THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE KIMBELL ART MUSEUM in FT. WORTH, TEXAS©

Exhibit Space:  Louis Kahn Building

Exterior: Renzo Piano Pavilion

The Kimbell Art Museum officially opened on October 4, 1972. 



The Kimbell Art Foundation which owns and operates the Museum had been established in 1936 by Kay and Velma Kimbell, together with Kay’s sister and her husband, Dr. and Mrs. Coleman Carter. 

Early on, the Foundation collected mostly British and French portraits of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

"The Kimbell", as the Museum is fondly known, consists of two separate buildings, each designed and constructed during different decades by different world-renowned architects, namely Louis Kahn and Renzo Piano.  

The Kimbell Art Museum’s original building designed by Louis I. Kahn has become a mecca of modern architecture. Kahn designed a building in which “light is the theme.” Natural light enters through narrow plexiglass skylights along the top of cycloid barrel vaults and is diffused by wing-shaped pierced-aluminum reflectors that hang below.  

Surrounded by elms and red oaks, Renzo Piano’s colonnaded pavilion, completed in 2013,  stands as an expression of simplicity and lightness—glass, concrete, and wood—some sixty-five yards across the tree-lined pathway to the west of Louis I. Kahn’s signature cycloid-­vaulted museum of 1972.   

For more information about each of the two Exhibition spaces at The Kimbell, visit the  Museum's  Website at: https://www.kimbellart.org/art-architecture/architecture


©2020 Snobby Tours®, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

ENTERING CHARLIE CHAPLIN'S WORLD©

A most enchanting place near Lake Geneva in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland opened to the public in April 2016, and people from all over the world have been flocking to see it -- Charlie Chaplin's World, a museum consisting of several buildings including Chaplin's residence Manoir de Ban, dedicated to the personal and family life, and to the public life and career, of the cinematographic genius Charlie Chaplin. 

With the assistance of Michael Chaplin and Eugene Chaplin, two of Chaplin's eight children born to him and his wife, Oona O'Neill, his home on a 10-acre estate amid nature and having spectacular views of Lake Geneva and the Alps, has become the centerpiece of the Museum complex.

Over a 15-year period, commencing in 2001, Chaplin's extensive collection of movie props and costumes, photographs, manuscripts, and other artifacts from Chaplin's long life and career were meticulously curated.   Manoir de Ban, as his residence on the estate is called and where he lived for over 25 years until his death at age 88 in 1977, was refurbished, and separate structures which include an interactive "museum of his films", were constructed.  

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The property was originally farm land until 1839, at which time the Neo-Classical manor house was built.  It was purchased by Chaplin in 1952.  On the estate grounds is also a park, an orchard, and terraced forest land which was at one time a vineyard typical of this region of Switzerland.


The end result of 15-years of planning and preparation is, in a word, outstanding -- and beautifully captured in the attached photographic article published by ArchDaily on July 25, 2016, which retains all copyrights therein.  http://www.archdaily.com/791871/charlie-chaplin-museum-itten-plus-brechbuhl


Because we are so impressed with Charlie Chaplin's World, Snobby Tours®, Inc.'s international heritage tour planning division, International Heritage-Inspired Tours by Snobby Tours®, Inc.™, has custom-created a Tour around it entitled  "Chocolate, Cheese, Castles and Charlie Chaplin's World in the Lake Geneva Region of Switzerland"© .   For more information, visit our Website at:  http://www.snobbytours.com/Internationaltours.html


_© 2017 Snobby Tours®, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART'S RECONSTRUCTION OF THE FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT-DESIGNED BACHMAN-WILSON HOUSE COMPLETED AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC©

CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM

Located in the southern region of the Ozark Mountains in Bentonville, Arkansas, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, founded by Alice Walton whose father Sam Walton created the Walmart stores, explores the continuously unfolding history of America through collecting and exhibiting outstanding works of art that illuminate the American artistic heritage which enriches the understanding and appreciation of American history and culture.

Set on 120 acres of native Ozark forest, with 3.5 miles of included walking trails, Crystal Bridges’ grounds are surrounded by an environment which enhances the “museum experience”.  The Museum’s breathtaking and distinctive architecture designed by internationally renowned architect Moshe Saftie incorporates the topographical elements, immersing visitors in the landscape.

