We’ve all seen them, those odd looking carved faces, some with horns, some half animal or half human, often looking miserable, scowling at us from the outer walls of buildings. Often they’re spotted on churches and other older structures, but the practice of adding these ornamentations to more recently constructed buildings is quite common too.
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So where did these things first come from? One story about the origin of gargoyles comes to us from France. It was said that a massive dragon dwelled in a cave on the banks of the Seine, attacking ships on the river and also terrorizing the local population of the city of Rouen. The people made a sacrifice to the ferocious beast each year, calling it La Gargouille. However, at some point in the in the seventh century, Saint Romanus, in true knight in shining armour fashion, slew the dragon. The monster’s body was burnt on a massive fire, but the head, being accustomed to heat from the beast’s fiery breath, resisted the flames. So the people decided to keep it and mount it on the wall of a local church, as a warning to any other dragons who might be thinking of setting up camp near their city. And so the tradition of gargoyles began, or at least, according to this story.
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In reality, it would appear that gargoyles first started to appear between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, their primary purpose simply being to divert rainwater. The carved figures have open mouths and long necks because they are really just decorative spouts, directing rainwater away from the building’s foundations. The word ‘gargoyle’ derives from the Latin word ‘gurgulio’, meaning ‘throat’ and also refers to the sound of liquid passing through the throat. This word has naturally also been adapted into other related Latin based languages such as French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and other ancient cultures all employed decorative waterspouts on buildings to some degree, often in the shape of a lion’s head, but the gargoyles we are most familiar with date from the Middle Ages.
(image credit: Kevin Trotman)
Gargoyles became a common sight in twelfth century Europe, especially on the outside walls of the continent’s great cathedrals. The stone carvings were usually quite scary depictions of people, animals, birds, mythological creatures, human/animal hybrids and so on, and very different to the statues or carvings of saints and other religious figures both inside and outside the same building. This was because as well as being simple drainage devices, gargoyles also served to remind the largely illiterate congregation of the nature of good and evil, plus encourage them to attend church. As was pointed out in the earlier articles here on Dark Roasted Blend entitled "Britain’s Colourful Pub Signs" Part One and Part Two, a visual reference was needed for the bulk of the population who couldn’t read.
(images credit: Paul Malone, Ron Hilton)
The cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris is famous for the gargoyles adorning the exterior of the building:
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Also in Paris, here we see one of the gargoyles decorating the Basilica St Denis:
(image credit: Angus McIntyre)
While this one on the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur shows a view of the water channel (plus various water spouts disguised as fish, or tongues):
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Various carved lions are guarding the Meaux Cathedral in France (left) and the Cathedral of Tarragona in Catalonia in northern Spain (right):
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These fearsome looking creatures can be seen on the St.-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk in Ostend in Belgium (below left); while these dragon-inspired carvings decorate Ulm Cathedral in Germany (right):
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The United Kingdom has a large number of medieval religious structures. These gargoyles are from York Minster:
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These are from Westminster Abbey in London:
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Gargoyles weren’t restricted to religious structures, as we can see from these examples decorating Windsor Castle (below left). The one below right is situated on the roof of Himeji Castle in Hyogo, Japan:
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Gargoyles at the Concert Hall in Valencia, Spain (designed by the famous Santiago Calatrava):
(image credit: Angria)
The outer corners of the 61st floor of the Chrysler Building in New York feature these stainless steel eagles, replicas of the hood ornaments of 1929 Chrysler vehicles:
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"Terror Behind the Walls" haunted prison tours are held at Eastern State Penitentiary (abandoned since 1971) - complete with some of the most frightening gargoyles we've ever seen (more info):
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Not really a gargoyle, but a great monster statue spotted in the abandoned South Korean park:
(image credit: Jon Dunbar)
"A whimsical architect is said to be responsible for a group of figures in the ceiling of the main entrance to a fashionable church in Fifth Avenue, New York." (more info):
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In Saratov, Russia, this howling gargoyle was spotted on the 1902 College-Conservatory of Music - probably making the most horrible sounds imaginable:
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In South America, Quito Cathedral in Ecuador has a collection of gargoyles. In this case however, rather than the traditional figures we’re used to seeing, the Quito gargoyles depict the native animals of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands:
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A common question is whether a carved figure is a gargoyle or is it a grotesque? Even if every gargoyle might indeed be grotesque, all grotesques are not gargoyles. As I mentioned earlier, if it serves as a drainpipe, it’s a gargoyle (here is one with a saber ice "teeth" making it even more fearsome - see here). A grotesque or chimera is a very similar figure on a building, but doesn’t have the purpose of leading water away from the structure as a drainage device. In North America, for example, buildings constructed in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries often have decorations that everyone nonetheless refer to as gargoyles.
