Architectural adornments. You can have the city wrapped around your finger as you don a Guggenheim Museum covered in pavé diamonds or the Brooklyn Bridge in 24-karat gold. Building Collector reader Howie, sent me a tip about some high-end jewelry companies which created pieces inspired by buildings and landmarks. A Brooklyn Bridge ring Cubic Zirconia-encrusted ring with 18K gold plated brass was designed by Noir Jewelry and sells for $250. The Guggenheim diamond ring, by Harry Winston, contains 161 round brilliant diamonds with 3.96 total carats in a platinum setting. Perhaps a Chrysler Building-inspired ring by Matina Sukhahuta called "Mini Manhattan" which is gold-plated sterling silver. Piaget Polo Tourbillon Relatif New York Watch has a case and dial which are 19 carat white gold with black enameling. The watch's crown is set with diamonds and features New York's 12 highest skyscrapers. This exclusive watch is produced in a limited edition of only 3. The Bridges of New York bracelet is from Jewelry.com's Manhattan Collection. This 18k white gold and titanium accent bangle features over 670 diamonds and weighs 28.56 cts. The exhibition piece was designed by Evert DeGraeve and executed by master jeweler Francis Mertens. Check out some additional architecture bling here. In case you missed it, I also wrote about Dream House Rings a while back.

Architectural Games

I notced these miniature resin buildngs selling on eBay and had no idea what they were for. Turns out, they are for a game called Monsterpocalypse - a fast-moving team strategy game played with collectible miniatures portraying “the most fearsome giant monsters on Earth.” Structures are figures that provide obstacles and objectives for your monsters. 

The most common structures are buildings. Each battle takes place in a city that you and your opponent construct by placing buildings on a city map. Players choose their forces from their respective collections of figures and then battle one another with giant monsters and supporting units such as tanks, flying vehicles, and all manner of creatures. Charge your monster into the city to fight for supremacy and be the last monster standing. In the photo on the right, players compete at Comic Carnival south in Indianapolis where gaming tournaments are held. Other strategic board games using miniature buildings as game pieces include: Cathedral World and Monumental MovesThese games use 32 monuments depicting buildings, statues, temples and historical sites from around the world. By using strategy and well-structured moves, players try to position their 14 monuments on the playing area bordered by The Great Wall of China, the West Wailing Wall, the Wall of Marrakesh, and the Zimbabwe Ruins. With a combination of precise planning skills, a 'People Piece', and beautifully detailed playing pieces to enjoy, players are intrigued from beginning to the end.