Painted Bricks: A Casper Wyoming Plaza?

We reported on the concept of a Casper Downtown Plaza in this post:

Painted Bricks: A Casper Wyoming Plaza?: As reported this past week in the Tribune and in an article in the Journal , the Casper city counsel has given provisional approval to dedi...

The Casper City Council has now approved plans for the plaza, a necessary step in order for it to come about.

Casper's Iris to become a civic auditorium.

 

The Iris, a recently closed Casper downtown movie theater.

The association that's been backing a civil auditorium announced yesterday that it had purchased the Iris, a recently closed downtown movie theater for that purpose.

The association earlier took a couple of runs at trying to raise sufficient funds for a purpose built auditorium in Casper, but it was never successful.  When the Irish closed there was mention of the theater, which is not really all that old, being converted to that purpose, and now it apparently will be.

Holscher's Hub: Blog Mirror: Heritage Calling: 10 Tips for Archi...

Holscher's Hub: Blog Mirror: Heritage Calling: 10 Tips for Archi...: 10 Tips for Architectural Photography.

Times Square, New York City

Times Square, New York City

Radio City Music Hall, New York City.

Cheyenne Historic District, Cheyenne Wyoming

The Mysterious Monumental Architecture in Cheyenne Wyoming's Historic District

I go to Cheyenne a fair amount but it's only recently that I've noticed some interesting monumental architecture in the town, and some of that would seemingly require some explanation.  A couple of examples are here.

I posted this one on Some Gave All, our blog that's dedicated to heroic monuments.  It's really off topic, but at first I really didn't know where to put it.  Here's the post from that blog (which I regret having used for the post):

Frank Wenger Holliday Memorial, Cheyenne Wyoming.
 

This is an unusual private memorial on a small, traffic island, park in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  I had thought it might be a war memorial, but it is instead a memorial to the thirteen year old son, Frank, of Cal and Rudolphia Holliday.  Cal Holliday was a Cheyenne businessman and mayor in the city's early days. What happened to the Holliday's young son I do not know.

This unusual memorial is just off of the downtown business district of Cheyenne in its historic district.  This post is clearly off topic for the blog its on.

What's its story?  A private memorial to a tragic loss like this is rarely done in the form of such a public monument.

And what's up with this?

A nearby huge monument to Scottish poet Robert Burns.

I know that Burns is regarded as the unofficial poet laureate of Scotland, but of Cheyenne?  I can't think of  a connection between Cheyenne and Burns, other than that the dedicating individual, Mary Gilchrist, must have been a huge Burns fan.  Apparently the city had others, as they accepted the statute, which is sort of hard to imagine occurring now.  Most monumental architecture in Wyoming now has a Western theme, sometimes an oil & gas theme, or no known theme. But a Scottish literature theme would be unlikely.

Epilogue

A post on the Early History of Wyoming Facebook site lead to a reply that indicated that Frank Holliday died by way of an appendectomy.

Denver Engine House No. 5, Denver Colorado.

This is Denver Engine House No. 5, a 1922 vintage Denver fire station now used as retail space in Denver.

Coors Field, Denver Colorado

Lipton Tea Sign, Apartment Building, Denver Colorado.

A classic Lipton Tea advertisement on the side of a building that was an apartment building in Denver, at the time the sign was painted.  I don't know what the building is now.  "Demand Lipton's popular tea."

Brick Sidewalk, Casper Wyoming

A brick sidewalk in an older part of Casper Wyoming. The only such sidewalk in the city.

Lex Anteinternet: Help Support NCHS's Welsh Auditorium Project (and ...

Lex Anteinternet: Help Support NCHS's Welsh Auditorium Project (and ...: The NCHS Welsh Auditorium is a of course a classic, but it stings a bit to see how much support the old auditorium is getting while the p...

What is it? Granger Wyoming

This is a fairly substantial structure in the small town of Granger, Wyoming.