To this picturesque setting recently has been added the Bachman-Wilson House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright who was known throughout his career for creating structures which incorporate and showcase the surrounding natural environment.

BACHMAN-WILSON HOUSE

In 1954, architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed a house in the “Usonian” style along the Millstone River in New Jersey for Gloria Bachman Wilson and Abraham Wilson.  

The word “Usonian” was derived from an abbreviation of “United States of North America”.  Wright embraced this term as the name
for a distinctly American and “democratic” style of residential architecture which he had developed during the Great Depression.  Compared to his highly customized homes, these were simpler, lower-cost houses designed to be within the reach of the average middle-class American family, without sacrificing quality.  Approximately 120 Usonian homes were built.

Known as the Bachman-Wilson House for the Wilsons and also Gloria Wilson's brother, Marvin Bachman who was an apprentice to Wright, the house was subsequently purchased by architect/designer team Lawrence and Sharon Tarantino in 1988 and meticulously restored. Over the years, however, the structure was threatened by repeated flooding at its original location, and the Tarantinos eventually determined that selling the house to an institution willing to relocate it would be the best option for its preservation. After the Tarantino's multi-year search for a suitable institution, they settled upon Crystal Bridges, which acquired the house in 2013. The entire structure was then taken apart and each component was labeled, packed, and loaded into two trucks for transportation to the Museum. After its 1,235 mile journey, the Bachman-Wilson House arrived at the Crystal Bridges site in April, 2014. 

After the arrival of the de-constructed house, Crystal Bridges embarked upon more than a year of painstaking re-construction, including adding an improved climate-control system which better protects the extensive mahogany wood within the house, the Bachman-Wilson House opened to the public in November, 2015 at Crystal Bridges.

Crystal Bridges is included on our "Presidential Libraries and Fall Foliage of the Midwest"© Tour.  For more information about this Tour and upcoming Tour Dates, link to our Website at:  snobbytours.com/PrezLibMidwestFFChicago.html

(Primary Source information and Video materials courtesy of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art which retains all copyrights therein.)

©2016 Snobby Tours®, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN PRESIDENTIAL MUSEUM CELEBRATES ITS 10th YEAR and the 150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES©

2015 is a landmark year for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library.

Opened in 2005, it is located in the historic downtown area of Springfield, Illinois, and is considered to be the first major "experience museum because it combines priceless historical artifacts with innovative, contemporary storytelling technology.  The result is an engaging, emotional, and educational experience which makes visitors feel as if they are in there themselves, in the same place.      

Lincoln Presidential Museum

Lincoln Presidential Library

The Library is a research facility and rare book collection focusing on Lincoln's life and the American Civil War.  The Museum directly across the street features two major galleries, each off the massive rotunda, representative of two different stages of Lincoln's life. 

One gallery, entitled "Journey One: The Pre-Presidential Years", commences inside a log cabin, and then winds through a series of rooms depicting Lincoln's early life in and around Springfield.

The second gallery, entitled "Journey Two:  The Presidential Years", commences through a re-created entry to the White House, and covers Lincoln's Presidential years, and the Civil War period thru his assassination.

Both contain life-size dioramas of settings of key events in Lincoln's life.  Original artifacts and other memorabilia are changed from time to time, but the collection usually includes the original handwritten Gettysburg Address, a signed Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln's reading glasses, Mary Todd Lincoln's White House china, and her wedding dress.

Additionally, there are theatre presentations with live as well as holographic characters from Lincoln's life and times.

In celebration of its 10th anniversary in 2015, the Lincoln Museum is featuring several Special Exhibitions.

"A Decade Ago" is a reflective look back at the creation of the Museum and its dedication.  On view are objects, images, and video that tell the story of how the Lincoln Presidential Museum was created.

