Miniature Buildings

John Hancock Center

2012-01-10T21:40:00.000-05:00

Including its antennas, the John Hancock Center has a height of 1,500 feet (457 m), making it the fifth-tallest building in the world when measured to pinnacle height.

One of the most famous buildings of the structural expressionist style, the skyscraper's distinctive X-bracing exterior is actually a hint that the structure's skin is indeed part of its 'tubular system'. This idea is one of the architectural techniques the building used to climb to record heights (the tubular system is essentially the spine that helps the building stand upright during wind and earthquake loads). This X-bracing allows for both higher performance from tall structures and the ability to open up the inside floorplan (and usable floor space) if the architect desires. Original features such as the skin have made the John Hancock Center an architectural icon. It was pioneered by Bangladeshi-American structural civil engineer Fazlur Khan and chief architect Bruce Graham.

Little White House

2011-12-29T20:46:00.001-05:00

Warm Springs, GA

Today the Little White House is part of Georgia's state park system and is open to visitors; it’s been preserved to look almost exactly as it did the day FDR died. Items on display at the facility, besides the Unfinished Portrait, include his customized 1938 Ford convertible (in the bottom floor of the garage/servant house) and his stagecoach.

This was made in Japan

Machu Picchu

2011-12-12T18:48:00.003-05:00

Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since its discovery in 1911, a growing number of tourists visit Machu Picchu, reaching 400,000 in 2003. As Peru's most visited tourist attraction and major revenue generator, it is continually threatened by economic and commercial forces

Sydney Opera House

2011-06-25T00:22:00.004-05:00

The Opera House covers 4.5 acres of land. It is 183 meters long and about 120 meters wide, at its widest point.

Manneken Pis

2011-01-14T18:43:00.000-05:00

This photo was found among my Grandpa's things and we presume he took it during World War II.

He bought the replica Manneken Pis below about 20 years ago and displayed it proudly for years. I have it now and continue the tradition. It is a concrete cast piece. The head was cast separately and it has metal tubing running from the middle of the base to the junk.

2010-09-11T22:21:00.000-05:00

They get me

2010-09-02T20:12:00.001-05:00

How can I compete with this?

The Crown Point Vista House

2010-08-06T20:45:00.006-05:00

Got this salt shaker on a vacation in Oregon for a mere $16.50. It is ceramic with a rubber plug in the base. For some reason the holes in the top really bug me. I kind of resent dual purpose miniature buildings.

From Wikipedia:

The Crown Point Vista House was built in 1916 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With its marble interior and brass fixtures, some Oregonians at the time derided it as "The $100,000 Outhouse".

The building serves mostly as a public restroom

Trevi Fountain

2010-01-25T22:23:00.000-05:00

Trevi Fountain

2010-01-25T22:15:00.002-05:00

A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome.

Sunsphere

2009-01-21T00:10:00.002-05:00

As proof of my laziness I am posting a picture of a miniature building I bought on Ebay. I stole this picture from the seller too. I write more, but you know...

Stonehenge

2007-06-07T20:41:00.000-05:00

Yet another stonehenge model. This was a small scale test run but I still like the results. I am glad to know that I am not the only copy cat. People who do this make me smile. And now, some history.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury. One of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. Archaeologists believe the standing stones were erected around 3200 BC and the surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC.

Thanks as always to wikipedia!

Fort Sumter

2007-06-04T22:11:00.000-05:00

This was a gift from the pro miniature building hunter. I still love free buildings!

The fort was a five-sided structure (although not a regular pentagon but more like the home plate used in baseball). It was a brick structure, 170 to 190 feet long, with walls five feet thick, standing 50 feet over the low tide mark. It was designed to house 650 men and 135 guns in three tiers of gun emplacements, although it was never filled near capacity.

Fort Sumter was built after the War of 1812 as one of a series of fortifications on the southern U.S. coast. Construction began in 1829, using slave labor, and the structure was unfinished in 1860, when the Civil War began.

