Tuesday, June 26, 2007


Fashion Duez is located between Cherry Street and Grand Street on the FDR.
This fine unqiue building was built for modeling and designing clothing.
Surrounding this area will be grass, trees and also the East River.

Staten Island Ferry! :)



The Staten Island Ferry Trip was indeed a wonderful experience for the class! First of all, we got to go to a different part of New York. Secondly, the views were amazing! From the Manhattan Buildings, seeing New Jersey, watching the glamorous Veressano Bridge, and even getting to see the Statue Of Liberty! It was great to see Manhattans buildings from a different perspective because then you really get to see how tall the buildings really are! To be honest, I saw buildings I never even seen before that I would like to go visit and photograph on my spare time! :)

- DaNNi & Starr :]

Monday, June 25, 2007

StarrTopia




StarrTopia is located in Central park on Central Drive under Terrace Drive and above 65th Street.
This creative building is going to be New Yorks first and finest casino!
I got this building design from White Castle which i love to eat at. :)
The public space will include nice trees and grass, being that its central park, and people can get in it by walking, riding their bike, rollerblading, skateboarding, etc. to get into it.

*IMPORTANT:No rollerblades, skateboards, or non appropiate dressed people will not be allowed into StarrTopia!

Thank You!

DANNii DEE







As we all know The Simpson’s based a episode on Frank Gehry which I guess was kind of fun. Frank Gehry was asked to build a concert hall for Springville at first he ignored the request until he got the idea of how he wanted the hall to look by just crumpling up a piece of paper, but which later on in the show turns into the Montgomery Burns state Prison. Frank Gehry also built the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The exterior steel skin surface contains 160,000 sq ft of panels. This is also used as a film location, the fees range from 2,500-15,000 a day depending on the complexity of the shoot. In 1987 Lillian Disney, Walt Disney’s widow, gave the initial $50 million to build the concert hall. In 1988 it was the renowned architect Frank Gehry who won the design competition. The completion was set for 1996. Frank Gehry also stars in a movie called Sketches Of Frank Gehry created by Sydney Pollack which was released last year on May 12,2006. In 1989 Frank Gehry was rewarded the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects which was the highest honor, and in 2001, Gehry was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

By: Danielle Agosto

Influences on Early Works

In 1981, Frank was asked to Design an addition to his first house. “Frank Gehry used this opportunity to transform the program of a suburban home into a flowing, light-filled space, which appears as a series of discrete, sculptural elements, each with its own formal organization, color, texture, material, and occasionally revealed structure. Although the addition was not built, Frank Gehry has since designed and built several such villages of disconnected forms, the sculptural articulation of which is emphasized by the use of increasingly solid and dense material (including stucco, galvanized metal, lead-coated copper, onyx, and stone) and by the tangential connections and oversized elements such as stairs, skylights, and detached column-canopy objects.” Frank Gehry afterward worked for Wdton Becket & Associates from 1957-1968. He also worked for Victor Gruen from 1968-1961 in Los Angeles, as well as for Andre Remondet in Paris in 1961. Frank Gehry's grandmother, Caplan, had influenced him in many ways. As a child, he would observe his grandmother every Thursday putting a live carp in a bathtub full of water to later make gefilte fish. So basically as a child he looked up to his grandmother and as you could see she took an important part in his life.

By Danielle Agosto

More of Frank Gehry's works

Frank Gehry received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Southern California in 1954. Los Angeles was in the middle of a post war-housing boom and the work of pioneering modernists. His work for Mr. Gruen was interrupted because he had to join the military services. After serving in the United States Army he entered the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he had studied city planning, but he was unhappy with the major due to its vagueness, so he just finished out one year without completing a graduate degree. Frank Gehry work as an architect and urban planner in several architecture practices before establishing his own firm in 1962, Frank O. Gehry and Associates, Inc. Since creating his own firm, Gehry's architectural career has spanned three decades and he established public and private buildings in America, Japan, and Europe. The Simpson’s based an episode on Frank Gehry where they showed his design process.


By: Danielle Agosto

The Life Of Frank Gehry Part 4


Before I close, let me tell you a couple of fun facts about Frank Gehry! The fun part is that Gehry actually designed the Disney Concert Hall! The unique exterior steel skin on this wonderful creative surface contains 160000 square feet of panels. Frank Gehry also had his own movie by the name of “Sketches Of Frank Gehry” The director of this fascinating movie is named Sidney Pollack and actually Frank Gehry played himself as the main and only character in this film. The run time of this movie is approximately 90 minutes. The release date was May 12, 2006. This film was rated PG-13 for brief strong language. The funny part is that Frank Gehry was actually featured in an episode of the Simpson’s! He even voiced the part of himself! This episode was one of the funniest ones I’ve ever seen! In this episode Marge Simpson tries to spice up Springfield (Their home town) by having Frank Gehry come and build up a new concert hall! This episode is filled with fun and laughter as Frank comes up with a fanatical way to build his concert hall. My last and strong fact is basically one of Franks strong and powerful quotes. The quote is: “Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.” I chose this quote because it’s the only one that really made sense to me. Personally, I think this quote means that the Architecture of a building should show by its exterior when it was built, but at the same time it should have the feeling of also growing as the world does. That people will see and not think it looks old. I may not be right but that’s just my own opinion on that quote. ☺

Web Sites Used To Find My Information:
1- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gehry
2- http://architect.architecture.sk/frank-owen-gehry-architect/frank-owen-gehry-architect.php

Thanks for reading!
This Reasearch Paper was by Starr Kelly Hernandez in her Skyscraper Summer School Class Of 07'.