"Undying Words:  Lincoln 1858-1865" is an all-new exhibit, in collaboration with the Chicago History Museum.  It features original versions of Lincoln's most famous speeches, plus Lincoln and Mary's carriage, his death-bed, a 7-foot tall "Rail Splitter portrait, and several interactives.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library are one of five Presidential Museums and Libraries included on our "Presidential Libraries and Fall Foliage of the Midwest©"  custom-created heritage Tour.  Other Presidential Libraries included on this Tour are Hoover, Eisenhower, Truman and Clinton.   For more information, link to:  http://www.snobbytours.com/PrezLibMidwestFFChicago.html

©2015 Snobby Tours®, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

TRUMAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY: SPECIAL EXHIBIT COMMEMORATING 70th ANNIVERSARY OF END OF WORLD WAR II©

2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Commemorating this event which impacted world history, the Truman Presidential Library and Museum is featuring a Special Exhibition, "Till We Meet Again" thru the end of 2015.

This Exhibition commemorates the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and Harry Truman’s elevation to the Presidency. Set in the tumultuous year of 1945, the Exhibition uses the history of the war as a backdrop to the momentous events of that year - the violent battles in the Atlantic, Europe, and the Pacific, the Yalta Conference, the death of President Roosevelt and elevation of Harry Truman to the Presidency, the surrender of Germany, the founding of the United Nations, the Potsdam Conference, the use of the atomic bomb, and the surrender of Japan.

Told through iconic artifacts and history-shaping documents, supplemented by memorable video clips, letters, diary entries, and personal mementoes, the exhibition follows a new President wrestling with decisions that will affect the future of the world, while ordinary Americans of the Greatest Generation struggle to survive the war and look ahead to the uncertainty of their new lives in a land forever altered by the world conflict. 

Permanent Exhibitions at the Truman Presidential Library and Museum:

Truman: The Presidential Years
The major issues and events of Harry Truman's Presidency are highlighted in this 10,500-square-foot core exhibition. Featuring two decision theaters, enhanced audio and video programs, and new interactive elements, this exhibition forms the centerpiece of the Truman Library and Museum.

Harry S. Truman: His Life and Times

This major permanent exhibition highlights the personal side of the life of Harry Truman and his family. Featuring many important objects from the Truman Library collections, this exhibition follows the lives of the Trumans primarily through the many letters exchanged between Harry and Bess Truman over the years.

The Truman Presidential Library is one of FIVE Presidential Libraries included on our "Presidential Libraries and Fall Foliage of the Midwest©" custom-created Tour.  For more information about this very popular Tour, link to: 
http://www.snobbytours.com/PrezLibMidwestFFChicago.html 

©2015 Snobby Tours®, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

FAITH-BASED CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE: HISTORIC HOUSES OF WORSHIP©

Chicago's Unique Houses of Worship

Chicago is an "architectural town" -- known the world over for its breathtaking skyline and beautiful buildings -- many designed by world renowned architects such as Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan, Mies van her Rohe, and Frank Lloyd Wright. 

Many of the most notable of Chicago's eclectic architecture are the City's churches and other houses of worship built for communities established both before, and in the aftermath of, the Chicago Fire in 1871.   These buildings not only are aesthetically pleasing, but they also serve as a connection to the diverse immigrant past of Chicago.

After the Chicago Fire of 1871, much of the city had to be rebuilt, making Chicago the perfect place for both established and emerging architects, such as Daniel Burnham and Frank Lloyd Wright, whose work not only reflected the Victorian Era, but as the 20th Century unfolded, which also  was inspired by, and incorporated, the architectural styles of the "prairie", with its wide open horizontal spaces and integration of structure and nature.

Ranging from resolutely mainstream to the ethnically-rooted and the avant-garde, Chicago's houses of worship not only reflect the unique diversity of the City's highly creative architecture, but also the spiritual diversity of the people who have made their homes in this vibrant City.

Many of Chicago's houses of worship are centerpieces within the ethnic communities they continue to serve.  They represent a link between the old and the new traditions, and the continuity which transcends both. 

Chicago's faith-based affiliated colleges have also become historically 

significant attractions in the City.  DePaul University, the largest Catholic university in the country, first founded by the Vincentians in 1898 to serve Roman Catholic children of immigrants, has since grown into an acclaimed liberal arts college.  Loyola University of Chicago, a Jesuit university founded in 1870, is now the largest Jesuit university in the U.S. and home to the Saint Joseph College Seminary and the Jesuit First Studies Program, one of only three such programs in the country.

In 2014, the Americana HeritageTours division of our heritage and cultural tour planning company, Snobby Tours^®, Inc., launched our FAITH-BASED CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE TOUR: HISTORIC HOUSES OF WORSHIP_©.