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These walruses decorate the Arctic Club Building in Seattle (below left); Fire Department Headquarters in Philadelphia features these firemen gargoyles (below right):
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Strange Alien-like figures can be seen on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel in Flagstaff, Arizona (below left). The "ruffled chicken creature" (below right) is from the University of Chicago:
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Some weird character spotted on the Tours Cathedral, France (below left) - and a guy chewing his toenails, from Rufford Park, Nottingham, UK (below right):
(images credit: Gemma Longman, Andrea Schaffer)
One on top of the other (Eglise Saint-Germain L’Auxerrois, Paris):
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"The Scream": some gargoyles refuse to be silenced (Troyes, France) -
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This guy is laughing and seems to be perpetually content (Gent, Belgium):
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Listening to the wrong voice (below left):
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This interesting looking, humorous fellow can be seen on the outer wall of the tower of York Minster:
(image credit: VT Professor)
Indeed, even Darth Vader (the Face of the Evil Empire) adorns the Washington National Cathedral, Washington - more info:
(images via, source)
Absolutely fantastic dragon, spotted in Copenhagen:
(image credit: Paul Malone)
So there you are, the first part of our series about gargoyles - those ugly, sometimes funny, invariably bizarre, at times almost demonic looking figures. Send us other examples you spotted, for inclusion in Part Two!
"Playing the Building", Quite LiterallyA sound installation by Talking Heads' David Byrne converts the whole building into a giant musical instrument. Every metal heating or water pipe, every pillar and structural beam are caused to deeply vibrate and resonate - producing often mesmerizing sounds, which any visitor to this installation can play on a very steampunk-ish looking wired piano.
(David Byrne at the Roundhouse. Photo: Jonathan Birch)
London-based photographer Mark Obstfeld, who also wrote about the Morgan Cars Made from Wood for DRB, sends us an exclusive look at this art installation in London:
(photos by Mark Obstfeld)
Last August this installation took place in a pretty famous building (the Camden Roundhouse) - Led Zep, the Doors and Hendrix all played here in the 60's - and perhaps will come back to life in the other location sometime in the future, if there is a popular demand. Here is the video with some of the sounds - click here.
Well, even if you missed the opportunity to "play" this huge building last summer - here is a project which is similar, but this time it produces a GIANT ECHO; and everyone can play it from the internet!
Silophone: The Biggest Echo Instrument - made from the abandoned Silo structure
Silophone "combines sound, architecture, and communication technologies to transform a significant landmark in the industrial cityscape of Montreal, Canada".
By telephone, or even the internet, they will send the sound of your choice echoing through the incredible acoustics of abandoned rusted halls and corridors of this imposing building. Broadcast, transformed and reverberated - these sounds would turn the haunted rooms of this "Half Life" environment into a sonorous cataclysm of overlapping echoes - something an abandoned elevator never dreamed it could do.
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Order these sounds from Silophone website, and feel yourself become a sinister, epic composer on the spot.
