Architecture, design , and aesthetic trends reveal a lot about society, its way of life, and its values. The building designs that you see in your city or town right now aren’t always how things were done. Arguably, in the past, people put a lot more effort into beauty , not just function.
The popular ‘Old World Architecture’ account posts some of the most powerful black-and-white images of old buildings on Instagram. We wanted to showcase some of the most architecturally impressive photos, so we’ve collected the best of the best for your judgment, Pandas. Scroll down to take a trip into the past. If you’re into architecture, you’ll probably find this post particularly delightful.
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oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
Completed in 1887. The towers were destroyed in 1959 during the bridge’s widening.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
The doorway was completed in 1509, the work on the monastery was halted in 1516 and remains unfinished to this day.
oldworldarchitecture Report
Built in 1900 for the Paris Exhibition. Steam generators inside the building provided electricity for the fair. Producing the light for the fair is said to have consumed 440,000 lbs of oil an hour. A gigantic water fountain facing the Palace circulated 26,000 US gallons per minute and was illuminated at night by continuously changing colored lights. The Palace was demolished after the conclusion of the Exposition.
oldworldarchitecture Report
At its peak, the store had over 15,000 employees. The building was famous for its monumental entrance (slides 1 & 4), grand staircase (slides 2 & 3), and glass dome (slide 5). Business declined after World War 1, and the store closed in 1930 after going bankrupt. The building was used for storage by the Nazis during World War 2. After the war, Paris National Bank bought the building. The glass dome was removed in 1957, and other parts were demolished over time. Today the building houses banking and retail spaces. The last slide is a drawing of an aerial view of the building in its heyday
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
Heavily damaged during World War 2. Located in the center of the city, it is Italy’s oldest active shopping gallery.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
The remains of the church lay in a pile of rubble until 1993 when the building was rebuilt over several years being completed in 2005.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
Was the tallest building in the world from 1890 until 1894. Photograph circa 1910.
oldworldarchitecture Report
Known as the “Railroad Cathedral”. Severely damaged by V-2 rockets in World War 2, the building was considered for demolition. Ultimately, the station was restored and renovated and is still in use today
oldworldarchitecture Report
he original building was designed by renowned gardener Joseph Paxton in two weeks time. In July 1850 the project was approved and within the next 8 months all of the parts and materials were manufactured, transported to the site, and erected just in time for the World’s Fair. The fair lasted for 6 months after which the structure was taken down and relocated to Sydenham Hill. The rebuilding Crystal Palace of the Crystal Palace took 2 years (1852-1854) and included a redesigned barrel vaulted main gallery. The photos are all of the reconstructed Palace. The Crystal Palace was destroyed by fire in 1936.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
Opened in 1892 by Antonin Alexander. Patrons entered through the monumental jaws of Leviathan. Demolished in 1950
oldworldarchitecture Report
the building withstood the devastation to the town of Leuven during World War 1. Damaged from bombing during World War 2. The World War 2 damage was only fully repaired in 1983. Open for guided tours today.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
Major work was done to the building in the 17th century. Destroyed by bombs in 1941 during World War 2, the remains were completely demolished in 1948. The building was rebuilt from 1996 to 1999
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
The Cliff House, built by Adolf Sutro in 1896, survived the 1906 Earthquake but was destroyed by fire on September 7, 1907. Architects: Emile Lemme & C.J. Colley
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
Around 1869, the builders discovered that they didn’t have the technical knowledge to build the domed roof, meaning that Thomas Fairbairn Engineering Co. Ltd. of Manchester had to be contracted to provide a prefabricated dome within a few weeks; this gave the Library of Parliament the distinction of being the first building in North America to have a state-of-the-art wrought iron roof. Further, in 1883, the library’s 300 gas lights were converted to electricity." “Within only 12 years, the entire roof was stripped of its slate shingles in a tornado that hit Parliament Hill in 1888, since then the roof has been clad in copper.” “The library’s contents grew over the next five decades and were saved from the 1916 fire that destroyed the majority of the Centre Block; the building was only connected to the main complex by a single corridor and the library clerk at the time, Michael MacCormac, secured the library’s iron doors before the fire could spread into that area.” The building has been renovated several times and is still in use today
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
Paid for by the will of King Henry VII, it was constructed from 1503 to 1509. It contains the tombs of Henry VII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I, James I, Charles II, and Mary, Queen of Scots and is still in use today.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
The 235 statues on it’s facade we’re added during extensive renovations in the 1800’s. The building withstood the devastation to the town of Leuven during World War 1. Damaged from bombing during World War 2. The World War 2 damage was only fully repaired in 1983. Open for guided tours today.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
The base of the monument measures 260 feet by 230 feet and stands 299 feet high. It is constructed extensively of concrete with granite facings
oldworldarchitecture Report
Before it’s opening, a Buenos Aires newspaper reported that the structure seemed to be leaning and was at risk, the inauguration was suspended, and the building was not occupied until 1914. Considered the first “skyscraper” in Latin America. Architect: Conder, Chambers, and Thomas
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
The Cliff House survived the 1906 Earthquake but was destroyed by fire on September 7, 1907. Architects: Emile Lemme & C.J. Colley
oldworldarchitecture Report
Festival Hall, designed by Cass Gilbert and used for large-scale musical pageants, contained the largest organ in the world at the time, built by the Los Angeles Art Organ Company (which went bankrupt as a result)… …The fair’s 1,200-acre (4.9 km2) (1.9 mi2) site, designed by George Kessler was located at the present-day grounds of Forest Park and on the campus of Washington University, and was the largest fair (in area) to date. There were over 1,500 buildings, connected by some 75 miles (121 km) of roads and walkways. It was said to be impossible to give even a hurried glance at everything in less than a week. The Palace of Agriculture alone covered some 20 acres (81,000 m2).
