Drive-by Astoria #2: Bond Street Buildings

Astoria, Oregon ~ September 15, 2012

West Bond Street

I love Astoria's houses. Almost every one has some sort of unique architectural detail, whether it be windows such as these with the long panes at the top, or simply the way the elements are combined. It looks like a small Victorian to me. I know our Finnish houses here are more austere and flat. What I don't know is what happened when the two styles met. Maybe this is it. The top story is pretty plain.

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Purple on the Water Front

Astoria, Oregon ~ July 18, 2011

Can anyone tell me the name of these purple flowers? If I ever knew it, it escapes me today. (Hmmm, maybe some variety of lilac?) [Thanks to everyone who said it was a BUTTERFLY BUSH.] I've been noticing flowers and color all season, and when my photos aren't of ships, they usually include flora. I'm sure many of you will recognize the location as being right next to the interesting dumpsters on the 12th Street pier showing the Sears building in the background (right side of the photo). I think our cold, wet spring and late-blooming summer has given us gorgeous blossoms well into summer.

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Theme Day: "Photo of the year 2010"

Astoria, Oregon ~ July 5, 2010

Taken from the Holiday Inn Express, 3rd Floor

Theme Day (the first of each month) is a big event at City Daily Photo. Although Astoria Daily Photo is a member web site, I don't often remember to participate in theme days. The theme today is, "Photo of the year 2010." Although we've had beautiful contributions from guest photographers this year, I decided to choose among my own for theme day. I think I chose the above photo as the standout for first place because it has a surreal quality unlike any of my other photos this year, a Classical quality with the arched window - and of course, I love the subject of the bridge and the Columbia River.

May you all have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2011. And my fondest thanks to all blog-visiting friends and everyone who helped Astoria Daily Photo grow this year!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

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The Old Ice House (Not)

Astoria, Oregon ~ April 5, 2009

I've always loved this old building on the River Walk between 3rd and 4th Streets - behind Burger King and the Employment Department. During our October photo contest, this picture of it was sent in by Jean B, who also identified it for me. I didn't know what it was, although it makes sense. It's on the docks and there are fish totes stored outside. Some of you asked about the ripply texture of the building, and here you can get a close-up look at the stucco. I think it looks more Southwest than Northwest. It stands out as a unique building here.

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Yesterday's Windows

Astoria, Oregon ~ November 10, 2010

Here's the answer to yesterday's question. The windows are on the River Walk across from the river and from Doc's on 12th Street. In a way, it was a trick question, because the lighting made the whole building look very, very blue through the camera lens. I enjoy these windows in any light.

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Cool Windows . . . Who Knows Where They Are?

Astoria, Oregon ~ November 10, 2010

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Photo Contest: "In a Window"

Astoria, Oregon ~ July 10, 2010

Guest Photographer: Robbie Mattson

I'm not sure where this enigmatic photo was taken, but maybe Robbie can fill us in. It seems there is always music happening somewhere in Astoria, so the sign seems appropriate any time. By the way, if you wonder who painted the blue fish from yesterday's post, the owners of The Silver Salmon made a comment. . . .

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Rich in Color and Design

I had no idea that yesterday's comments were going to take such a strange turn when I planned to follow up with these photos of the First Presbyterian Church on the corner of 11th and Franklin. The church is next door to the social hall (yesterday's post), which, it seems, has had many (and varied) uses. I love the colors in this photo especially. They've been painting this church for at least a year, and the results are warm, inviting, and fun to look at.

The church also has interesting architectural features. As with yesterday's building, I would call it Gothic Revival, which I guess in the U.S. is of the Victorian Era.

All four photos are of the side (or is it the back?). It's the opposite side from Franklin Street.

Here is a link to one of the towers and the facade on 11th.

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Boring No More

April 29, 2009

I usually find this industrial building on the River Walk not threateningly ugly, just boring. But it wasn't boring on the evening of April 29, 2009. A beautiful sunset and the right angle changed everything.

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Reflections in The Wet Dog

Astoria, Oregon ~ July 15, 2009

This window of the Wet Dog Cafe reflects the red Pier 11 building along with other buildings on 11th Street. The door you see is on 11th Street. Another entrance and the deck eating area are on the River Walk. I showed the top of the building in this post last December.

Happy Ruby Tuesday.

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A house for Karen

This large stucco house sits at the corner of 4th Street and Franklin Avenue. I took the photos on the same overcast and misty day as I took the picture of the "Ships on cotton" from a vantage point just down the street.

Here's the house from the side and back. About this house, Karen wrote: "Can't wait to see the picture of the old house. When we had it, it was covered with ivy, and I mean covered. Dad loved the ivy, so we could never paint the house. The people who bought it from mom took it all down. Last time I looked at the house, it seemed to me it had been turned into 2 apartments. Lord knows it was big enough. Dad built a deck out over the garage that could be accessed from the big bedroom upstairs that we used as a party room. We had a great view from it."