The idea to transform old silo buildings into musical arenas is not new - witness a night club in Russia, which uses the interior acoustics, and even the building's exterior as a light-and-sound show: Gaudi Arena, Moscow:
The Singing Tower - Lake Wales, Florida
All the sounds created by the above-mentioned structures might make for a great Italian giallo movie soundtrack: I wonder if great living film composers Ennio Morricone, or Stelvio Cipriani might not consider using them for some epic movie... But now let's consider something of a more beautiful nature: divine compositions of carillons, which make the bell tower itself sing...
"In a single, simple unit, [the Tower] must sing of music, sculpture, color, architecture, landscape design and the arts of the workers in brass and iron, ceramics, marble, and stone-each part of a chorus, each adding beauty to the others."
-- Milton B. Medary, Designer of the Singing Tower
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The tower houses one of the biggest musical instruments in the world: the 60-bell carillon (more info). Every architectural detail and every level of the tower's structure serve one purpose - enhancing and better resonating the mighty carillon's sound, which is played from a single room keyboard deep in the heart of the tower.
Excavating the Sound: The Singing Building - Eldridge Street Synagogue
Recuperating history from old, dead sounds? Why not! "A sound, once made, never entirely dissipates - it continues to reverberate in the space in which it was made. Its energy approaches but never entirely reaches zero, and it ultimately becomes just another part of the room's natural tone."
The Singing Building is a very strange attempt to excavate old sounds from the walls of the once-vibrant and active synagogue of the Eldridge Street in New York City - perhaps a text-book case of the "aural erosion"... The results of this project you can hear in an audio clip here.
So we have architectural structures recording, storing and playing back some otherworldly sounds. And if that was not enough, here is an idea from a 1926 issue of Science and Invention, how to utilize even the light beams streaming into the room... capturing them, feeding them into a piano, and making music of a very unique kind -
The Light-Beam Piano - more info.
A good way to retire - together with your private jetOur coverage of recycling airplanes into houses, restaurants, hotels, etc. has proved quite popular (see our Mystery Plane in Your Backyard). Here is a small collection of further findings of cool converted jets around the world.
We'll start with a cool Boeing 727 House, located in Costa Rica. Suzanne Pope sends us some images:
(images credit: Mr. Vincent Costello, via)
You can check into this house, too - this is part of the spectacular Costa Verde Resort
Nice interior design, cozy and warm:
The view is outstanding (almost as good as being "up in the air") -
(images credit: Mr. Vincent Costello, via)
Another Boeing 727 fuselage turned into a cost-effective and energy-efficient house: Jo Ann Ussery's estate at Benoit, Lake Whittington, Mississippi, USA -
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An old Bristol freighter plane converted to "bed and breakfast" - in Otorohanga, New Zealand:
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Red Lane's DC-8 home (originally built for Eastern Airlines in 1960) - now resides in Ashland City, Tenn.
(photo By Bob Shane, via)
Using wings and other parts of an airplane as very structurally-sound and efficient components of a house (more info) -
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Need a guest room? Add an airplane to your house! Aviation artist Richard Broome adds a full cockpit of Boeing 727-222A to his studio, more info:
(photos by James Broome via, and Jerilee Bennett via 1, 2)
Vliegtuigsuite, Teuge Airport Hotel, Netherlands
This one-of-a-kind luxury hotel suite has sauna, jaccuzzi... and a Cold War-era cockpit - inside a beautifully converted 120-seat 1960 East German plane (the former plane of Erich Honecker?). This is a real thing, courtesy Dutch company HotelSuites, not some viral concept like the infamous Hotelicopter... You can get your morning cup of coffee sitting in a pilot chair, gazing on a runway and planes taking off for blue skies:
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Runway Dreams in Stockholm
Another Jumbo turned into a hostel, this time it's a retrofitted 747-200 at the Stockholm-Arlanda airport: rated "Best Hotel Novelty of the Year" - JumboHostel
(images credit: JumboHostel)
Recycled Airplane Library
BLDGBLOG writes about this impressive concept of stacking a bunch of discarded jet fuselages to create a huge library building - complete with cozy reading rooms book collections inside the fuselages.