Have A Great Summer! :]

The Life Of Frank Gehry Part 3


In 1981, Frank was asked if he could make additions to his first house, which was located in the 1959 Steeves Residence in Brentwood, California. Frank luckily used this opening to renovate the agenda of an uptown home into an amazing light-filled space looked to be detached. He even used sculptural elements. Each of the sculptural elements had their own style, texture, color, material, and sometimes they revealed structure. Unfortunately the additions were never built, Since then, Frank Gehry has created and constructed projects such as: Villages of detached appearance which also used sculptural expression, which was used actually to point out it’s more firm and solid material. He even did some of the housing designs including the Sirmai-Petereon House, the Winton Guest House, the Borman Residence, the Lewis Residence, and a house in a place called Brentwood. Frank once again employed himself to a job involving working on small houses to design several main establishment expenses. This matter took place in around the 1980’s. In his Aerospace Museum also located in California, he featured a F-104 airplane that was hanging over a hangar door! The time period ranged from 1982-1984 at this point. Gehry was smart enough to invent a small acropolis (acropolis was the fortified citadel of a city in ancient Greece ☺) that was out of detached classroom auditorium and a chapel. He even used some landscape forms.

-Starr Kelly Hernandez

The Life Of Frank Gehry Part 2


As you may already know, Frank Gehry attended Harvard for city planning and he was also in the U.S Army for a while. Soon after that he began to redirect his interest in architecture by bringing together his work with other painters and sculptors in an erudite operation of perspective with unusual shapes to make building’s that would reveal their structures. Ron Davis, who was a painter and Frank Gehry’s friend, began a project of building small house residence. It allowed Gehry especially to wander around in amusement to look at all the clearly affordable tools and materials used to make these houses. He exposed the wood frame construction of the house by using materials such as plywood, corrugated metal, and chain link metal fence. Frank Gehry brought out the structure of the houses by showing the physical and architectural framework. The search of more architectural styles started in his home in Santa Monica in the year of 1978. This still existent house was surrounded and cut into by an adding of metal and glass. At the same time Frank Gehry got involved in the construction of several larger building projects. Already recognizing his experience from the houses, he decided to become playful with his projects to discover other amazing things he could do to his works. In 1975 he helped with the Concord Pavilion, in 1978 the Mid-Atlantic Toyota Distributors, Cabrillo Marine Museum in 1979. He even worked on the Santa Monica Place Shopping Mall from 1973 – 1979. These project ideas came together from him being s former police bus depot worker and from when he was part of the headquarters of The Museum of Contemporary Art Of Los Angeles in 1983. Franks curiosity of creating things soon grew stronger. So he expanded his horizons by experimenting with fabrications for furniture. He had a line of chairs called “Easy Edges” in 1979 and its company still goes on today.

- Starr Kelly Hernandez :)

The Life of Frank Gehry


Frank Owen Gehry
By: Starr Kelly Hernandez

Frank Owen Gehry was born February 28, 1929 and was actually named Ephraim Owen Goldberg at birth. He is one of the world’s most famous architects. Before I get into that, let me explain his life story to you so that you know how he started out his career.
Gehry was born in Toronto, Ontario and he was in fact Jewish. His grandmother, Caplan encouraged him by making cities and buildings out of wood with him. Also, every Thursday he would observe Caplan putting a live carp into a bathtub filled with water and watch its movements and how it reacted to its new environment. Actually, this later would help him in many ways with his architectural works. His father was named Irving Goldberg and his mother was named Thelma Caplan. In 1947 Frank Gehry moved into Los Angeles, California. While there he began driving a delivery truck and studied at the Los Angeles City College, Soon enough, he graduated from University Of Southern California’s School Of Architecture in the year of 1954. After that, he went away for a while from architecture and became involved in his other jobs. He even went his service in the United States Army. He then began studying City Planning In Harvard Graduate School of Design. Unfortunately, he never finished his classes there because he left early before completing his course. He soon began to call himself Frank Goldberg, instead of his birth name. He married Anita Snyder, who he claims was the person who made him change his name. He divorced Anita in the mid-1960’s in which he then married Berta in the mid-1970’s. They are still married to this day. He has two daughters from Anita Snyder and two sons from Berta. Since Gehry grew up in Canada he was indeed a big fan of hockey. He even began a hockey league in his work office, he no longer plays but he was actually given a trophy for the World Cup of Hockey.