Granger is an old locality for Wyoming.  It was a Pony Express stage stop, and the stage building is still there (which unfortunately I didn't realize until after I'd driven out of town).  The town is small, and the population of about 140 has stayed constant for the entire 20th Century and into the 21st.

Whcih makes a building like this a peculiarity.  

When I took this photo, because of some of the features of the building, I thought it was an abandoned church, and I had intended to post it on our Churches of the West site.  But later I reconsidered as I'm not so sure of that.  It doesn't really have a steeple, not that all churches do.  It has some very church like features, but this could also have served some other purpose.  I'll note the other side made me, at the time, even more convinced this was a church, but as the house is now apparently used as a private residence, I didn't want to linger while photographing, particularly as a curious dog inside the building was taking note of me on the street.  I should also note, however, that on one side is a branch of the Sweetwater County Library, and on the other side is the Granger town hall.  Maybe this was a government building at one time?  Maybe it was a school?

So, what do we have here?  If you know, post the answer.

Abandoned buidlings in the historic district of Rock Springs, Wyoming: National Bank and "Fountain . . ."

A couple of old building in Rock Spring's historic district, across from the class Union Pacific depot.  The building on the left is the National Bank building, and was built in 1892.  The one on the right has much of its "ghost signs" painted out, so I'm not sure of its identity, but it's number 18 on the historic district tour.

Not all of the buildings in the historic district are in this condition, I should note.

Honoring the sign makers. . a sign painter at work in Seward Alaska

The first photo we've put up showing a sign actually being painted. Sign painter at work on the facade of the Brown & Hawkins building in Seward Alaska, which has housed a candy store for over a century.

Van Gilder Hotel, Seward Alaska

The Van Gilder Hotel in Seward Alaska, which dates from 1916.

Street scene, Seward Alaska

Palace Building, Seward Alaska

Lex Anteinternet: Travelling through (on) time.

Lex Anteinternet: Travelling through (on) time.: I recently had the occasion to ride in a Ford Trimotor airplane. Ford Trimotor at the Natrona County International Airport. Even ...

Natrona County High School. Casper Wyoming

These are a series of not very good photographs taken of Natrona County High School, one of three high schools in  Casper, Wyoming.  It's the oldest school, having been built in 1923, when this school replaced the prior high school, Casper High School.  NC's fight song predates the school, and recalls the earlier school, with its lyrics "All Hail To Casper High School".

I was up at NC because I was curious about the monument that appears in front of it.  It probably shows something about my teenage mentality, but I didn't know what the monument was for, even though I went to this school and passed by it every day, albeit some 30 years ago.  I probably didn't know what it was for then.

Indeed, the whole experience of taking a look at the school through a lens, albeit the lousy Iphone lens, was a bit odd.  I spent three years here, my wife graduated from here, her parents graduated from here, and my father graduated from here, but I was struck by how little I took notice of various details of the building. This is true even though I've photographed part of it before, back in high school.  In thinking on it, I went through the same door every day, left through that door, and there were entire exterior parts of the school I rarely walked by (and in part for good reason, at the time).  It's one of Casper's most beautiful buildings, and I hadn't really appreciated the structure much before.

 

According to my father, who was almost always right on such details, the building is nearly a copy of one in Denver Colorado, which is just a little larger.  Many schools built in this time frame, the 1920s, had similar castle like appearance.

It's interesting to note that this building was built during Casper's big boom of the late teens and early 20s.  It fits in, in terms of period of construction, with many of the more significant downtown buildings as well as many of the downtown area Casper churches. A lot of Casper's most striking and substantial buildings date from this period, which saw a major World War One/Post War oil boom boost the local economy.

An interesting detail of NCHS, which I paid very little attention to while there, is the two framed sets of quotations on the building.  Obviously intended to instruct the students on their purpose while there, I paid next to no attention to them while there, even though I probably should have.

This part of the building frames in a quote from Article 3 of the Northwest Ordinance, which stated, in full:

Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians; their lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent; and, in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress; but laws founded in justice and humanity, shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them.

