Steamy Steampunk Buildings

[keithjones]

Some photos from Bethlehem and Fountain Hill PA.
Blast furnace remains:


Former Lehigh Valley Railroad Headquarters


Charles Schwab (ex Bethlehem Steel CEO) Mansion

[morozow]

The building of confectionery factory "Red October". Before the revolution the firm "einem". Built in 1890-ies.

Located in the heart of Moscow, on the island.

Now there are offices, shopping and exhibition space. But I also bought chocolate in the store at the factory.

At night in the walkway between buildings, thoughts of Jack the Ripper.

[RJBowman]

Not industrial, or mechanical, or futuristic, or grand, but has interest and some beauty. Here is an article full of early twentieth century photos of bars in Detroit:

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/historic-happy-hours-centuryold-images-of-detroit-bars.php

[chironex]

Victoria Park Hotel, Boundary Street, South Townsville.

Butcher shop next to the Victoria Park Hotel. Restored and now a wine cellar.
It seemed improper to shoot these personally, so I used Streetview:

Shops in Allen Street, South Townsville.

This house, built in 1913, was Townsvilles first display home. It was also the first to be assembled from concrete prefabricated units.

1890s workers house, named Kerngoo.

Unusually-styled 1917 workers house.

Postwar Hollywood-style house, with a rooftop pool deck. This has been built over as it was deemed to be impractical.



Herveys Range Heritage Tea Rooms (formerly the Eureka Hotel.)

[Hurricane Annie]

 The Detroit  bar shots and   Townsville homes are  all full of character

 something has been lost in modern  construction techniques

[RJBowman]

 The Detroit  bar shots and   Townsville homes are  all full of character

 something has been lost in modern  construction techniques

Mass produced structures built from stock plans are cheaper, and also possibly easier to get past the building inspectors. Inflexible building codes are, I am fairly certain, a major contributor to the blandness of architecture in recent times.

[yereverluvinunclebert]

Quite correct. Over this side of the pond we used large timbers  to support structures, sometimes ships timbers that had been used for another task and were shaped to fit. Using them as load bearing objects changed their shape and the effect of settling had to be taken into account. Sometimes it didn't work and house ended up being mis-shapen. Not strictly steampunk but dating well-before the period we emulate, some cottages that over time have 'settled' more than the original builders expected:







The top one is not the result of some strange camera angle, it is really like that.

Building codes did not and could not apply at these times, you built with what you could drag out of the ground, you shaped it with your hands. The result was aesthetically pleasing and 'human'.

Type "lavenham half timberered houses" into Google and you'll see more. These are quite close to where I live.

[yereverluvinunclebert]

Definitely steamy with regard to time and period but they look a lot older, Victorian gargoyles in a distinctly medieval style:



Gargoyles on the Palace of Westminster (right click and view image to see it larger).





Brand new gargoyles on the abbey.

[Hurricane Annie]

 The Detroit  bar shots and   Townsville homes are  all full of character

 something has been lost in modern  construction techniques

Mass produced structures built from stock plans are cheaper, and also possibly easier to get past the building inspectors. Inflexible building codes are, I am fairly certain, a major contributor to the blandness of architecture in recent times.

Sadly economy of scale and mass production have driven the modern building industry

[Hurricane Annie]

Quite correct. Over this side of the pond we used large timbers  to support structures, sometimes ships timbers that had been used for another task and were shaped to fit. Using them as load bearing objects changed their shape and the effect of settling had to be taken into account. Sometimes it didn't work and house ended up being mis-shapen. Not strictly steampunk but dating well-before the period we emulate, some cottages that over time have 'settled' more than the original builders expected:







The top one is not the result of some strange camera angle, it is really like that.

Building codes did not and could not apply at these times, you built with what you could drag out of the ground, you shaped it with your hands. The result was aesthetically pleasing and 'human'.

Type "lavenham half timberered houses" into Google and you'll see more. These are quite close to where I live.

That is something  missing  in the Antipodes . Older structures that have stood the test of time.  The base of those medieval and Tudor homes may have been there longer than there has been humans in New Zealand.

I am a keen follower of British restoration tv shows-  especially the ones about country estates.

[Fairley B. Strange]

Finding furniture to fit into some of those rooms must be rather difficult.

A corner where all three surfaces are askew from each other must mean the wardrobe, bed, dresser, etc all have to free stand out from the walls and waste even more space.

[yereverluvinunclebert]

That is something  missing   the Antipodes . Older structures that have stood the test of time.  The base of those medieval and Tudor homes may have been thereon ger than there has been humans in New Zealand.

I am a keen follower of British restoration tv shows-  especially the ones about country estates.

