Historic Buildings

Duomo di Alba

Black And White Photography, Marcus, Photography

When touring a city and its sights with a camera in hand, I’m always on the lookout for those scenes that would work great in black & white. In fact, most of the time I have set my camera to a monochrome mode so I see the composition already in the viewfinder or the display. My Nikon Zf is perfect for that because it has a dedicated switch on the top plate to easily switch between color and B&W.

This image I took the other week in the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Alba, Italy. The Duomo di Alba was built in the first half of the 12th century and later reshaped various times. Behind the cross you can see the shapes of the wood-carved chorus stalls built in 1512. Shooting with a Nikkor 40mm f/2 prime lens, I selected the f/2 aperture to bring out the main object in the image, framing the altar and the chorus stalls. The dynamic range of the full frame mirrorless Nikon Zf continues to amaze me.

More of my photography can be seen on my blog “Streets of Nuremberg“

Grand Hallway

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Mobile Photography, Photography

The New York State Capitol has served as the seat of government for New York since the 1880s. The building is a marvel of late 19th-century architectural grandeur. Under the direction of five architects, the Capitol was built by hand of solid masonry over a period of 32 years. By 1899 its cost had exceeded twenty-five million dollars.

The First In Roanoke

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Mobile Photography, Photography

Skycraper, that is …

Built in 1910, “the seven stories were initially made possible by the invention of the electric elevator and improvements in fireproofing”

Stairway to …

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Mobile Photography, Photography

Nowhere that I could tell ~ because of course, I walked up there 🙂

The Liberty Trust Hotel was originally erected to house First National Bank, the first financial institution to be founded in Roanoke, Virginia. Built in 1910, The French Renaissance architectural influence of the main entrance and the Beaux Arts design of the main banking hall made it a signature structure of modern, multi-story design and innovation.

This image is of a back staircase. Still beautiful in my opinion.

Take a Left at the End of the Hall

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Mobile Photography, Photography

 

The McGuire Building, located at 1 Market Square in Roanoke, Virginia, was built in 1914 and housed W. E. McGuire’s Farmers’ Supply Co. that sold buggies, wagons, fertilizer, seed, and other farm-related equipment and supplies. Almost from the beginning the McGuire Building housed small restaurants and farmers’ booths on the first floor. One such place became a Roanoke staple, the Roanoke Weiner Stand, then called the Roanoke Weinnie Stand, started there in 1916. Initially renovated in 1983 to house Center in the Square and its cultural organizations, the 81,000 sq ft building was again renovated in 2013.

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Hotel Cleveland

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Photography

There has been a hotel on the site of what is now known as The Renaissance Cleveland since 1812! The current building was rebuilt in the 1920s and is a gorgeous testament to architectural glory.

Beaux Art

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Photography

 The Candler Building in Atlanta, Georgia, built in 1906 by Coca-Cola magnate and former Mayor Asa Griggs Candler, draws upon the Beaux-Arts style which draws upon the principles of French neoclassicism and incorporates Gothic and Renaissance elements. To learn more about this historic building, now a beautifully renovated hotel, please see my personal blog post.