US Buildings

Some of America's Landmark Buildings

Here are some of my current collection of Buildings found in the States. I will try to organize them by regions and I will begin with where both I and my collection began, Chicago

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Chicago's City center is called the "Loop". This shelf holds many of the most iconic buildings. In Focus Tech made 90% of these.

A River runs through it

The Chicago river cuts the downtown in two. Early on the river was engineered to flow out of instead of into the lake, an amazing feat of engineering.

Navy Pier

Extending 3,000' out into the lake the Pier is billed on this souvenir as "The Worlds Largest Exposition Center" The Pier has been revamped into an entertainment complex

The 3 Story tall Picasso sculpture was a gift to the city from the artist.

The Harlem State Bank

The Life Casualty Building

World Resound Rookery Building

The University Club

Adler Planetarium by In Focus Tech

Cloud Gate - aka The bean is a favorite attraction and major public art instalation. it is really fun!

Cloud Gate public sculture aka The Bean

Chicago Old Board of Trade

Adler Plantarium InFocus Recast

In Focus recast of a desk set clip tray

Continental Products

Chicago Board of Trade

On the right is the original by Sigle on the left is by Microcosms

Carl Shurz HS - Bookend

Adler Planetarium c 1933

Corn Exchange Building

Cragin State Bank

Two Willis Towers (Built by Sears). 12" tall by In Focus - 9" tall by Howard Models

Straus Ntl & Continental Assurance_edite

Two versions of the Strous Blding - L by Rehberger, R by Banthrico aka Continental Assurance

Woman's Christian Temperance Building-Chicago c 1890's

Will County National Bank - Rehberger

Two Tribune Towers - L by Microcosms, R by In Focus

Riverside National Bank Made by American Badge Co.

Ogle Construction Company of Chicago by Rehberger c 1930

Rock Island Savings Bank by Art Metal Works

Noel State Bank of Chicago by Fehberger

Pullman Bank and Trust Chicago by Rehberger

Melrose State Bank of Chicago by Rehberger

Modern Woodmen of America by Art Metal Works

L->R 1 Grant Park-Carbob Carbide-Bankers Bldg-2 Prudential Plaza-Morrison Hotel-1 Bennet Park-Trump-Chicago Water Tower

Vist Tower-AON Center-title & Trust Center-Roanocke Building-Chicago Temple-Palmolive Bldg now Playboy tower All by In Focus

Very Large merchandise mart by In Focus 7,5" wide x 4" tall

Chicago Ball Parks. Wrigley Field is for those living North of the Loop, and Comiskey Park is for all the South siders

From 1934 Worlds Fair, the Fort Dearborn Box, 6" tall. the book says this was made by Rehberger but I believe it is AAW or possibly Judd because of the distinctive black/green patina.

Also a Fair souvenir, This massive iron Bookend weighs about 3 pounds. It has a fantastic bronze patina.

A second Merchandise Mart by In Focus. This is a normal size version sold on thier website.

PLACE HOLDER

This is a model of a skyscraper proposed to be built for the Century of Progress Fair but it never came to fruition.

PLACE HOLDER

A 1934 bookend depicting a montage of Pavilian building that compased the 33 Worlds Fair.

PLACE HOLDER

Stadiums are a passion of mine. For more than 40 years I worked in the Public Assembly Industry and much of that was in Arenas and Stadiums. Now I have collected many of those that reminds me of those days. Here are my US Stadiums, Enjoy!

Do you know why all the early stadiums were shaped like a horse shoe? Well, that open end always faced the prevailing winds. No, not to cool the crowd but to save them from the stink of the enormous out houses below the grandstands. Modern plumbing was in its infancy in those days.

LA Olympic Stadium 1932. Cast plaster, very fragile, that is probably why they are so rare. This one is in top condition and still has the original box that is also in great condition.

Notre Dame Stadium c 1938; also cast plaster in original box, and with flyer showing the "Air Views" of opening day oct. 11, 1930 & the whole campus 1938. Very rare Stadium.

The back row has the Buffalo civic Stadium c 1930, and The Rose Bowl. The front row is two versions of Shea Stadium. One is a presentation piece with the ball diamond laid out. The second one has the field reconfigured for Football.