Good to hear it. Building regulations prevent buildings like this from ever being built today... but luckily we have plenty of the old ones still extant. This is the feathers in Ludlow, I have sipped tea there regularly. Ludlow was a family holiday destination.

Finding furniture to fit into some of those rooms must be rather difficult.

A corner where all three surfaces are askew from each other must mean the wardrobe, bed, dresser, etc all have to free stand out from the walls and waste even more space.

Our houses have always been like that and it is NO trouble at all. An old house is a character in itself and anything you place in it, if it is sympathetic, is enhanced by its surroundings.  Walls are generally straight in a 'human' sense, they may not actually be straight but it makes almost no difference if there is 1/2" of gap at the bottom of a cabinet and 2 inches at the top.

Sometime you will put up a shelf and make it dead straight using a bubble level and you will find it looks wrong. You set it by hand so it looks right and it degrees out. Everything you mount/place or set up must be in line with the walls. Use Einstein to help with the layout, everything is relative...

[Hurricane Annie]

That is something  missing   the Antipodes . Older structures that have stood the test of time.  The base of those medieval and Tudor homes may have been thereon ger than there has been humans in New Zealand.

I am a keen follower of British restoration tv shows-  especially the ones about country estates.

Good to hear it. Building regulations prevent buildings like this from ever being built today... but luckily we have plenty of the old ones still extant. This is the feathers in Ludlow, I have sipped tea there regularly. Ludlow was a family holiday destination.

Finding furniture to fit into some of those rooms must be rather difficult.

A corner where all three surfaces are askew from each other must mean the wardrobe, bed, dresser, etc all have to free stand out from the walls and waste even more space.

Our houses have always been like that and it is NO trouble at all. An old house is a character in itself and anything you place in it, if it is sympathetic, is enhanced by its surroundings.  Walls are generally straight in a 'human' sense, they may not actually be straight but it makes almost no difference if there is 1/2" of gap at the bottom of a cabinet and 2 inches at the top.

Sometime you will put up a shelf and make it dead straight using a bubble level and you will find it looks wrong. You set it by hand so it looks right and it degrees out. Everything you mount/place or set up must be in line with the walls. Use Einstein to help with the layout, everything is relative...

 Back in the ye olde day people didn't have many possessions, even the  well off .   There would have been hooks and trunks for clothing and linen.

 New Zealand is  on  several large fault lines down its length.  There is very strict codes. Most pre  1940 buildings don't meet the modern codes  and after recent earthquakes some will have to be demolished , including those in areas not affected by quakes. The steel reinforcement required would be cost prohibitive and ruin the character of such homes.

 which is no excuse for the squat ugly  stucco and fibro dwellings blotting the landscape

[yereverluvinunclebert]

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II Milan

[yereverluvinunclebert]

Hungarian Parliament Building Budapest.

[yereverluvinunclebert]

Antwerp Railway Station.

[yereverluvinunclebert]

Arts & Metier Tube Station

[yereverluvinunclebert]

Brussels townhouses

[chironex]

Unsure as to whether to call this Abandoned or Steamy Steampunk Buildings. This seems to be part of a building in Fremantle, Western Australia which was left there as decoration when the rest of it was demolished to make parking space.

Fremantle is a cool place for steampunk.

[yereverluvinunclebert]

That just depresses me.

[chironex]

Old state treasury building, Brisbane.

[yereverluvinunclebert]

I feel better now.

The Victorians knew how to build a facility for pumping sewage...Crossness Pumping Station:










and this is Crossgate Pumping Station



and this is Abbey Mills:





It is rather important to keep that sewage flowing...

Right click and view image to see larger versions of the bottom two images, they are much more impressive in larger form.

This paltry offering is the modern replacement to Abbey Mills...



But after that misery you'll need something to restore your faith, this should do it:

Markfield Road Sewage Pumping Station, Tottenham, London.

Papplewick Pumping Station.





Steam Pumping Station Papplewick - Nottingham

Final addition, Kempton Park Pumping Station:

Kempton Park Big Triple Steam Engine Starting

[Drew P]

All of that was awesome, thank you!

[chironex]

http://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/facilities/parks/Documents/WE%20Cemetery%20Trail%203%20LR.pdf
 

I took the cemetery walks today.
http://thoughtengine.deviantart.com/gallery/58569214/Early-Townsville-Women
http://thoughtengine.deviantart.com/gallery/58568770/Early-Townsville-Burials
http://thoughtengine.deviantart.com/gallery/58568276/Necropolis-Hotel

[Captain Trellis]

Thanks uncle bert, that was indeed 'awesome'.

These sites deserve to be well supported and more widely known.

That said, Mrs Trellis and I shall be attending the forthcoming shindig at Papplewick on the 10th July, and hope to see you all there.