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More bits, wings, and pieces
An old Soviet plane, transformed into a bar in Olomouc, Czech Republic - Latka Bar:
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Another plane cafe in Russia: this is actually a roadside eatery, serving drivers on the “Don” highway -
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An old C-97 plane converted into a disco (in Barcelona, Spain):
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McDonald's in Taupo, New Zealand, uses an old DC3 to attract visitors:
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Flannery's Restaurant in Penndel, Pennsylvania, features a Lockheed Super Constellation:
(photo by J. Roger Bentley, via)
Air Restaurant Tupolev TU-104 in Petrovice, Czech Republic:
(image credit: Philip Heymann, drs-spotter.de)
Lufthansa Vickers Viscount 814 Restaurant in Langenhagen, Germany:
(image credit: Tim Corduan)
Need to transport an old airplane to your lot for recycling? Apparently you can do it with a simple pickup truck (just make sure you put the "Oversize Load" warnings):
Most Amazing Themed Interiors of Las VegasThis part is written by our guest writer Crystal, with photography by Avi Abrams, Dark Roasted Blend
Forget about fear and loathing. There are some truly wondrous environments and architectural spectacles that only Las Vegas could conjure - of course, we can not cover all of them within the limits of the short article, but we are going to mention some memorable ones.
(photos by Avi Abrams)
One need not travel far to satisfy a desire for fantastic architecture. Some of the world’s most impressive designs can be found among the bright lights of famous (or infamous, depending on how you look at it) Las Vegas. Along this one length of boulevard, people can get a taste of New York, Paris or Venice. They can walk amongst circus performers and magicians. They can view modern spectacles of engineering at Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas and MGM.
There is no other place on Earth that can take you from a ride in a gondola to a photo opportunity beside the Statue of Liberty without jumping on a plane. In fact, you may not need to leave one traffic intersection to see four entirely different environments:
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Check out these modern marvels and bask in their gorgeous interior design. Here are some beautiful sculptures near Monte Carlo Resort:
Very tastefully done interior design in Paris, Las Vegas (although folks who have actually traveled to France might say that the original has much more joie de vivre, but this sentiment applies to the whole Las Vegas - and Disney, for that matter - design policy):
A Star Trek-styled portal at Las Vegas Hilton leads, regrettably, to a simple Earth-bound hotel:
Inside the pyramid of Luxor Las Vegas. This scene reminds me of Blade Runner, but only if I squint very hard:
"Red Square" in Mandalay Bay, featuring the decapitated likeness of... Lenin?:
Some other interesting design elements, found at Mandalay Bay, Paris and the Venetian:
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Entirely Unexpected: Huge Wine Tower Inside Aureole Restaurant at Mandalay Bay
Mandalay Bay Resort provides a slice of Southeast Asia in Las Vegas: you are greeted with the call of exotic birds while lush foliage embellishes the interior and tiny pagodas and temples dot the surroundings. However, something entirely different can be found inside the Aureole Restaurant, something you do not expect to see as a part of Asia-themed interior design. Entering the staircase that envelopes the Wine Tower you see a 42-foot tall glass case - a sort of interior skyscraper, with thousands of the delicate glass bottles inside. Inside the towering case, two “wine angels” clothed in black catsuits retrieve the precious elixir:
(image credit: Randy Stewart)
The glass case offers a mesmerizing selection of over 2,000 wines from all over the world. There is room for 10,000 bottles and amazingly enough, the tower is refrigerated to ensure each drink is chilled to perfection.
The Murals of The Venetian: Michelangelo Would Approve?
The Venetian is breathtaking and one of the most unique hotels on the strip. As soon as you step foot inside you will be taken back by all the intricate details. Designed to look like a romantic vacation in Venice, the hotel is adorned with fabulous artwork, Italian flavor, and an indoor sky surrounding marketplace-like shops.
