& DAGGER

HALLOWEEN IS EMOTIONAL

2010-11-01T15:16:00.005-04:00

Fountain Square, Halloween, 2010

Car Coming

2010-10-13T23:54:00.001-04:00

Elevator button in basement of Circle Tower.

(s)Elf Park

2010-10-13T20:15:00.012-04:00

Fun with words in Indianapolis - Across from the Convention Center on the North Side of Maryland St.

Pleasant Street Bugs

2008-09-08T09:54:00.009-04:00

Buskin' Tom

2008-08-29T17:44:00.003-04:00

Tom is without a doubt one of the coolest people in Indy. His voice is deep and resonant and he sings old-timey songs like "Ol' Man River" with authority. Tom plays downtown almost daily and can usually be found near the circle smiling and respectfully tipping his hat between songs.

Indiana State Fair '08

2008-08-13T18:39:00.002-04:00

The beautiful Normandy Barn on the grounds of the 2008 Indiana State Fair. Click to enlarge.

2008-07-30T18:07:00.001-04:00

Indianapolis' skyscraper "One Indiana Square"" is getting a new facade as a result of damage it sustained from a storm on Sunday April 6, 2006. Progress on the facade has been slow, but steady. It's already making a positive impact on the skyline, adding a much needed touch of color.

Broken Glass, Everywhere

2008-04-23T14:54:00.004-04:00

Outdoor glass screenprint on a building tucked behind the Murphy Arts Center in Fountain Square. Click for enlargement.

Indiana War Memorial Pt. 2

2008-04-15T08:40:00.002-04:00

Part 1 can be found here.

Tucked away in the basement of the Indiana War Memorial is a rarely seen time-capsule of American war relics. Visitors will often wander alone through the large collection of memorabilia, which is not unlike a portal into another dimension. This is unfortunate for the museum's attendance records, but absolutely necessary to completely descend into the surreal, war-crazy world that lives under the streets of Indianapolis.

Porky's Pizza Delivery

2008-03-24T18:21:00.003-04:00

Classic Fountain Square. Note the juxtaposition of stickers and completely optional "In God We Trust" license plate. Click image for enlargement.

The Most Beautiful Bus Storage Facility in the World Pt. 1

2008-03-06T16:13:00.014-05:00

Sometimes living in Indianapolis is hard. When one is emotionally moved by the visual aesthetic of their surroundings, it can be downright painful. Take, for example, the current state of the Coca Cola Bottling Company building at 858 Massachusetts Avenue. It's a fine illustration of the urban war wounds an architectural empath must endure, when traveling through Downtown Indy.

The first section of the Coca Cola Bottling Company building was built in 1931 and designed by prominent Indianapolis architects Rubush & Hunter. It housed a state-of-the-art bottling facility that churned-out bottle after glass-bottle of the Classic, for thirsty midwesterners. After an expansion in 1940, it was said to be the largest facility of its kind in the world. It was certainly one of the most beautiful.

The building's facade is primarily terra cotta, and slathered in classic Art Deco ornament. An abstracted fountain motif and floral arrangement are prominent, repeated via the terra cotta, and in iron as well. The building's original signage uses a Modern sans-serif typeface, inset into the terra cotta and accented with brilliant gold. The typeface may have been both designed by the architects, and unique to the building, as that was common practice at the time.

The Coca Cola Bottling Company building is an enduring jewel of the Art Deco movement, just one of a handful in the Indianapolis area. It was a great source of pride for the residents of Indianapolis for almost 40 years.

(to be continued in Part 2)

Sign of the Times

2008-03-04T09:16:00.006-05:00

It looks like the costume industry has seen better days. This sign is on the west side of Virginia Avenue, just north of where it intersects with College Avenue.

Indiana War Memorial Pt. 1

2008-02-12T18:51:00.000-05:00

The Indiana War Memorial contains one of the most spectacular interior spaces in the nation. Although the exterior of the memorial is impressive in its own right, it does little to prepare the viewer for the spectacle within.

Indianapolis Cultural Trail - East Corridor Illumination Pt. 2

2008-01-02T09:24:00.000-05:00

Indianapolis Cultural Trail - East Corridor Illumination Pt. 1

2007-12-21T17:13:00.000-05:00

The East Corridor of The Indianapolis Cultural Trail was illuminated for the first time on Wednesday, December 19 at 5:30pm. A wide sampling of the downtown Indianapolis community was present. It was a wonderful moment in Indy's history, and a symbolic start of many good things to come as a result of the Trail's creation. I had a chance to talk to the trail's designer, who was quick to point out that there is much more landscaping to be done this spring, including the installment of prominent trees along the Trail. Summer can't get here fast enough. :-)

Step Off

2007-12-20T17:08:00.001-05:00

Nordstrom's mannequins are snobs! But certainly not prudish, which Evan pointed out.

Cute as a Button

2007-12-10T19:23:00.001-05:00

Christine and Nick enjoyed dressing up for their wedding so much the first time, they decided to do it again two weeks later, at the Harrison Center for the Arts' "White Cristmas" show.

Pink Bratz Cadimaro

2007-11-27T18:49:00.001-05:00

A grown woman drives this car. :-)

Travis

2007-11-18T18:38:00.000-05:00

Travis is up to his neck in red bandannas.

Joe vs. The 178 lb. Pumpkin

2007-11-17T14:40:00.000-05:00

This pumpkin weighs more than I do.

Jenny & Tyler

2007-10-30T17:07:00.000-04:00

There's no place like gnome.

Word Up

2007-10-26T12:00:00.001-04:00

Church of Christ, 42nd and College, Indianapolis

Kyle

2007-10-18T11:44:00.001-04:00

Kyle definitely paints outside the lines.

Kipp

2007-10-15T13:33:00.000-04:00

Kipp pay top dollar for hat. :-)

Ivy & Zenobia

2007-10-03T10:27:00.001-04:00

Bloods & Crips. :-)

Kaylee

2007-09-26T10:02:00.001-04:00

Kaylee asked me for some change, so I asked her for some pictures. :-)

Chris

2007-09-25T09:55:00.001-04:00

Chris rocks the freshest spots in Fountain Square.

Tonya & John

2007-09-11T18:37:00.001-04:00

Tonya and John love lockers.

Speedway Redevelopment - Zone 1

2007-08-28T17:47:00.000-04:00

The plan for Zone 1 was approved by the Speedway Town Council August 27, 2007

Indianapolis 2020

2007-08-20T09:49:00.000-04:00

The future, son.

Bethany & Ashley

2007-08-14T12:51:00.000-04:00

Gotta love the hat. :-)

Gretchen

2007-08-08T15:42:00.000-04:00

Gretchen befriended a lonely blouse. :-)

Meridian Overlook

2007-08-07T18:06:00.000-04:00

Midland Atlantic's "Meridian Overlook" Proposal for the southeast corner of Meridian & South.

Urban Camo

2007-08-07T13:41:00.001-04:00

Signal box at the corner of New York and College, Downtown.

Doug

2007-08-06T10:31:00.000-04:00

Doug likes his stripes so fresh, so clean.

South Meridian Place

2007-08-04T17:41:00.001-04:00

Urban Space's "South Meridian Place" proposal for the northeast corner of Meridian & South. Designed by Ratio Architects, Inc.

Director

2007-08-04T17:09:00.001-04:00

Justin rocks the theater wardrobe.