Courtney McGough

Lightner Museum

3 Visual Details:

1. Arches created negative space

2. There is symmetry in the towers

3. The red brick gives you a focal point/ draws your attention and makes it more interesting

History:

-The Lightner museum used to be the Alcazar Hotel completed in 1888 and commissioned by Henry Flagler in the heart of Saint Augustine.

-It was designed by an architecture firm called Carrère and Hastings

-It was the second hotel Flagler built. He sought to make Saint Augustine a vacation spot for wealthy travelers

-Hotel Alcazar is a monolithic structure of poured concrete and it was one of the few concrete buildings of that time. The use of concrete inspired Modernist architects in the 20th century.

-The Hotel was supposed to be a recreational entertainment annex for the Ponce de Leon Hotel

-People enjoyed the Alcazar because there were 3 units in this hotel that ponce didn't have which included the baths, the casino, and the hotel

-The Hotel closed in 1931 because people found new places to vacation and the wall street crash of 1929 that ensued the great depression also lead to decline in visitation.

-After the Hotel closed in 1931, a Midwestern magazine publisher Otto C. Lightner bought the hotel Alcazar and made it into a museum for hobbies that opened in 1948.

The Cathedral Basilica

3 Visual details

1. The proportion of the tower to the main part of the church is visually pleasing

2. More intricate detail and the red roof on the outside compliments the red ceiling on the inside

3. The 3 bells can be considered as repetition

History:

- The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine is known as “America’s First Parish” whose congregation first formed in 1565.

- The original structures of this parish were lost to war and fires, but the location and parts of the structure we see today were built between 1793 and 1797.

- This basilica has soaring roof truss ceilings and brilliantly gilded religious paintings and statues.

- It is an amazing blend of neo-classical and Spanish missionary architectural styles that reflect both its historical relevance and location.

- One notable feature is its tower containing four bells.

- The walls were built using a Native American building material called coquina, which is a quarry stone made from sediments of seashells. These walls have since been replaced with cast-in place concrete.

The Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine

3 visual details

1. The coloring is very simple just white and grey

2. The grey was only used on the doors and windows

3. The inside did not reflect on the outside especially the 5 domes. I wish they included more of that design on the outside

History:

- The interprets the history of the Greek Orthodox religion in St. Augustine and the lives of America’s first Greek immigrants, who arrived to Florida in 1768.

-St, Photios National Shrine was founded in 1749 by the first Greek community in the United States. It is a sacred space containing a chapel with five domes that depict brilliantly colorful Byzantine icons.

- It is named for Photios the Great, who was a pastor of the Orthodox church in Constantinople over 1,000 years ago.

- When the shrine needed renovation in the 1960’s, five prominent Greek families financed and personally guaranteed loans until the Archdiocese could secure bank funding.

-A Greek-American architect, Ted Pappas, orchestrated the renovation and received approval for the structure to be listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.

-The shrine is a cherished memorial to the immigrants who sacrificed and came to the New World seeking freedom and a better life for themselves and their families.

Our Lady of La Leche

3 Visual Details

1. Very symmetrical on both sides

2. The shape of the door was also the same shape as windows

3. The cross at the top creates a focal point

History:

- On September 8, 1565, five ships sent by King Phillip II of Spain, sailed into a small cove on the coastline of Florida in hopes of establishing a colony, converting the American Indians to Christianity, and securing land for Spain.

- The Spanish settlers of St. Augustine established the first Shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the United States.

- The Spanish settlers began devotion to to Our Lady of La Leche.

-Our Lady of La Leche means Our Lady of the Milk and Happy Delivery

- People come from all parts of the world to pray to Mary for fertility, the health of their children, and safe delivery of those expecting.