Downtown Excursion

I never really thought about how much architecture is symbolic of ideas, time periods, and attitudes until our trip to downtown Austin. The different types of buildings, the art inside, and the atmosphere that the buildings create all infuence the way I feel about architecture.

We started at St. Mary's Cathedral, which was my favorite building that we visited. I enjoy looking at gothic architecture, and the church reminded me of places I have visited in Europe. The Gothic style of St. Mary's has many parallels to buildings I saw while I was in Venice. The Doges Palace is one of the best examples of Venetian Gothic Architecture, and has the most defining features of this style: multicolored brickwork, pointed arches, quatrefoil friezes, and an almost box-like structure. St. Mary's Cathedral in Austin has pointed arches, but lacks multicolored brickwork that is often found in Venetian architecture. The light colors and geometric patterns used in Venice gives the buildings a lighter appearance than the heavy, dark bricks do. The rose window that dominates the front of St. Mary's is not so much a Venetian Gothic feature; it originated in France and was later spread throughout the world during the Gothic Revival.




































First Picture: St. Mary's Cathedral. Austin, Tx.

Second Picture: Building on the Grand Canal in Venice, shows Venetian Gothic features: quatrefoil frieze, an arcade with columns that create pointed arches.

Third Picture: Doge's Palace, shows Venetian Gothic features: quatrefoil frieze, an arcade with columns that create pointed arches, multicolored brickwork

Fourth Picture: Port in Venice, shows Venetian Gothic features: pointed arches, multicolored brickwork




After visiting St. Mary's Cathedral, we moved to the state Capitol building. The Capitol has a completely different feel and structure than the Cathedral does. The dome dominates the structure of the Capitol building, and gives a feeling of superiority. It is the largest state capitol in the U.S. and it is seven feet taller than the U.S. Capitol. The size and strength of the Capitol parallels the characteristics that many Texans embody. The same dome feature of our Capitol appears in some of the most famous historical buildings, such as the Pantheon in Rome, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and the Tah Mahal in India.








First Picture: Capitol of Texas

Second Picture: Pantheon: Rome, Italy

Third Picture: Dome of the Rock: Jerusalem

Fourth Picture: Taj Mahal: India



























Our third stop on our downtown excursion was at the historic Driskill Hotel. Inside, it was decorated with a distinct Texan feel. The sculptures, painting, and even the furniture all gave the feeling of going back in time. The Driskill was built in 1885, and from the cow that is on the front of the hotel, I can see that the 'worship' of cows dates back very far in Texas history.