This Tour is guided by various expert Chicago architectural and religious historians affiliated with the Chicago Architectural Foundation, the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, the City of Chicago, and the historic houses of worship included on this Tour.

It is also scheduled to coincide with Chicago's Annual Gospel Music Festival which showcases the best in local, national and international Gospel Music performers. Held over four days in three locations, The Chicago Gospel Music Festival includes the weekend at Ellis Park in historic Bronzeville, the birthplace of Gospel Music.

Each guide on this unique Tour provides extensive expertise regarding the work of Chicago's most prolific architects, as well as knowledge about Chicago's eclectic neighborhoods and their history, and the distinctive architectural styles which are reflective of the diverse ethnic cultures and religions which have become the overall fabric of Chicago.

Leaders of the various houses of worship will conduct one-on-one dialogues about their 
congregations and their history in the Chicago community. 

Faith-based houses of worship having architectural significance which are on this Tour include Catholic, Episcopal, Jewish, Presbyterian, Methodist,  Unitarian, Baha'i, Baptist and Islamic, inter alia.

For more information about our unique and fascinating custom-created  
FAITH-BASED CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE TOUR: HISTORIC HOUSES OF WORSHIP©.  visit us at :  

http://www.snobbytours.com/FaithBasedChicagoArch.html

© 2014 Snobby Tours^®, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

"THE WALLIS": L.A.'s Newest Performing Arts Venue Debuts in Beverly Hills, CA©

Situated in the heart of the Beverly Hills commercial district, The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts ("The Wallis") officially opened its doors to the public in October 2013 with a dedication and a series of Galas, followed by programming beginning on November 8th with the world-renowned the Martha Graham Dance Company. 

The Wallis, the first performing arts center to be built in Beverly Hills, will be a home for artists from around the world and audiences of every age.

This new venue transforms an entire Beverly Hills city block near the Civic Center into a vibrant new cultural destination with TWO distinct, elegant buildings -- and has been completed in time for its 2013-2014 Inaugural Season to correspond with Beverly Hills' Centennial Celebration marking the 100th birthday of the City's incorporation.  

Artist's Rendering © 2013 Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.  Reprinted with permission.  

The most notable of the two buildings is the much loved historic 1933 Italianate-style Beverly Hills Post Office built as a WPA project during the Franklin Roosevelt administration.  For decades some of Beverly Hills' most recognizable residents from film and television kept post office boxes there, such as Fred Astaire and Jimmy Stewart.

In 2013, the City of Beverly Hills designated the Beverly Hills Post Office as a historical landmark, under the City's new Historic Preservation Ordinance.  The building had previously received designation on the National Register of Historic Places by the US Department of the Interior.

As part of "The Wallis", within the treasured Post Office, existing spaces are re-imagined into the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater, a theater school for young people (opening in 2014), a Café and Gift Shop. 

The second building is the 500-seat, state-of-the-art Goldsmith Theater.   

Together, these two structures embrace Beverly Hills' history and future, creating a new cultural landmark.  Executive Director of The Wallis, Lou Moore, and Architect Zoltan Pali convey the overall excitement of this achievement  -- which was years "in the making" -- in the following video from October 2013:

In 2014 The Wallis will begin a year-round program of professional theater classes for young people ages eight to eighteen, with classrooms and administrative areas located in the Post Office. Drawing from the rich talent of Los Angeles’s entertainment industry, a faculty of professionals and theater educators serve as the directors and teachers of the program providing a diverse curriculum of the arts. The school will offer exciting, unique opportunities for students to study with guest artists appearing on the main stage, as well at the Studio Theater, which is located in the original mail sorting room.

"The Wallis" now is included in our "Los Angeles Architecture -- An Eclectic Landscape"©  custom-designed itinerary. For more information about this unique and comprehensive heritage and cultural tour covering L.A.'s architectural history from "early settlement to the present", visit us at http://www.snobbytours.com/EclecticLAarchitecture.html
Reservations close on February 15th during each year we offer this Tour. 

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(Photo and Audiovisual sources :   The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts)

© 2014 Snobby Tours^®, Inc. All Rights Reserved.