Feeling romantic? The Grand Canal circles the hotel and features gondoliers signing melodies while you glide through the canal in your gondola:
Probably most mesmerizing are the ceiling murals meant to resemble the work of Michelangelo. Vibrant imagery mimic the style of the Italian Renaissance and provide guests with heavenly inspiration throughout the hotel.
(photos by Avi Abrams)
Authentic Art Deco Elements Inside New York New York
Cross the Atlantic and take a bite out of the Big Apple. New York New York Hotel is the epitome of the legendary city, minus the traffic. Visitors can ride the Manhattan Express that circles the hotel before heading to the ESPN Zone for some All-American food.
Have a seat on the Brooklyn Bridge for great views of the strip. Inside, the hotel is built to resemble Central Park with a stream and authentic-looking New York neighborhoods.
(Art Deco design elements - photos by Avi Abrams)
The World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain, Bellagio, Italy.... er, Las Vegas, of course
Let your tastebuds tingle and your eyes widen with lust at the sight of the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain, both in size and volume. Nestled in the Spa Tower at The Bellagio, this modern creamy sculpture was the design feat of award-winning Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Philippe Maury and Norwood and Antonia Oliver Design Associates. This cocoa cascade creates a tantalizing masterpiece that is both compelling and scrumptious.
Standing a heartmelting 27 feet, melted chocolate flows from ceiling to floor along a series of cascades at a rate of 120 quarts per minute. Three tanks melt 2,100 pounds of milk, dark, and white chocolate to 120F before dispensing it through 6 spouts at the top. The rich blend of cocoa then twists and twirls around one another throughout their journey down a series of 25 glass vessels.
Aqua glass was molded into half-inch thick chocolate vessels by artist Michel Mailhot and then suspended by cables to offer the illusion of floating chocolate.
(images via)
The entire spectacle is encased by a series of 300-pound glass plates that rise to form a funnel as the tiers expand upward. At the end of the downward journey, the chocolate collects in hidden melting pools before being pumped back to the beginning.
Six pumps work to transport the molten chocolate up stainless-steel pipes two inches in diameter hidden within the walls of Maury’s Patisserie. Each pipe is surrounded by another three-inch pipe that circulates hot oils to keep the chocolate melted as it defies gravity to start over again. More than 500 feet of piping keeps this molten wonder running 24 hours a day. Even though the fountain is an impressive 27 feet, only 14 feet is actually visible to guests. The other 13 feet make up the piping and mechanical features.
(Bellagio's beautiful Art Nouveau glass flower ceiling, and still more flowers - photos by Avi Abrams)
While at the Bellagio, don’t pass up a chance to see the dancing fountains. Water and color pulse to the beat of Broadway and classical tunes. The most serene and complex water feature ever built is lovingly designed to inspire romance as colors and blue aqua serenade one another long into the night.
The fountains are located within the eight-acre lake in front of The Bellagio. The scene spans 1,000 feet in length and comprises over 1,000 water expressions and over 4,000 individually programmed lights. With certain jets providing smooth continuous flows and others chiming in with quick, short bursts to different melodies, each show is a unique piece of expression and design.
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Since it seems that Las Vegas can get a little expensive, take note that seeing each of these treasures is free – however, it may be difficult to visit the chocolate fountain without indulging in some of the delicacies at Jean-Philippe Maury’s Patisserie.
Awe-Inspiring Construction of Mountain Highway Bridges in ChinaChina is home to some of the most spectacular mountains, and some of the deepest gorges that need to be spanned with ridiculously tall bridges - and all these infrastructure projects are supposed to be good for Chinese economy.
There is only one problem: the amount of jaws dropped into the gorges by awestruck tourists and the sense of professional envy these bridges inspire in architects around the world, itching to land a similarly grand project:
Building West Hubei and Shanghai Chengdu Expressway Bridge - some 1365 meters in length, towering 650 meters over the bottom of the gorge (images via)
You need to build a bridge over THAT? (this is what passes for a "mountain valley" in China) -
Well, this will require piers at least 150m tall -
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A concept rendering of a bridge that has been actually completed in September 2008 as part of Jinji Expressway:
Construction goes on with the help of rockets and guided "missiles" (with a cable attached to them) -
Vertigo smorgasbord for all tastes:
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Built for Tarzan:
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Almost complete...
