Indy Home Book » Architecture & Design

Classy Parking

Richard — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:17:38 +0000

I thought the design and build on this one-car garage in the Lockerbie area was one of the best I’ve seen, matching the architecture and charm of the original home. The hardwood doors look like they are from a turn-of-the-century home’s front entrance. But of course it’s the garage door with horizontal panels that fold like a standard overhead door. The lines of each section fit so well against each other that they are nearly invisible. The shed roof adds nice detail and functionality keeping the weather away from opening. Elegant in it’s simplicity.

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Character and Emotion

Richard — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 02:03:06 +0000

It’s really the details that makes all the difference. That thought applies to a lot of things, but works especially well for real estate and homes. For instance this leaded-glass window inside a 1920′s era home in the cooridor between Meridian Street and Central Avenue, and between 38th and Kessler, is one of a number of other similar windows. There area wonderful exterior masonry details, wood trim, and fixtures built into every room. They all add up to character…character which you can’t find so prevalently in other areas of town as the homes in this area. There are some truly wonderful new homes being built now that arguably are much nicer in terms of quality and features. But the difference is, homes from this era, as they have aged, have taken on a charm that a new home can’t duplicate no matter how well it is built. The older homes speak to an emotional place inside you somewhere. That’s the main reason that the classic, traditional design homes stand up so well over time. Homes are made of brick and mortar, and that counts. But when you buy a home, it’s the emotion that you are buying more than anything.

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Art that Functions

Richard — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:15:55 +0000

Just a shot I liked of a stained glass panel hanging in a window that I took recently. Colored glass windows like these are similar to any other kind of art displayed on a wall, but different in that they change dramatically in brilliance depending on the light coming from outside. The light as it passes through also changes, coloring the interior with the hues of the glass. Art that functions.

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Talking Pictures

Richard — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 01:37:56 +0000

A photo I liked of just a small portion of a large building downtown. The entire building’s surface is made up of windows in a continuous repeating design. A big square box with floor after floor of rows of the same 3-window pattern. It’s clean and efficient, but not a whole lot of artistic expression as buildings go. I decided the appeal of this one was the order. A part of me that likes things to be organized and neat when possible. The subconscious choices…the images you like or don’t like…a window on who you are. I get messages sometimes from different people saying they liked a certain photo or another. It’s one of the reasons that photos and images are interesting and powerful to me. They speak differently to each of us.

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Classic Favorites

Richard — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 02:18:27 +0000

This could be a home in New Orleans…or possibly Charleston, SC. But surprising to some probably, it’s another example of the wonderful classic homes right here in Indianapolis. There are a lot of them scattered throughout some of the more seasoned neighborhoods here. My list of favorites is pretty long, but this is one of them.

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Summer Weekend Classic

Christ Church Cathedral

Richard — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 02:27:58 +0000

I’ve been wanting to post this photo for a while. Being Sunday I thought it was a good time. This building, Christ Church Cathedral, right on the north side of the Circle at Meridian Street downtown has always intrigued me and part of my earliest recollections of downtown Indianapolis along with the Monument itself. While other buildings have come and gone over time on Monument Circle, it is the oldest building still surviving, built in the 1850′s. Amazing example of Gothic architecture and in the National Register of Historic Places.

Although it’s origins and ministry date back to the early 1800′s, it’s still active in the community today. One thing that they are famous for is the Strawberry Festival that they sponsor on the Circle every year.

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Morris-Butler House

Richard — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:36:53 +0000

The Morris-Butler House should probably be on the must-see list for anyone who likes classic architecture in general or local history…which fits me pretty well actually as I’m intrigued by both. Really impressive structure visually and part of the rich history of Indianapolis. The Old Northside neighborhood where it sits is called that because it was once considered a northern suburb of Indianapolis in its day. It’s hard to imagine that now when you think about the distance that present-day suburban expansion has reached since then. The Morris-Butler House, located at 1204 N. Park, just east of Central, is maintained and operated by Indiana Landmarks and open for the public to see. The Old Northside is in itself worth the time to visit and explore. The homes there are amazing to see and some especially are truly awe-inspiring examples of mid-late 1800′s architecture.

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Blocking the Light

Richard — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:35:08 +0000

I was previewing someones home recently and snapped this inside photo through a glass-block window. I just liked the patterns, colors and the way the images outside were diffused and changed with a prism-like effect. These types of windows become a security feature though for the same reason. They especially make sense for some window spaces located on the ground or basement level and in bathroom windows. They still let the light in but they can’t be opened and they are strong and really thick, so they’re more secure. And you can’t really see clearly what’s inside if you are outside looking in.

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Relaxing on the Portico

Richard — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:50:32 +0000

This is one of those features on a home that you hardly ever see anymore. Some would call this a veranda while I’ve heard the term ‘portico’ to describe it also. I suppose you could call it a porch too and that wouldn’t be incorrect. Many years ago something like this could be found on some of the more elaborate homes. But verandas and large front porches in general were left out when designing a home after air conditioning was invented and started to become more commonplace. Backyards became the more popular place to socialize with friends and neighbors, away from the street.

You can almost visualize people sitting on this veranda in the early 1900′s relaxing in comfortable, cushioned wicker chairs sipping cold lemonades on a hot summer day.

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Veranda

Roof Talk

Richard — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 02:47:56 +0000

A few years ago, most roofs were done with traditional square edge 3-tab shingles that were all one color. But it’s more common these days to see roofs that are similar to the style in this photo. Some refer to this as an architectural or a dimensional shingle. The cost to roof a house with these is not that much more than before but the visual effect is a lot different. The coloration, cut of the shingle and how it’s installed produces an effect similar to a shake style roof and gives it a 3-dimensional quality. The most widely used grade has about the same life as the earlier ones, about 20 years. Thicker shingles, rated for 30 years, have an even more shake-like look as the thickness creates more shadow and makes the tabs stand out more. Real cedar shakes are still chosen for some applications but the cost is many more times the cost of these fiberglass ones. Even less common are slate roofs or tile. Slate roofs are very expensive but they last almost forever, so maybe they save money in the long run? But who would live in a home long enough to realize the savings. Usually, the age of the roof disclosed on a Sellers Disclosure is between 1 to 20 years. So it’s funny to me when I look at a Sellers Disclosure for a home with a slate roof. I’ve seen disclosures for homes with slate roofs that state the roof was 80-90 years old. At first glance you think it’s a typo then you remember, OH yeah…a slate roof. There are certain older or classic style homes that just wouldn’t look right unless they had one though.

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