An Architect's Eyes

For the last few weeks, I've had the privilege of receiving private lessons in architecture from Walter Langsam, retired professor of Architectural History at the University of Cincinnati.  This year, I became the co-chair of the "Clifton House Tour" fundraising event which will occur on Mother's Day, May 13, 2012.  It is a lot of work, but one of the great rewards is that I've had an opportunity to see, even if it is only a blurred and vague image, what Professor Langsam sees when he looks at the 10 homes that will be on the "Clifton House Tour".  I have at least an idea of what he sees when he takes in these homes whose history spans more than half of the history of the United States.  The oldest home was built in the 1840's.  The newest was built in the last 3 years.

The homes on the tour will remain secret until the day of the tour.  Kudos to you if you can figure out the homes based soley on the pictures in this blog posting.

We arrived at the home shown above just as the sun was beginning to set.  Walter pointed out that the home still has the original red mortar.  He said that this mortar doesn't hold up as well as other mortars.  He was pleasantly surprised that the owners continued to maintain the red mortar over the years, rather than replacing it with another style that would hold up better but would not be true to the original architectural design.  To paraphrase Dr. Langsam, "Oh my!  Don't the colors look SO WARM at sunset?  Don't they glow?"  I saw exactly what he meant.  The mortar was beautiful in the warm sunset colors.  I could not imagine the HORROR if the mortar had been replaced with any other color.  I saw how all the oranges, tans, and browns lit up in the late day sun.  I wanted to stay on the porch forever.

I entered the home with Dr. Langsam and he pointed out detail after detail.

In other homes, Walter and the homeowners provided more contemporary images and insights.

Touring these homes with Professor Langsam has given me new insights into architectural design.  I see with  new eyes.  I walk down the streets of my beloved Clifton neighborhood, with its homes that span the last 170 years of American history, and I notice details I never noticed before.  These are new connections between neurons in my brain, and I'm grateful to Professor Langsam, grateful for what I've learned and the new pleasures I enjoy when I walk down the street.