Cave

2007-05-17T20:29:00.000-05:00

This is a cave and NOT a miniature building...just so we are clear!

Stonehenge

2007-05-03T19:58:00.000-05:00

I made this amatuer Stonehenge.

Basilica of the Sacré Cœur

2007-04-06T22:07:00.000-05:00

The Sacred Heart.

Arc de Triomphe

2007-04-05T23:58:00.000-05:00

I grabbed this lovely in Paris, France.

Ancient step pyramids

2007-03-19T22:03:00.000-05:00

The pyramid on the left was a gift from Mexico and the one on the right was a gift from Belize. These may not qualify as actual miniature buildings however I like them. Some people think aliens built these building. I think it was slaves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_pyramids

Leaning Tower of Pisa

2007-03-15T21:05:00.000-05:00

Why is this 2 inch tall imported Leaning Tower of Pisa being assaulted by a giant Godzilla like creature? We may never know.

Biltmore House

2007-03-14T17:59:00.000-05:00

I've seen the house but have not been inside. It's a shame because I live just a few hours away. I got this exact building twice as a gift. I'm not complaining, I love it. I am always thankful for gifts of buildings.

Knife fight

2007-03-11T21:01:00.000-05:00

Cheese knives are classy and these examples are extra classy because they have miniature building handles. My sister snagged this set at some low end chain store. I think it was around $10 for all four knives.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben

Alcatraz Island

2007-03-10T22:29:00.000-05:00

I left my fart in San Fransico

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz

Notre Dame de Paris

2007-03-08T20:39:00.000-05:00

I got this one on a trip to Paris. I paid $40 for it and got every penny's worth. Its about 2 inches long and 2 inches tall.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_de_Paris

Statue of Liberty

2007-03-07T21:32:00.000-05:00

This is what got me started. The best of the best! Pictured (Left front: christmas ornament, front right: pencil sharpener, middle: cheese knife (you can't really see it), Back row right: cigarette lighter, back row middle: my first miniature building )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty

Mystery Bank

2007-03-06T22:04:00.000-05:00

This is a Citizens Bank coin bank. It is 4 inches deep and 5 inches wide. It is metal but I am not sure what kind. My sister (Pro miniature building hunter) found this in a thrift store. It was under $15. The bottom has a locking mechanism at the bottom which came damaged. I have no idea where this building is from and have never heard of this bank.

Puerta de Bisagra

2007-03-06T21:41:00.000-05:00

I don't know nuch about this gate. My sister picked it up for me on a semester in Spain. I want to visit Toledo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo,_Spain

La Sagrada Família (The Holy Family)

2007-03-06T21:35:00.000-05:00

I got this from my sister after she finished her semester in Spain. It is a cool building with a cool history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia

Small buildings and a bust.

2007-03-03T20:35:00.000-05:00

The Colosseum or Anfiteatro Flavio

2007-03-03T20:25:00.000-05:00

My buddy Paolo got this for me in Italy. I love free buildings!

2007-02-27T20:34:00.000-05:00

Parthenon

2007-02-26T22:23:00.000-05:00

This is Parthenon i got a few weeks ago. A coworker picked it up in Athens. It is about 4 inches deep, 2 inches wide, and 2 inches tall.

In 1687, the Parthenon suffered its greatest blow when the Venetians under Francesco Morosini attacked Athens, and the Ottomans fortified the Acropolis and used the building as a gunpowder magazine. On September 26, a Venetian mortar, fired from the Hill of Philopapus, exploded the magazine and the building was partly destroyed. The internal structures were demolished, whatever was left of the roof collapsed, and some of the pillars, particularly on the southern side, were decapitated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon

Chicago Water Tower

2007-02-22T21:20:00.000-05:00

This beautiful pewter miniature is 4.25 inches tall and 2x2 inches wide at the base. I picked it up on a trip in Chicago. I paid $25 for it. The detail is amazing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Water_Tower

World Trade Center

2007-02-21T20:45:00.000-05:00

The completed new World Trade Center as expected to look in 2012.