I see now that the deck must be on the other side. Karen also sent an interesting story about one of the other houses in the neighborhood, so when I go back to take its photo and post the story, I'll see if I can get a picture of the deck on this house. Each house in Astoria has its own style and history. One of the unusual things about the house in today's post is that it's made of stucco. In Astoria, that's the exception, as most houses are made of wood.

The design on the on the pillar looks somewhat Italianate to me, although I'm not an expert. I believe the Italian trend in the U.S. was prominent in the Victorian era, when many of our local houses were built. However, whether the trim on the column is new or old, I can't say.

Karen sent e-mail with more about this house:

January 9, 2010

It looks so much better than it used to. . . . I mentioned the house was a dirt-brown color when we lived there. The ivy on that side was so thick that Mom and I would have to get on Dad to trim it away from the windows every so often so we could get some light. My room was the one upstairs on the chimney side and the ivy went all the way up there. Every Christmas Dad would thread lights through the leafless ivy branches. It took him an entire weekend usually. It became tradition that when the lights started going up, Fritz would concoct the first of many of that year's batches of glogg and he and Art Sandstrom would come over and straw-boss the whole operation. It is amazing that between the usually stormy weather and the glogg, Dad never fell off the ladder.

A couple other interesting things is that the house has an 8-x-8-inch sold oak beam that runs in one piece the entire length of the house. It is there to stay. Another is that this year will my graduating class at Star of the Sea will be celebrating our 50th reunion. The class voted to have our all-night graduation party at my house because of the big bedroom upstairs that we used as a party room. The deck is over the garage on the other side of the house from your picture. Dad was something of a character too. I have some old news clippings and pictures that I will dig out and send you one of these days. I think you will get a kick out of them.

What country is this?

In what country does this facade appear to be? Certainly not the Pacific Northwest of the United States. What do you think? But yes, it's one of Astoria's landmarks.

I've always liked this historic building in downtown Astoria, Oregon. I took the photo from 11th Street between the River Walk and Marine Drive. There are some interesting and picturesque businesses here, and many unexpected shots one could capture of the building. I've tried a few times, but I wasn't happy with the angles or exposures. It will be worth continuing to try! We'll see what I come up with. The light was nice today. You can see some blue sky, too.

Juliet on 14th Street

But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

I have no idea. The mannequin is actually in a second-story window.

Windows of the lovely Astor Hotel

Does anyone know the style of these delightful windows?

They can be seen on the Duane Avenue and 14th Street sides of the Astor Hotel in Astoria, Oregon. The building was constructed after the 1922 fire burned down its predecessor. I wouldn't know what to call the style. I called the building Art Deco based on various features and the look of its Commercial Street side opposite (shown here). If anyone can help me out with the style, I'd be very interested in what you have to say. I love architecture and styles, but this one isn't 100% in my vocabulary. One author called it "Gothic," and I didn't see that at all on the other side of the building, but these windows bear a hint of Gothic, if only a hint. As to the old hotel itself, several comments from the last post are worth printing here. Some were made on Blogger, and some on the Facebook page for this blog. By the way, I left two small heads at the bottom of the photo for scale and reference. I tried cropping, but I kinda like them there.

Branden Wilson: Don't forget that the top few floors are not even original. They were an afterthought built on years later . . .

Julie Winlund Evans: The bus depot was on the ground floor and I can remember watching the wooden 'dock' rot away over the years as the blackberry briars took over.

Kurt Hanson: I remember the ballroom, it was totally awesome and the little cafe on the corner where the toy store is/was? I also remember the bus depot - I can,t remember what year that was late 60's?

Lee Spangler: What is also cool is what is left of the interior of the main floor. We'll sneak in next weekend.

So, perhaps we'll have additional photos coming up. There's also a comic and game store on the corner of Commercial and 14th with a sign worthy of a photo. I'll see what I can do with that one some time!

There's a bit of sky here, and I like taking part in Skywatch Friday, but I have to admit that the photo was taken last Sunday when the sky was blue and the weather was glorious. That was just before the heatwave. Now the heat has been followed by the marine layer's inevitable clouds, and today so far it's completely overcast. It rained last night, it's cool today, and I'm not complaining!

Waterfront funk with red

What are the chances of finding a waterfront scene like this one with one isolated punched-out red board? (There were no others.) I don't know, but it caught my attention. I wonder if it has anything to do with the narrow truck bay out of sight on the left? Something like, "Whoah! Do not drive into the water." In any event, I love the old windows and the aging white-on-white of the building. I see a lot of things being painted this year. Of course, that preserves them, but I miss the weather-beaten art of the "before." I'm sure that's one reason God made cameras. I'd like to get over there again and get a close-up before this building gets cleaned up. There's one obstacle: cyclone fencing. But it's not far away - it's just along the River Walk, like so many of my favorite places.

. Ruby Tuesday