Steamy Steampunk Buildings

[MarcusJuliusCroft]

Yeah, Von Corax, it is the Walking Melbourne ones, sorry for the trouble

[aquachromis]

St. Louis is full of old brick buildings that have an industrial steamy feel. We have a handful of abandoned old breweries. Here's an example: http://63118.com/local/historic/lemp-brewery. There are also quite a few neighborhoods with victorian homes and brick multi-family flats.

[aquachromis]

Oh and this one!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iplaid/6718279867/#
http://peterwochniak.photoshelter.com/image/I0000dDQLwb0epKQ
It's an old power station.

[James Harrison]

St Pancras Hotel, London:

[Dave Leppo]

"It was built by Freelan Oscar Stanley of Stanley Steamer fame and opened on July 4, 1909, catering to the rich and famous, including the RMS Titanic survivor Margaret Brown, John Philip Sousa, Theodore Roosevelt, the Emperor and Empress of Japan, and a variety of Hollywood personalities.[2] The hotel and its surrounding lands are listed on the National Register of Historic Places."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stanley_Hotel

[MarcusJuliusCroft]

[MarcusJuliusCroft]

[Kevin C Cooper Esq]

The Bratch Pumping Station Wombourne West Midlands. Built by the Bilston Corporation in 1895

Spoiler: ShowHide

Inside

Spoiler: ShowHide

[chironex]

I have to ask too- what makes the building steampunk?



Castling Street Heritage centre, Townsville.

Victoria Bridge, Townsville.
Or maybe something more industrial?


Port of Townsville rail entrance. Present line off left edge of pictures, road appears to be location of old line or truck loading trails.
Update: these buildings have been largely demolished as the port continues to be developed.

Old Flinders Street rail workshops, Townsville.


Current state of signal box.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mythoto/2448859618/#

http://railgallery.wongm.com/workshops-rail-museum/F110_6979.JPG.html
Workshops museum, Ipswich.


Former Oonoonba station building, now TDSME fun park station.
http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/media/promos/NECROBLOCK/nb11.jpg
The last is what I think of as "Steampunk" rather than Old School Styling that happens to fit.

[Horse Brass]

When I was in there a couple of years ago, the Melbourne Town Hall still looks much the same. 
I don't have time to dig out my photos this week though.

One place to look for buildings that may inspire steampunk thoughts is the Open House project. A number of cities around the world have a day or weekend to showcase interesting architecture to the public, from historical to modern. That's how I got to look through the Town Hall a couple of years ago.

[James Harrison]

When I was in there a couple of years ago, the Melbourne Town Hall still looks much the same. 
I don't have time to dig out my photos this week though.

One place to look for buildings that may inspire steampunk thoughts is the Open House project. A number of cities around the world have a day or weekend to showcase interesting architecture to the public, from historical to modern. That's how I got to look through the Town Hall a couple of years ago.

Thank you for reminding me about that... a few years ago myself and my then employer (an architect) went to a couple of buildings for Open House London.  On the Sunday we visited George Gilbert Scott's Foreign and Commonwealth Offices in Whitehall...





Beautiful, beautiful building. 

[Athanor]

I have to ask too- what makes the building steampunk?

I'd have to say that what makes a building Steampunk is simply the level of detail. If you can look at it for hours and continually find more interesting details to look at, then it qualifies. This is why, in my opinion, so much "modern" architecture and city planning gives rise to bland, arid, soulless cityscapes. A bare concrete wall is simply - a bare concrete wall. It does nothing to hold anyone's attention. Whereas the level of sheer Baroque detail in a building such as, for example, St. Pancras Station in London, rewards close attention; every detail leads on to further detail, ad infinitum almost.You could spend hours, days probably, just looking at the frontage - let alone the interior.

Athanor.

[josecou]

I live in San Antonio, and it's full of cool old buildings.

[Dr. Nikola]

I'd like to nominate the Eliphalet Nott Memorial, at my alma mater, Union College, in Schenectady, NY as a prime example of steamy architecture.  Nott was president of the college for 62 years(sic). It's the only 16 sided building in America and is normally called "High Victorian Gothic", with its many unusual details inside and outside, including hundreds of colored glass "illuminators" in the dome which simulate constellations. 
See, eg., http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vanepsgenealogy/schenarch.html  or the Wiki article at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nott_Memorial

[Mrs. Whatsit]

I'd like to nominate the Eliphalet Nott Memorial, at my alma mater, Union College, in Schenectady, NY as a prime example of steamy architecture.  Nott was president of the college for 62 years(sic). It's the only 16 sided building in America and is normally called "High Victorian Gothic", with its many unusual details inside and outside, including hundreds of colored glass "illuminators" in the dome which simulate constellations. 
See, eg., http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vanepsgenealogy/schenarch.html  or the Wiki article at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nott_Memorial

Beautiful building, Dr. Nikola.  Thank you for sharing.

[Zeppelin Kapitan Fritz]

     I think the exterior of the Rookery Building in Chicago looks quite steamy.



     The interior was redone later on by Frank Llyod Wright, it looks decidedly less steamy.

[von Corax]

     I think the exterior of the Rookery Building in Chicago looks quite steamy.

     The interior was redone later on by Frank Llyod Wright, it looks decidedly less steamy.

I don't know about that — maybe a little less white, a little more wood... I do like the ceiling and the marble staircase.

[Zeppelin Kapitan Fritz]

     Also in Chicago, the Tribune Tower. It was built during the diesel era but I think it could just as easily be in a steampunk universe.

[Captain Lyerly]

That last looks like it was built with cold-riveted girders, with cores of pure selenium...



Cheers

Chas.

[Dorian Von Glass]

Very cool pics guys! Thanks for sharing!!!!

Dorian Von Glass

[MarcusJuliusCroft]

A few more

[MarcusJuliusCroft]

[MarcusJuliusCroft]

Thought I would add some more, just for the hell of it.

[MarcusJuliusCroft]

[J. Wilhelm]

Pictures I have used in the past:
1.  Galleria Umberto in Naples, Italy (2005 (CC) Kalamita)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galleria_Umberto_I


2. Palace of Bellas Artes in Mexico City (2007 (CC) Carolina Lopez)


3. The Eiffel Tower (2009 (CC) Benh LIEU SONG) (Click for really big picture)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Tour_Eiffel_Wikimedia_Commons.jpg

4. Palacio de Correos; interior staircase area (Main Post Office) Mexico City (2007, GNU Free Doc. Lic, Uwebart)
(Click link for gigantic picture)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Panorama_staircase_Palacio_Postal_Mexico.jpg

EDIT: I found two "thumbnails":




5. The Littlefield House outside of the Univ. of Texas at Austin (© 2007 (CC) Larry D. Moore)