Wildlife

The Bear Building on Main St., c. 1828, under a mackerel sky.

Fourteen by sixteen

This tiny 1871 house at the corner of Davidson and Short streets is only 16 feet wide by 14 feet deep, according to city records.

Runner up

In my search for yellow around town I also found these empire yellow walls at Hamilton Robbins on Main St.

The image of the arch-top window in the display is echoed in the reflections of both the courthouse and the R.E. Lee Hotel across the street.

Theme Day April 2009: Yellow

A spring display in the window of Pumpkinseeds, at the corner of Washington and Main.

Today is the first of the month, and daily city bloggers around the world are posting on the April theme: Yellow. Many shops around town have displays featuring yellow at the moment, so there was much to choose from. This shot had a special appeal for me.

To see how other bloggers have interpreted the theme, click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Church on Sunday: A different view

The back side of the Randolph Street Methodist Church has but three openings: a red door (with sidelights), a small Gothic window, and an even smaller round window up top. Makes you wonder what's up there....

(The front has a much larger window.)

This photo was taken from the east end of the Nelson St. bridge.

Church on Sunday: Grace

Ivy clothes part of a window at Grace Presbyterian Church.

The congregation of this church has worshipped in this building on South Main Street since the early 1950s. Before that, it was (probably originally) a private residence, an apartment building, and a fraternity house. Now Grace Presbyterian is planning to build a new church outside of the city limits, and this old building is for sale.

One wonders what the future has in store for it.

Proof of spring

The pear trees are in bloom in front of Gaines Hall again.

Among the first trees to bloom in spring, and last to lose its bronze-red autumn leaves, the Bradford Pear (Pyrus calleryana) might be a superior tree except for two weaknesses: the smell of the blossoms is unpleasant (!), and the crotched trunk is brittle -- prone to snapping in high winds. (We lost two in one night, north of here, during the inland winds of Hurricane Isabel.) This set may be protected by its proximity to the building's walls.

Gaines Hall is a residence for upperclassmen at Washington and Lee, completed in 1988 in the "suite" dormitory fashion. I received many demurs to my (rather tongue-in-cheek) assertion that residents of Graham-Lees were "living in style." So -- how are things at Gaines Hall?

Two more chimneys

A belvedere between two chimneys on a house on Jackson Avenue.

This house is not far from the highest point of Jackson Ave. I'd love to see the view from the little cupola -- it must look west to House Mountain and the Alleghenies, and east to the Blue Ridge. (North and south you'd see mostly chimney.)

Theme Day March 2009: Glass

The rose window of R. E. Lee Episcopal, through the snow.

Today is the first of the month, and city daily bloggers around the world are posting on the March theme: Glass. Since my Sunday post is usually of a church, it was easy to combine the two this week.

It may not rival Chartres, but the church keeps this window lit every night, and it's a pretty and comforting sight on an after-dark ramble through the town. Particularly so when it is snowing (March is "coming in" lion-like), as it was last night.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in this month's City Daily Photo theme.

For symmetry's sake

The front steps at Morris House lead to a window, instead of the door -- which is to the left.

This house, visible at the right of Cyrus McCormick in my post of two days ago, was built in the early 1840's as one of a set of four faculty residences. It is now used as a seminar and reception center, as well as guest accommodations at Washington and Lee. The designer of these varied houses made rather free with classical proportions in the porticoes, for starters, (as can be said of many such buildings in Lexington, including Washington Hall and Stono,) and you can view such deviations as charming un-academic improvisations, or provincial ignorance, (or both,) as you prefer.

(Posting rather late today, due to computer trouble.)

Blue and gold II

The "carpenter Gothic" central gable of the St. Patrick's parsonage.

Built in 1840, the painted brick parsonage predates the church it serves by 113 years. It's possible there was another church on the site before the present one, but I haven't yet found evidence of it. (A small church on Henry St. - now the Gospel Way Church of God - is referred to as "Old St. Patrick's," which suggests that the congregation moved here from there at some point.) It seems likely that this was originally a private residence adapted by St. Patrick's for its purposes.

Whatever its history, the parsonage has charm. Here it is, tucked beside and behind the more modern stone church:

Theme Day Feb 2009: Paths and Passages

Jackson Arch, entrance to the Barracks, Virginia Military Institute, taken from beside the pedestal of Moses Ezekiel's Stonewall Jackson.

Today is the first of the month, the day that city daily photo bloggers from around the world post on a single theme. February's theme is "paths and passages."