Life before Frank Gehry was FAMOUS

Frank Owen Gehry
By: Danielle Agosto

Frank Owen Gehry’s real name at birth was Emphraim Goldberg and he was born February 28, 1929. He was born into a Jewish family in Toronto, Ontario. He was a creative child he was encouraged by his grandmother, which he would build little cities out of paper, wood an basically anything he could build with. As a child he would watch his grandmother every Thursday putting a live carp in a bathtub full of water to make gefilte fish. His fathers name was Irving Goldberg and his mothers name was Thelma Caplan. In 1947 he moved to California and got a job driving a delivery truck. Also studied at Los Angeles City College and then eventually graduated from the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture. Which we all know help him in life. Then later in life he married Anita Snyder. His name at the time was Frank Goldberg, and he claims his wife Anita was the one who told him to change his name, which he did. Frank and Anita had two daughters. Then later in the mid-1960’s he divorced Anita then married Berta, his current wife, in the mid-1970’s. Berta and Fran k later had two boys. When he was growing up in Canada, Gehry was a huge fan of hockey then he began a hockey league, though he no longer plays with them.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Chrysler Building >:{


This famous skyscraper was designed by an architect by the name of William Van Alen. This building was built by just simply building 4 floors per week! It took from 1928 - 1930 to finally complete this masterpeice. It contains 77 floors and including the antenna it is 1,047' feet. Which is approximately 318.9 meters. The elevator count on this high rise building is 32. I like this building because i love it's lofty height and someday i would love to visit it just to look upon our gorgous city from above. If I could change one thing it would be the color. Being that this is New York City, we should have something that stands out big to represet it. Then why not change the color of the Chrysler Building being that it's currenty the tallest building in New York? That would be great!

The AT&T Building :/


This 37 story skyscraper was built by an architect named Philip Johnson and John Burgee. This building was constructed in the year 1984. The AT&T building was in fact famous for its unique structure at the top of this lofty highrise. People sometimes even refer to it as the "Chippendale Pendiment" because of a American famous furniture manufacturer who made couches which looked similar to the buildings design. Can you believe that the enterance of this building is 7 stories in height? That's absolutely amazing!

My Architect Video ;}




The video called My Architect was basically about how Louis Kahn lived when he was alive. Actually, he did things and made skyscrapers by what he belived was correct in his view. Unfortunately, women back then who were architects weren't big or famous. For example, a woman who was associated with Mr. Kahn who in fact had a relationship with him was often kept in a closet and hidden because he never wanted his wife to find out what was going on between them. While working for him, this poor woman never made it big in life even though she helped him with some of his biggest projects.

United Nations Headquarters :)



The United Nations Headquarters was constructed in 1949 an 1950 by William Zeckendor. The building is located on the East Side of Midtown Manhattan. This building is 38 stories high. Even the ground underneath the building is concidered part of United States territory.This building was purchased for $8.5 million dollars.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Love Us





Our names are Starr Kelly Hernandez an Danielle Agosto. Starr is here because of failing English and conduct. Danielle is here because of failing Global History (TAD).

Ezra Stoller


Ezra Stoller began photographing in the late 1930's. Soon enough, he became one of the most famous architectural photographers in the world. He even founded an agency which still goes on today that is called Esto Photographics. Stoller attended New York University in 1938 to become an architect. While he was in school his main focus was Architectural Photography. Ezra Stoller died in October 29, 2004 in Massachusetts.

-Danni & Starr <3

Metropolitan Life Insurance Building


The Metropolitan Life Insurance Building (A.K.A: Met Life) was built between the years of 1909 to 1913 and it was the worlds tallest building at the time. The architect of this building goes by the name of Harvey Wiley Corbett. The height of this building is approximately 700 feet which is 213 Meters. This building also has the materials of concrete and steel used to create it. It's basic window shapes are squares and rectangles. The exterior colors include: beige, gold, and green.
We love the top of the Met Life Building because it looks like a golden crown at the top. We would change the color of this building to gold instead of the green so that it would match better with the top. Plus, we would put gothic arches in some of the windows instead of making them all rectangles and squares.

- Danni & Starr =)

The Flat- Iron Building


The Flat Iron Building was constructed in 1902 by Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root. This unique building is 285 feet high which equals to 87 Meters. The Flat Iron building has up to 22 floors. (Thank God for elevators!) The funny part about this skyscraper is that it forms the shape of a triangle! The materials used to build this skyscraper were steel and concrete its exterior colors include white and beige. The windows in this building are mostly squares and roman arches. This building (to us) looked like a triangle block of cheese. We would change the color of this building to a brighter color so it would stand out from the others and look even more unique.

.::~ Danni and Starr~::.

:} Thanks for reading! <3

Thursday, June 14, 2007

SkyScrapers :]


Building Big A Video By David MacCauly.

~This detailed film is about how skyscrapers were first built in the United States. This video also showed the different methods people used to build the tallest and fne structured buildings/towers. They also included the methods of elevators. A man Mr. Eiffel, built the Effiel tower. It was never fully built but the iron outline of the tower is basically all it is. It is now one of the biggest tourest attractions in Paris today.

By: Danielle Agosto & Starr Kelly Hernandez
=) :]