Back row has a very large solid bronze Ohio State presentation piece., then the main entrance to Nebraska's Stadium, last is a large U of I stadium. Below these are two small OSU stadiums, The solid Cast gilt Staples Center, and Notre Dame Stadium.

Back row is Coors Field, Ebbits Field, Yankee Stadium. Center row Temple U, Yale, Harvard, & Princeton. Bottom row is U of O, Texas, U of M, Harvard, & Nebraska.

Top row is Ebbits Field, Yankee Stad, & Berlin Olympic Stad. Middle row is Harvard, Princeton, UofP, & Connie Mack Stad. Front Row is U of M, Harvard, 2 Nebraska & LA Olympic Stadium.

Back Row is JoeRobbie Stad, Safeco Field, & Georgia Dome. Front Row is Invesco Feild, Super Dome, & Rose Bowl.

Back is Clevland Browns, Cleveland indians, & Alltel stad. Center is Qual Com Stad, Raymond James Stad, Reliant Stad. Front Row is Rose Bowl, U of Pheonix, & the Water Cube.

A favorite 22" tall bronze liberty.

The American Committee Liberty give out as a premium to doners who gave money to build the pedastal.

Back row is Penn Mutual, Wachovia by MC, NY city Hall by Howard, Piaget, & 2 Met Life. Front is a MC Flatiron and a reg one, 2 liberty, & St Pats.

Back is Howard City Hall, Piaget, Old met life & a new Howard ML. MC Woolworths, 3 Pan Am, 2 perashere, IF & MC Singer buildings

close up of Microcosms and howards find work.

MC & 2 other Rockafeller, the Bridge, 4 top Chrysler bldg including Howards award piece.

Two Twin Towers + 1 by MC, Five empire State with good pedigrees.

Franks Falling Water by In Focus Tech

Disney Theater in Los Angeles

The Cascades and Festival hall from the St Louis Fair.

Built for the 1904 St Louis Exposition Union Station was billed as the largest in the World and this peice brags it cost 8.5 million at the turn of the century!

Microcosim Pyrimid of the Giant Jaguar and ETemple of Kukulcan with an artist signed Inuit Totem.

3D Topographical Maps are a subset of my collection. I find them fascinating and have a great appreciation for their form, function, and how they are made. How did they accurately 3D map an entire mountain before airplanes? Four of my oldest models were made by Xaver Imfeld (1853–1909) He was the most important Swiss panorama illustrator, relief artist, cartographer, and planner of mountain railways in his time. Today his models are treated more like works of art than the practicle maps that they are.

the Back row is Mt Everest and Cape Hope. The front row is a solid bronze Mt Rainier, the Klagenfurt /glacier 1897, & the Pilatus range c. 1900.

Map of the Rock of Gilbraltar.

Microcosim Pyrimid of the Giant Jaguar and ETemple of Kukulcan with an artist signed Inuit Totem.

Back row is Carros le Neuf France, the Panama Canal, & Angels Landing Utah. Front is Eiger Mouch und Jungerfrau Peaks c 1900, Matterhorn, & lake Tahoe,

The Gore Range is outside Veil & Beaver Creek. This large solid bronze trophy was a made for an international Alpine Ski Event and depics the slopes of those two Lodges

The Royal Gorge Bridge was built in 1929 for visitors to enjoy the natural beauty of this geologic wonder. Suspended 956 feet over the Arkansas River.

A wonderful monument by Dodge Co is the Sun and Raven mortuary totem carved by a Tlingit woman to mourn her 2 sons. It is 12" gilt bronze made in 1958.

This close up allows a better look at the details. this was likely a souvenir from the dedication made in the early 1930's.

Two Watchtowers and a Kiva are after the ruins in Arizona. Another well made piece by Dodge on the right.

Grand Coulee Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River in Washington, built to produce hydroelectric power. Constructed between 1933 and 1942

These are rare small versions of Boulder Dam. They are only 1.75" tall

a These are the full size bookends one labeled Hoover Dam and the other is Boulder Dam,; which of course are the same thing.