One of the most significant passages we have in Lexington is Jackson Arch, through which pass, each fall, new VMI cadets to begin their four years of rigorous physical and mental training. First year cadets, nicknamed "rats" since the 1850's, will endure for the entire year a demanding system of initiation known as the "ratline." The VMI website states: "The system is designed to remove wealth and former station in life as factors in one's standing as a cadet, ensuring equal opportunity for all to advance by personal effort, and to enjoy those rewards that are earned."

Upon entering the first day through Jackson Arch, each cadet will see the words of Stonewall Jackson inscribed within: "You may be whatever you resolve to be."

To see the paths and passages of other bloggers, click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

13 windows

An overcast sky above the unusual roof line of 103 South Randolph St.

Yesterday's forge shares this building with the stables and carriage house for the Lexington Carriage Company. During the warmer months, and on the occasional weekend afternoon in the winter, the teams of horses are watered and groomed and fed (I suppose - I haven't seen them feeding) between carriage rides here. Then they go north to Augusta County for the night.

I have a fascination with this building. It hardly seems to belong in town. It is certainly not beautiful -- "utilitarian" is the word that comes to mind. I don't remember ever seeing another freestanding building of this size with just one lo-o-o-ng shed roof. The row of windows makes it, of course. (There's another similar row on the other side.) See the building from a distance here.

Pictures of the horses and carriages to come, in the spring.

Church on Sunday: Full moon

Manly Memorial Baptist Church at dusk; corner of Main and Preston streets.

"Manly" does not refer to the character of the congregation (though I wouldn't like to rule it out), but to the church's early 20th C. namesake. Formerly Lexington Baptist, it became"Manly Memorial" in honor of Dr. Charles Manly, pastor from 1903-1914. (The church's website states that in his day he was known as the "most universally beloved man in Lexington.")

The present church was built in 1920, in a rather eclectic style. In addition to the dome, Ionic capitals (above smooth, unfluted columns), and heavy, dentiled cornices, there is an impressive amount of contemporary stained glass in soft, opalescent colors -- greens, blue-greens, warm browns, lavenders and pinks -- that make a strange and interesting contrast to the brick and the many classical references.

Here is an example:

It's a very American ("Rules? -- what rules?") structure that, not surprisingly, also appears to take inspiration from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (located about 56 miles [91 km] NE of Lexington, as the crow flies).

Church on Sunday: Randolph Street

Window of the Randolph Street Methodist Church.

I can find out very little about this church, other than that it was built in 1892, and suffered a fire in 1929 (according to my copy of "The Architecture of Historic Lexington" by Lyle and Simpson). Like many Methodist churches I have seen, it does not have a spire, but rather a bell tower, which can be seen (from a distance) here.

This graceful window faces the street, and is surrounded by some simple yet imaginative brickwork (of a beautiful, rich orange-red), which makes for nice shadow lines.

A glowing cornice...

...warm brick, and shadows in the late afternoon (when else?) on Edmondson St., one of the most charming residential streets in town.

There's something very Lexington about this one (not like yesterday's photo).

I promise to show some morning light in January. Another New Year's resolution....

Planes

Interesting lines on a building at Jefferson and Washington streets.

I've been taking photos for this blog for a month now, and this is the first time I've caught any jet trails in the sky. Suddenly, they're everywhere! Must be the post-Christmas travel rush.

Red, white and blue

I love the proportions of this wall and chimney, one wing of a handsome house overlooking the town from Liberty Hall Road. Very Virginia.

The Old Courthouse

The old county courthouse building, corner of Main and Washington streets. This is the main pediment, showing the arched windows of the second floor courtroom. See below for the full façade.

When it was first completed in 1896 (after a 1797 courthouse had been torn down), a local resident touted it as "the cheapest good building and best cheap building" ever built in the county.

This courthouse has been the center of much controversy in Lexington over the last decade or so. The county of Rockbridge, which owns the building, had allowed in to fall into disrepair. A former judge (now deceased) caused the state of Virginia to bring a suit against the county and city for repairs and upgrades. To make a long story short (and such things seem always to be a very long story around here, and often to involve lawsuits), a new modern courthouse 3 times the size of this one is nearing completion 2 blocks away. And no one will ever call it the cheapest good building ever built in these parts.

The Main street façade of the old courthouse:

Christmas star

A quirky Christmas display window at the travel agent's reflects buildings on the other side of Washington St.