A Thai “spirit house” in the Thai Tropical Forest, Phipps Conservatory. The spirits live better than the people in some parts of Thailand, but fortunately they can fit into very small spaces.
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Architecture in Miniature
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A Leafy Suburb in the City
The Cathedral of Learning seen from Schenley Farms, a century-old suburb surrounded by the monuments and institutions of Oakland.
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1892
The Art Nouveau date stone in Phipps Conservatory, in the rear of the palm house.
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Landscapes in Glass
Glassmaker Dale Chihuly has filled Phipps Conservatory with whimsical creations that look like mad experiments in botany. Chihuly may be the only installation artist working today who consistently manages the extraordinary feat of appealing equally to three-year-old children and old grumps.
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Winter in the Garden
After the leaves have fallen, the bright red twigs of the red-twig dogwood make an unexpected flash of color in the outdoor gardens of Phipps Conservatory. In the background, out of focus, is the Cathedral of Learning.
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Graceful Curves
The Lecture Hall, part of the giant Carnegie Institute complex in Oakland. The graceful curve of this unexpected projection from the building is balanced by an equally graceful curve in the sidewalk.
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Gothic Fantasy
The spire of Heinz Chapel on the University of Pittsburgh campus reaches toward heaven.
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The Dirty Old Cathedral of Learning
The Cathedral of Learning, the fantastical Gothic skyscraper at the heart of the University of Pittsburgh, has recently been cleaned of all the soot and grime from the old days of big steel. The building is beautiful now, but the old grime had its own character and beauty. Here are a few pictures of the Cathedral of Learning before the cleaning.
