In St. Louis there is a remarkable collection of artifacts and one major building associated with famed architect Louis Sullivan. The artifacts are held in the St. Louis Museum of Art. The building is the Wainwright, a few blocks from the Gateway Arch. Louis Sullivan, American, 1856-1924 Winslow Brothers Company Ornamental Iron Works, Chicago, Illinois Balusters from the Schlesinger and
The Cortex innovation district is conveniently located by transit from the airport and other locations throughout St. Louis served by Metro. Upon arriving in the district one of the first things that struck me was the prairie grass project. A very conscious effort was made to plant native materials. The Police Department Parking Garage had more character than most buildings.
The Aqua Virgo aqueduct – considered one of the great engineering works of the Ancient Roman era – was built between 25 and 19 BC by Marcus Agrippa, the son-in-law and confidant of the emperor Augustus. The name probably stems from the purity of its water but according to legend it derives from the apparition of a virgin who showed
The Baths of Diocletian were the largest imperial public baths in ancient Rome. Construction began in 298 AD under Emperor Maximian, appointed Augustus of the Western Roman Empire, as a tribute to co-emperor Diocletian. They were completed by Constantine’s father in 306 AD. The baths survived the first sack of Rome in 410 AD but were abandoned after their water
St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square are located in Vatican City, a microstate enclaved within Rome, Italy. The monumental square was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and constructed between 1656 and 1667. It features a large elliptical space framed by colossal Tuscan colonnades, which consist of 284 columns and 88 pilasters arranged in four rows. These colonnades are often
At the end of the second century A.D. Tertullian informs us that at Rome St. John the evangelist underwent martyrdom by being immersed in boiling oil, from which he emerged unscathed. The place where this was said to have occurred is at the Latin Gate. He was later exiled to Patmos. The basilica was erected after Gelasius (492-496). Evidenced of
We visited Pompeii on a day when the only cloud in the sky cast shadow over the long dormant volcano on Mount Vesuvius that put Pompeii into the historical record as the world’s largest and longest continuously excavated archaeological site. The city was buried under volcanic ash, freezing a slice of Roman life in time. Initial excavations began in 1748
As we approached the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompei, the bell tower drew our eye to the shrine. This is a major Catholic place of worship and one of the most important shrines in the world. The shrine was co-founded by Bartolo Longo and his wife, Countess Mariana di Fusco, and construction began in 1876. It
I was thrilled to find that Sorrento was a short train ride from the railroad station just outside of the Pompeii Archaeological Park. With tickets in hand I made my way there, fully drained from a day of walking. Even my phone battery was empty so that meant no pictures as I walked around and explored. Quickly I made my
I arrived in Pompeii after dark. As I approached my phone was nearly out of power, making it challenging to find my room that had been reserved before arrival. This didn’t discourage me from exploring a bit. Distinctive pavers with light and dark colors helped to make the sidewalk visible and easier to navigate, even after dark. A mural showing