Sunday, January 3, 2010

In Case of Fire



The old Steiner Bank on 1st Avenue North is a Birmingham landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. I like the fire escape zig zagging down the side of the building. The Steiner brothers, Burghard and Sigfried opened the bank right here in 1890. I love the color and design of this building that is still standing proudly today.


16 comments:

TheChieftess said...

You have some fabulous old buildings in ol' Birmingham!!! One of these days I've got to take me a tour of the ol' south...

l'alia-du said...

un juego geometrico, bellisimo, saludos

Kate said...

The fire escape against the red/russet bricks makes a great photo. Don't see many of them anymore, tho. When living in Chicago as a young adult, ours was used for a burglary during the middle of the night...as I watched from my bed, holding my breath until the thief left as he came in through the window and down the escape, without harming me or my roommates. How did I know to remain silent...must have been instinct!

brattcat said...

A wonderful pair of captures of a beautifully detailed building.

Maya said...

The top of the building is very interesting. I like it!

Leif Hagen said...

A monumental building! Great architectural details and brick colors! I want to see a photo of YOU up on those fire escape steps - or from YOU up there. Dare ya!

Virginia said...

Oh geeeessshh Leif, dares like that one are what propelled me to the dome of the Sacre Coeur last summer!!! I'm not sure I can scale that ladder at the bottom though. Not as nimble as I use to be!

Chieftess,
I dare YOU to come on down here! :)

Brattcat,
Thanks my friend.

Kate,
That is scary!! Yikes.

Manuel
Grazie

Maya,
I miss ya'll too. Bummed I won't see you in Paris.

Tash said...

These photos are so wonderful. As is the building - the marvellous details, the color of brick. Really lovely. I am sooooo glad you are preserving the beauty of this building.
The building where I attended Junior High in Highland Park (PA's neighborhood) was old brick with white stone details. It didn't meet the earthquake code, so it was torn down instead of renovated and replaced by an uninspired new brick box. Now I wish I had good photos of the old school, in color.

Rob said...

Love the colors and textures. The fire escape shadow is a fun touch!

Louis la Vache said...

The second image has a very Escher quality to it!

Bob Crowe said...

That's way cool. The top image could be in lower Manhattan. The apartment building in Queens where I grew up had fire escapes. I thought it was a great place to hang out in the summer but my mother thought that was low class. We've got some crazy, pompous old Germanic buildings in STL but the bottom picture beats them all. I mean, it's got a Roman aqueduct on the top!

Virginia said...

Well thanks Bob! I"m looking at this place with new eyes now!! And when your Momma says it's "low class" it probably is! :)

Petrea Burchard said...

Interesting that Kate mentions Chicago. It was the first thing that came to mind for me, too (though not such scary circumstances!). Chicago has a lot of architecture somewhat like this--the red brick, the fire escapes. I don't remember an aqueduct, though!

Daryl said...

How warm that brick looks ... so cold here brrrr

Julie said...

That first image is a gem, V. I love the warmth of the colours. However, looking at the elements within the image, I am convinced it would travel really well in monochrome.

PJ said...

What I remember most about downtown are all the lovely old buildings and churches. It's nice to see they're being kept up - and used! Great POV, V.