This is a plastic post 9/11 World Trade Center replica. I got this in times square 2 years ago and paid $10 for it. It is about 5.25 inches tall. The front says "United We Stand" and the American flag sticker says "Made in America"

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

2007-02-20T21:07:00.000-05:00

This is a plastic copy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. It is about 5 inches in diameter and 3 inches tall. I bought it at the airport and paid about $25 for it. I liked Cleveland alot but never got to visit the Hall because my trip got cut short by circumstances out of my control.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_roll_hall_of_fame

Graceland

2007-02-20T20:42:00.000-05:00

I like Elvis, I admit it. I love Graceland and Memphis and have visited them often, so I threw in a few other collectibles in the pic. It is a ceramic building/trinket box I got last year when I did a tour of the house. It is 5 inches wide and 5 inches tall (including chimneys). It also came with a ceramic replica gate. It was under $25. I did find an incredibly nice replica of Graceland on that same trip but it cost $250. I will not spend that much on a souvenir.

Try and find Elvis

Washington Monument

2007-02-18T20:16:00.000-05:00

This is a metal Washington Monument. It is 6 inches tall and as you can see is also a thermometer. I have had this one for a while but can't remember when I got it or how much I paid for it. Not much else to add, so...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument

Because a miniature is just not enough

2007-02-16T20:49:00.000-05:00

These miniatures are the Tower Bridge and the Eiffel Tower. I got the Tower Bridge from a girl I am friends with who visited London and I picked up the Eiffel Tower in Paris. They are both extremely cheap quality and cost wise. They are both pencil sharpeners. I always find it interesting that many miniature building double as something else. It is almost as if they are not worthy on their own as just souvenirs. They have to have a secondary purpose. The Tower Bridge is plastic and the Eiffel Tower is some kind of really cheap metal. I have never sharpened a pencil with either of them.

Of course:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Bridge

Petronas Twin Towers

2007-02-15T19:13:00.000-05:00

This is a Petronas Twin Towers model. It is 3 inches tall and about 2 and 1/4 inch wide. I'm not sure what type of metal it is , but it is heavy and does have a phillips head screw in base. I have never taken it apart because I tend not to get things back together. My buddy got this for me when he managed a sales group in Asia. It is very nicely machined ( my pictures are not very good) and has a decent level of detail for such a small building. The reverse says Kuala Lumpur in green. It used to be the tallest building in the world but this model was made after that no longer became the case.

As always, heres wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronas_towers

Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Administration Building

2007-02-15T19:01:00.000-05:00

This is the Tech Tower at Georgia Tech. I think it is made of pewter. It is about 2 inches tall and 2 inches wide. My Dad received this as a gift from Tech. He is an alumni and I imagine he donated some money for this. He gave it to me about three years ago but has had it for some time. The detail is pretty good for such a small model, not the best I've seen but it is up there. I really like this building and I would bet that it is fairly limited.

Here is the wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tech_tower

Westin Peachtree Plaza

2007-02-14T22:45:00.000-05:00

This is a ceramic model of "America's Tallest Hotel". It is 9 inches high and the base is about 5 inches deep. I guess it is either a mug or a small vase as it is hollow all the way down the shaft. My sister got it for me at a thrift store in Atlanta about 2 years ago and I believe it was under $10. I dislike this miniature because it is pretty crudely made, particulary for it's size. I like it because it is obviously dated and I have never seen another miniature hotel before.

Check out the wikipedia article below

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westin_Peachtree_Plaza

Check out the real tallest hotel in the world

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel#Tallest

Thats it.

2007-02-14T22:22:00.000-05:00

I have been collecting miniature building since I was twelve. I have decided to start taking pictures of the buildings and adding comments.