architecture

National Trust’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places 2016

National Trust’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places 2016

8 Photos

The National Trust for Historic Preservation annually complies a list to identify “important examples of the nation’s architectural and cultural heritage that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage.” The designation can help galvanize grassroots and political support for protecting sites, but isn’t always welcomed by locals. Here are looks at eight from this year’s cohort, many of which are in urban areas.

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Inside the ‘Big Lebowski’ house being donated to LACMA

Inside the ‘Big Lebowski’ house being donated to LACMA

11 Photos

Jackie Treehorn’s pad is becoming part of an art museum? “Far out,” we hear The Dude gasping. The living room that the film “The Big Lebowski” set in Malibu is, in real life, in the hills, not by the beach. Now, the convention- and gravity-defying home its part of, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright disciple John Lautner, is being donated to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which plans to use it for fundraisers, exhibitions, conferences, and collaborations with other museums, the L.A. Times reports. In a Times column, the museum’s director called it “one of the most important houses in all of L.A.” and “one of the most L.A. houses.”

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David Kraus, Baltimore Street Photographer

David Kraus, Baltimore Street Photographer

138 Photos, 1 Video

Baltimore street photographer and Bel Air native David Kraus has is fascinated by Baltimore architecture and history, particularly the tradition of the arabber street merchants. He says it’s important to document these people, among other things, that offer a connection to Baltimore’s past.
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Jonestown: Exploring Baltimore’s Neighborhoods

Jonestown: Exploring Baltimore’s Neighborhoods

85 Photos

Ask anyone in Baltimore where the Shot Tower is and they likely can tell you, but many wouldn’t be able to name the neighborhood.

If locals can’t identify Jonestown, boosters wonder how tourists will find the neighborhood north of Little Italy that’s home to several landmarks and historic homes. Even Baltimore’s tourist maps overlook the area, colorfully highlighting such nearby destinations as the Inner Harbor, Federal Hill, Harbor East, Fells Point and Canton, while leaving Jonestown and other areas in a drab gray.

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Park Heights: Exploring Baltimore’s neighborhoods

Park Heights: Exploring Baltimore’s neighborhoods

35 Photos

“You might have heard today that there were three shootings that happened over there on Cold Spring. Part of that stuff is what we’re trying to weed out. That element, as long as drugs continue to rule …”

Julius “Julio” Colon is aware of the perception – and, as noted in the quote above, the reality – of Park Heights. In his role as president and CEO of Park Heights Renaissance, Colon sees evidence of urban blight every day. Vacant buildings throughout the neighborhood. Forty-some liquor stores dotting long stretches of Park Heights Avenue and Reisterstown Road. Significantly higher-than-average rates of teen pregnancy, HIV infection and recidivism among residents.

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