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A drive from Shanghai to Chengdu promises to be spectacular.... some mountain tunnels in China are even decorated with special lighting effects:
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This is Guizhou Beipanjiang Bridge, built for the Shanghai-Kunming highway: 1564 meters long, stretching about 370 meters above the waters - the second tallest bridge in the world.
(images source, via)
An old design (not used) was not too shabby, either... strongly suggesting the Great Millau Bridge (see here) -
More interesting Chinese bridges
Beipanjiang river railroad bridge in Guizhou:
(image source, via)
This one almost copies the overall shape (without the underlying mechanics) of Gateshead Millennium Bridge, which we covered in Part 1 - this is Sanhao Bridge over Hunhe River in Shenyang, Liaoning Province:
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Night time illumination on the Dashengguan bridge (right: bridge in Nanning) -
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Fuling Yangtze River Bridge:
Big Red Dragon needs Big Red Bridges, it seems: Taiping Lake Bridge in Anhui Province -
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"If you demolish bridges behind you, then there is no choice but forward" (bad motivational advice)
Transporting bridges can indeed be a beautiful sight (Portlanders were treated to such scenes in 2007, for example, when Port of Portland's old bridge center section was replaced). Pictured here is the Pentele bridge in Dunaújváros, Hungary:
Controlled demolition of bridges can be a fantastic job: this spectacular photo shows the end of the old Jamestown bridge in Rhode Island (also watch video)
Photo by Tom Cote, National Geographic
Notable Bridges Around the World
As we continue to cover some of the most impressive (tallest, longest, etc.) bridges, Dubai's "Largest Arch Bridge", planned for 2012 (not sure, if it's still on schedule), surprises with the graceful curves - more info
The mighty Humber Bridge in Hull, England, comes to mind next:
(images via 1, 2)
Even though it's only fifth-largest suspension single-span bridge in the world, it's also quite graceful and inspiring in its arching curve. Before the bridge was built, local folks had to use hovercraft service - it was unreliable, plagued with mechanical problems, but an adventure in itself (in a sooty- dieselpunkish way)
Treat your eyes on these classic shots of the Humber Bridge's "vanishing point" -
(images credit: Nick Holowka and BBC)
The Confederation Bridge linking Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, Canada, is extremely long and looks like a leasurely white snake floating in deep blue waters when seen from above:
(image via)
Their site has impressive pictures of waterspout occurring in vicinity... Impressive efforts of mother nature and human engineering combined:
(images credit: ConfederationBridge.com)
Another snake... This one is Chinese: Donghai Bridge, from Luchao Harbour City near Shanghai to a small island (more info) -
(image via)
Russian futurism.... a bridge in Siberia... dreamy....
(art by Tekhnika Molodezhi, 1974)
Also, we just have to mention the proposed Alaskan Bridge, really a "Bridge to Nowhere", a bizarre project which got some money for the state under Sara Palin, but was mercifully put to rest thereafter... "I have a bridge to sell you up in Alaska"... no, thanks! The story about it can be watched here.
Mystery and Beauty of Historic Bridges
A magical evening on a bridge in Bruges, Belgium:
Photos by Avi Abrams
The Forth Bridge in Scotland, which spans the Firth of Forth, should not be confused with the Forth Road bridge that's nearby. This rail bridge is best enjoyed at sunset:
(image credit: George Gastin)
Teufels Brucke at the Andermatt station in Switzerland:
(images credit: dwb)
Dangerous Bridge Crossings
You know how they say "build bridges instead of walls and you will have a friend"? If you build bridges like these, though, you may end up with enemies instead.
Crossing some of these rickety structures requires guts, skills and a prayer; and some others can provide the excitement (which is a good thing) -
Animals don't seem to mind, or maybe they just can't express it...
Ack!!
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