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
The spires were added in 1888 making the total height of the building 329.6 feet. Added to NRHP: December 8, 1976
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
It was designed by well-known Utah architect Richard K.A. Kletting and rested on over 2,000 posts and pilings, many of which remain and still are visible over 110 years later… …Saltair was a family place, intended to provide a safe and wholesome atmosphere with the open supervision of Church leaders… …Trains left from Salt Lake City every 45 minutes… …Intended from the beginning as the Western counterpart to Coney Island, Saltair was one of the early amusement parks, and for a time was the most popular family destination west of New York
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
Located just south of Hermel in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon. Thought to have been built during the 1st or 2nd century BC. Restored in 1931, but has been vandalized in recent years.
oldworldarchitecture Report
Built for the 1901 World’s Fair in Buffalo. US President William McKinley was assassinated inside the building on September 6, 1901. The building was demolished shortly after the conclusion of the fair.
oldworldarchitecture Report
The 80-foot tall “Luminous Liberty Bell” spanning Broad Street (at Johnson St), Philadelphia, PA was built in 47 days by Frank C. English & Sons for the 1926 Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition. The bell was illuminated with 26,000 15-watt light bulbs set at six-inch centers and eight 200-watt projectors in the clapper. The structure contained 80 tons of steel resting on a foundation of 30-foot wooden pilings with a concrete capping. Demolished in 1927.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
destroyed by fire in 1906. The structure in this photograph replaced an earlier structure that was also destroyed by fire. Breakers were used to break up chunks of coal into smaller pieces, sorting them using screens as the coal moved through the breaker on conveyors. A steam powered exhaust fan was used to ventilate the structure.
oldworldarchitecture Report
For a time, the once-famous hotel held the Guinness World Record for largest controlled demolition—with a capacity of nearly 6.5 million cubic feet (180,000 m3), the Traymore was the largest (though not highest) structure yet demolished. The spectacle is captured in the 1980 film Atlantic City. As well as the 1974 Walt Disney Film Herbie Rides Again in the beginning of the film where Alonzo Hawk demolishes numerous buildings.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
The 235 statues on it’s facade we’re added during extensive renovations in the 1800’s. The building withstood the devastation to the town of Leuven during World War 1. Damaged from bombing during World War 2. The World War 2 damage was only fully repaired in 1983. Open for guided tours today.
oldworldarchitecture Report
Stadium High School, commonly referred to as the Brown Castle, was originally intended by its financiers, the Northern Pacific Railroad Company and Tacoma Land Company, to be one of the finest luxury hotels on the Pacific Coast. Construction began in 1891, but due to the railroad’s financial failure, the hotel was never completed and was boarded up for a number of years before it was acquired by the Tacoma School District. In 1906, Tacoma High School, as Stadium was then called, opened its doors to 878 students and 38 teachers. Renamed Stadium High School in 1913, the Brown Castle has been host to many historical figures including: Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Warren Harding, Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, World War I hero General John “Black Jack” Pershing and John Phillip Sousa’s band. Being a part of a school with so rich a history (our Brown Castle is a registered historical landmark) is a source of pride for the students, families, and staff of Stadium High School.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
Festival Hall, designed by Cass Gilbert and used for large-scale musical pageants, contained the largest organ in the world at the time, built by the Los Angeles Art Organ Company (which went bankrupt as a result)… …The fair’s 1,200-acre (4.9 km2) (1.9 mi2) site, designed by George Kessler was located at the present-day grounds of Forest Park and on the campus of Washington University, and was the largest fair (in area) to date. There were over 1,500 buildings, connected by some 75 miles (121 km) of roads and walkways. It was said to be impossible to give even a hurried glance at everything in less than a week. The Palace of Agriculture alone covered some 20 acres (81,000 m2).
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
The building is over 250,000 square feet in area and over 222 feet high. Currently closed for renovations.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
Along with it’s annex, the building covered 17 acres. Without it’s annex, it’s dimensions were double the size of the US Capitol Building or the Parliament Houses at Westminster. Destroyed by fire in 1894.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
Main Building built in 1892, North Building built in 1910. Both buildings demolished in 1956. Photo 1: Main Building in foreground, facade of North Building can be seen behind. Photo 2: Main Building on left. North Building on right. Academy Street ran in between the buildings.
oldworldarchitecture Report
Designed by architect J.A. Wood and built by railroad magnate Henry Plant. Opened as a 511 room resort hotel. The building itself covers over 6 acres and is a quarter mile long. Contained the first elevator ever installed in Florida and is still operational today. It’s rooms were the first in Florida to have electric lighting and telephones. Added to the NRHP in 1972 and currently used by the University of Tampa.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
Built for the 1909 Exposition, it lasted until 1930 when it was demolished.
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
oldworldarchitecture Report
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