Monday, November 12, 2012

Looking at Louisville

If you step out of The Brown Hotel, you are in the part of town where there are very interesting theater and other buildings.  Above you can see the beautiful architectural terracotta work on the front of one of them (I wonder if it is by the Gates Pottery?).  Below, the sign of the Ohio Theater is still striking against the blue of the sky.  The Art Deco style Ohio Theatre opened during 1941. Seating was listed at 900. It was located next door to the larger Kentucky Theatre. The Ohio Theatre closed as a motion picture venue in 1965.  The facade and marquee of the building are all that remain of this theatre today, along with its large “Ohio” vertical sign.


Above, what was once the Kentucky Theater is now Theater Square Marketplace; below, across the street is Theater Square.

Lunch was at the BBC, no not the one in London.  Judy is at our table, above.  Below, she is giving a high five to one of the statues that are in the Theater Square.  Who is that man?  He looks like Harry Truman...

Above and below, Judy strikes sevearl poses with Mr. Brown of The Brown Hotel, and his little dog, too.  The little dog's name is "Woozem", by the way.  Woozem was a rescue dog, he had been in a circus act before he moved into The Brown. Local legend has it that if you pat Woozem, you are sure to return to The Brown for another happy stay.  The sculpture is by Raymond Graf.

Here are some great glimpses of The Louisville Clock...The Louisville Clock (or Derby Clock) is a 40-foot high ornamental clock designed by Barney Bright to look like a gigantic wind-up toy, incorporating themes of Kentucky culture, especially the Kentucky Derby horse race.  It has bumped from here to there in Louisville since its creation, but it seems perfectly situated in Theater Square. 



Above, The Brown Hotel as seen from Theater Square. 
Caudill, Rowlett & Scott, an architectural firm from Houston, designed the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts with assistance from the Design and Construction Department of Humana Inc.  Above and below are exterior photos of the Center...

Nearby buildings are reflected in the Center's curtain walls in these photos.
And the Center is reflected in the windows of these vintage storefronts, above.  Below are a series of photos taken inside the Center, where we attended a reception on Saturday afternoon:


Above is a view of the Humana Building by architect Michael Graves, through the Atrium windows of the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts.
Among the works in the Atrium or Lobby are (above), "The Coloured Gates of Louisville (The Inevitable Return of the Indefatigable Dr. Fay)", 1988, by John Chamberlain (Born 1927, American), a work of painted automotive steel over chrome (18' x 33'9" x 2'6"). Below is a sculpture called "Night Wave: Moon", 1984, by Louise Nevelson, (1900-1986), of black painted wood (the entire work measures 12' x 35' x 20").
 

Judy, Candace and Scott stand alongside a sculpture by Jean Dubuffet, called "Faribolus" or is it "Perceval"?

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