Since a visit to Cleveland in mid-2019, it has been my intention to share a few observations about the city (or the part I visited, mostly on the shore of Lake Erie and what is generally referred to as Cleveland’s “historic downtown”). I had been to Cleveland before, at least twice, both times on business. …
Vienna’s Otto-Wagner-Spital: A Disturbing Story
Before I conclude my own personal homage to Vienna’s most famous architect (coming in a few weeks when I write about Otto Wagner’s stunning Österreichische Postsparkasse) I want to look again at the Otto-Wagner-Spital which we visited a few days back. In the previous post, I made reference to the fact that the Otto Wagner Hospital in …
Vienna’s Otto-Wagner-Spital / Klinik Penzing
Let’s have another look at the beautiful site where Otto Wagner’s stunning Kirche am Steinhof is located. It’s an iconic Art Nouveau structure I’ve written about before (last December in fact), and many readers commented positively when I described Wagner’s church, located at the top of the hill overlooking the district. So I’m now happy to …
The Most Beautiful Art Nouveau Concert Hall in the World
[Author’s Note: Written with Andrew Berner, a true Barcelona aficionado whose assistance is much appreciated.] This is a post about the Palau de la Música Catalana (the Palace of Catalan Music) in Barcelona. And right off, let’s get past this “most beautiful” business. These posts would be very boring and predictable if every time you opened one …
Exploring the Genius of Vienna’s Otto Wagner
Can it be possible to prove the genius of an architect with just two adjacent apartment buildings? I think so. But that’s certainly not to say that Otto Wagner (1841-1918) did not create plenty of other examples of his genius, especially since – after an early period defined by historicism – his work moved him …