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HUDSON RIVER SOJOURN: Architecture and art

The owners of this habitation on the banks of the Hudson clearly want to immerse themselves - literally and figuratively -completely in the experience of their natural setting. Or, maybe they’ve tried it and are ready to move on. It can be yours. The phone number is on the For Sale sign. Notice the pontoon boat garage - a particularly nice touch.
Dennis Forney
August 24, 2019

“Art succeeds as art to the extent to which it enhances the sense of brotherhood among people.”  - Leo Tolstoy, paraphrased

Architecture says a lot about how we relate to, reside and work within this natural world on Planet Earth. Some architecture serves only to provide shelter from the elements - to increase our chances of survival. Other architecture soars above and within its surroundings, incorporating countless varieties of aesthetic ornamentation and embellishments. We just can’t help ourselves.  “Hey, look what we can do.”  Cathedrals built to the glory of God and the mysterious powers of the universe.  “Hey, look what you can do.”

God yawns, looks around at the magnificent universe, the miracle of nature and reproduction, the infinite beauty inside a seed - a wonderful piece of architecture in itself.  “Keep trying friends.  One day you will understand - every last one of you. Then you will be awed by the love and beauty of it all.  In the meantime, lean in, appreciate the sense of accomplishment and the adventure of accomplishing. Or, eat a plate of baked beans.”

Architecture ultimately is a container, an inside place where we live and work and accomplish.  The universe the ultimate container; God the architect of the universe.  

Enough already! Back to the beans, but at least appreciate how they arrange themselves on the plate - the architecture of the plate - and how a squeeze of yellow mustard from mustard seeds electrifies them with neon celebration. 

Here is a wide variety of architecture we’ve encountered on this journey.

 

The owners of this habitation on the banks of the Hudson clearly want to immerse themselves - literally and figuratively -completely in the experience of their natural setting. Or, maybe they’ve tried it and are ready to move on. It can be yours. The phone number is on the For Sale sign. Notice the pontoon boat garage - a particularly nice touch.
Pretty house and grounds in Nyack, New York.
Buildings of the older Manhattan skyline in New York City. Empire State, Chrysler and others.
Buildings of the newer Manhattan skyline. Can you find the one interesting structure?
A humble dwelling on the banks of the Hudson.
A castle-like, private school structure on a prominence above the Hudson.
The street side of the public library in Nyack. The next image provides explanation.
Andrew Carnegie putting his steel profits to work for the betterment of the community.
What a difference a century or two can make. This is the back side of the complex of buildings that include the Nyack library. Any votes?
A little more history. The main house, now an inn, at Shelburne Farm near Burlington, Vermont, fronting on Lake Champlain. And, following, some additional information.
Markers like these provide historical context. Lila Vanderbilt Webb’s brother George was the inspiration, funder and visionary for the Biltmore estate near Asheville, North Carolina.
A closer look at some of the detail of the Shelburne house.
And, to provide a little more sense of the scale of the 4,000-acre Shelburne Farm complex, this photo shows the farm barn. Artisans within produce 170,000 pounds of cheese each year from the milk of brown Swiss cows raised and pastured on Shelburne Farm’s alfalfa and natural meadows. Bakers also stay busy producing endless loaves of breads and other goods from grain grown on the farm. New York’s Adirondack Mountains in the background.
People along the Hudson express their love for form and color in many different ways. This scene is from downtown Whitehall, New York, where the Hudson River gives way to Lake Champlain.
An interesting residence of late 1800s or early 1900s vintage in Fort Edward, New York.
Dutch-influenced commercial architecture in downtown Albany.
A Congregational Church in Burlington, Vermont.
Residential high rises and Warholesque commercial art along the East River in New York City.
Early 20th century clubhouse of Nyack Boat Club in New York.
A1930s-vintage summer cottage at one of New Jersey’s many seaside resorts.
“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” - The Beatles Harmonious structure, art and plantings along the High Line linear park in New York City’s downtown Manhattan.

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