More versions of the Boulder/Hoover Dam! When Roosevelt began the huge dam project is was set to be built in Boulder Canyon and was named the Boulder Dam project. Before it even go started it was moved to a different location due to Faults that made Boulder Canyon a bad bet. The project name was kept because it didn't matter. Dams where traditionally named after the President who dedicated them. However, in the end the dam was going to be named after Hoover. Roosevelt never mentioned the name hoover and even the official dedication pamphlets continued to call it Boulder Dam. It was years before the public fully realized that huge concrete plug in the Colorado River was Actually the Republican Hoover, and NOT the Democrate Boulder Dam!

Another muti-version building is the Northern Life Savings. The first one is the original Rehberger, the middle is a recast, and the last one is a Microcosm one off not produced for sale.

Three nice old Rehbergers. L->R are Fletcher American, the Casper National Bank, and the Merchant National Bank.

Two Dollar Bank versions. On the left is the original by Rehberger and on the right is a later one by Banthrico.

Thre different versions of bankers Life. Two of these are by Banthrico and appear to be in the 40's and 50's. The third smallest one is an unknow maker, at least to me.

One of my favorites is this rare Microcosm casting of the Ennis Brown House in LA. It is a massive reduction of a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece. Certainly one of Franks better known works.

A favorite mainstay for collectors is the self proclaimed "Pride of the South", the Lamar Life Building in Jackson. In top condion with the original key.

From Waco Texas this is the Tidewell Bible Building at Baylor University.

Timberline Lodge is an uncommon find that was made by Dodge c. 1950. It was built in 1937 as a Mt Hood ski lodge and is well known as the star of the movie the Shining

Old Main is the center of the heart of Pennsylvania State College and many collectors.

The Dahlstrom Metallic Door Company is a desk set ashtray with a place to hold a pack of cigs and you 1930's Lighter. It also has a bronze medallion struck in 1929 Celebrating 25 years in Fire Control.

The Preferred Life Assurance in Montgomery is a wonderfully made gem from American Art works c 1920

Welcome to Washington DC and our US Capitol Building. This is piece was hand carved from hard gypsum plaster by Timothy Richards. 7" wide x 12" tall

Another nice thing by Timothy Richards is the front door of the White House. These great details really should be better known?

More from DC we have the Lincoln Memorial, the entire mall, A Rehbergers capitol dome, The Iwo Jima Monument and lots of Washington Monuments.

3 Capitol Building Boxes by JB & KO, Supreme Court, White House by JB, and several Washington Masonic Temples.

Another great hand carved building from Timothy Richards, the Dexter Gate at Harvard.

Very rare and very nice the research Tower designed by Frank Lloyd Wright on the Johnson & Johnson factory campus. i lived near there and visited more than once

The New York Stock Exchange By Timothy Richards of Bath England.

a close up to show the fione hand carved details of this shops work.

Worchester County Savings c 1910 made by Kronheimer & Oldenbusch

two Scottish Rite Temples. L in Guthrie OK, R in Indianapolis IN.

Three top banks, L->R Penn Nnl bank&Trust by Green Duck, Markle Bank by American Art Works, & National Bank of Commerce, Kansas, by Whithead & Hoag

Three Rehbergers Banks, L-.R, Second Ntl Bank in Nashua NH, Marion County State Bank, & New Hampshire Savings Bank in Concord MA

Three more Rehbergers - Woodbury first Ntl, Provident Savings Baltimore, & Keene Ntl Bank

The principle buildings around the Mall in Washington DC, a topographical map.

Fidelity Trust Co. Portland MA, c. 1920 by Kronheimer & Oldenbusch

German American Bank in Minnesota by Art Metal Works

One of my all time favorite buildings, the top of the Chrysler Bldg by Howard Models. the detail is off the hook and it is over 14" tall. this was produce as a Dealership award for Chrysler corp.

Another favorite is also a 'Top of the Tower" this one is the Singer Building by In Focus.

The Travelers Insurance Campus inkwell was Produced by whitehead and Hoag in 1924

This remake of the Met Life Tower was produced in 2000 by Howard models and has all the fine detailing we have learned to expect.

This new York life tower was made in 2000 by Microcosm. Curiosity made ma weigh it and it came in just a little under 4 pounds!

The 1933 Chicago century of Progress was a Fantastic Worlds Fair highlighting the future. Many reductions of those pavilions have been made and here are some of them

Two nice liberties, a 9" solid bronze model on the left and on the right is an American Committee promotional model give to Donors who paid for the pedastal.