The quote on the school just runs through the first section of the quote.

I have to wonder if a quote like this would even be tolerated on a building today.  I doubt it, as the citation to religion and morality would no doubt offend some.

And here's another framed set of quotes.  The first quote is from Proverbs Chapter 47, which states:

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Again, solid advice for the student.  Once again, I'm sure today somebody would be offended if a quote from the Old Testament was included on a public building, let alone a school.

This also included a quote from Euripides, which is:

Whoso neglects learning in his youth,
Loses the past and is dead for the future.

 Very true indeed.

This door at NC has the words above it "Suit the Action to the Word".

And this door proclaims "Education Makes the Man."

This is what I actually went up to investigate:

I thought this might have been a World War One memorial I earlier missed, so I intended to check it out and perhaps to my blog on war memorials.  As it turns out, it's nothing of the kind, as the dedication reveals:

I had to look May Hamilton up, but apparently she was a pioneer local educator who was significant in Natrona County schools for many years.

John F. Welch Auditorium, NCHS

I added the photograph above while viewing a concert at NC.  This portrays, although not terribly well, the ornate nature of the stage.  Statues of Lincoln and Washington are on each side.  Photo added on May 16, 2014.

NCHS is currently under reconstruction with parts of the old structure, such as the swimming pool (the oldest indoor pool in Wyoming, coming down.  This photo and the ones below show the state of the work as of June 13, 2014.

 

The last two photographs show NCHS from the air, in July 2015, as construction was ongoing.  This photograph was taken from a plane nearly as old as the school, a Ford Tri Motor.

Barteldes Seeds, Denver Colorado.

The Barteldes Seeds building in downtown Denver Colorado. Built as a seed warehouse in 1906, the building today apparently is used for lofts.

United States Post Office (Sweetwater County Historical Museum), Green River, Wyoming.

This classic U.S. Post Office building in Green River, Wyoming was built in 1931 in the classic Greek Revival style then popular for Federal buildings. The structure now houses the Sweetwater County Historical Museum.  Directly across the street from the Sweetwater County Courthouse, I thought at the time I photographed it (poorly) that it might have housed a Federal courthouse, as some posts offices did, but that does not appear to be the case for this one.

The Murray Building, Cheyenne Wyoming

Not too  sure what I think about it, but a very large mural on the Murray Building in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The Asher-Wyoming Company building, Cheyenne Wyoming

A building just off the Union Pacific in Cheyenne that at one time was used by a wholesale grocery establishment.

Lex Anteinternet: The paused that refreshed.

Lex Anteinternet: The paused that refreshed.:   Fountain for horses, downtown Denver. These were placed by the National Humane Alliance, an organization that put the up for urban ho...

Holscher's Hub: The Santa Fe Municipal Airport, Santa Fe, New Mexi...

Holscher's Hub: The Santa Fe Municipal Airport, Santa Fe, New Mexi...: Most unusual tower/terminal I've ever been in. Both are in a single building, and built in the regional adobe style.

Holscher's Hub: Streets of Santa Fe

Holscher's Hub: Streets of Santa Fe

Holscher's Hub: Route 66

Holscher's Hub: Route 66

Livingston Quality Furniture Sign, Santa Fe New Mexico.

Painted over Livingston Quality  Furniture sign in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Based on the brick work, the facade of this building has been redone in the area adobe style.

Evangelo's, Santa Fe New Mexico

Tavern sign for Evangelo's in Santa Fe, New Mexico, featuring the famous Life Magazine cover photograph of Angelo Klonis, the founder of the tavern. The late Mr. Klonis was a soldier during World War Two when this photograph of him ws taking by Life photographer Eugene Smith.  Konis, a Greek immigrant, opened this bar in his adopted home town in the late 1960s, at which time his identify as the soldier photographed by Smith ws not widely known.

Holscher's Hub: Architectural Scenes of Washington DC.

Holscher's Hub: Architectural Scenes of Washington DC.: