CIVIC ARCHITECTURE
Civic Architecture Across America: Extraordinary Views
Civic Architecture Across America: Extraordinary Views is an oversized, landscape book featuring 120 color photographs of iconic and little seen civic architecture buildings by lens-based photographer Thomas R. Schiff . Arranged regionally, each section opens with an essay written by an architectural historian or practicing architect discussing an interpretive element of civic architecture from Civic Ensembles to Inclusive Citizenship. Thomas’s unique style of photography captures a new way of viewing the built environment using a Hulcherma 360° camera to create a full 360° image allowing the viewer to see what cannot be seen with the naked eye.
This interactive StoryMap highlights information about the civic architecture sites included in the book. The map below shows the site locations -- several of the sites are accompanied by Thomas's photographs, and each site details the architectural style, architects, dates, interesting facts, and links to other resources. The map further down the page includes locations and information pertaining to the book contributors and the venues that will be hosting the exhibit of Thomas's photography.
Map of Architectural Sites
Colorado State Capitol
James R. Thompson Center
Lincoln Memorial
Old Courthouse at Gateway Arch National Park
Opa-Locka City Hall
San Francisco City Hall
Seattle City Hall
United States Capitol Building
Colorado State Capitol
200 E Colfax Avenue Denver, CO 80203
Architect: Elijah E. Myers Neoclassical style Built 1894
The Colorado State Capitol was designed intentionally to be reminiscent of the U.S. Capitol building. It is built from Colorado white granite, and the dome was gilded with gold leaf in 1908 to commemorate the Colorado Gold Rush.
Learn more: Colorado State Capitol: History of the Capitol
James R. Thompson Center
100 W Randolph Street Chicago, IL 60601
Architect: Helmut Jahn Postmodern style Built 1985
Originally the State of Illinois Center built for Illinois state government offices, the building was sold to Google in 2022.
Learn more: Chicago Architecture Center: Thompson Center
Lincoln Memorial
Washington, D.C.
Architect: Henry Bacon Neoclassical style Built 1914-1922
Bacon used a variety of stones from across the U.S. to construct the memorial with a sense of national unity.
Learn more: National Park Service: Lincoln Memorial Builders
Old Courthouse at Gateway Arch National Park
11 N 4th Street St. Louis, MO 63102
Architects: Henry Singleton (1839), Robert S. Mitchell (1851), William Rumbold (1864 dome) Greek Revival style Built 1828, renovated 1839 and 1851 Italian Renaissance style dome constructed 1864
William Rumbold modelled the new dome after the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Rumbold also consulted on the construction of the Capitol dome in Washington, D.C., designed in the same style.
Opa-Locka City Hall
777 Sharazad Blvd Opa-locka, FL 33054
Architect: Bernhardt E. Muller Moorish Revival style Built 1925
The city of Opa-Locka was developed by Glenn Curtiss to evoke the theme of The Arabian Nights. After City Hall fell into disuse in the 2010s, a contract to restore the building was approved in 2023.
San Francisco City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, CA 94102
Architects: Arthur Brown, John Bakewell Beaux Arts style Built 1915, renovated 1998
The San Francisco City Hall Dome is the tallest in the United States.
Seattle City Hall
600 4th Avenue Seattle, WA 98104
Architect: Peter Bohlin Postmodern style Built 2003
Sustainability was a key consideration in the design of the Seattle City Hall, and it achieved LEED Gold in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system.
United States Capitol Building
Washington, D.C.
Architects: James Hoban (also designed the White House), Charles Bulfinch (original copper-sheathed dome), Thomas Ustick Walter (1850s expansion, replaced dome) Neoclassical style North wing completed 1800, South wing completed 1807 Reconstruction 1815-1827 - Expansions 1857-1859
The Cornerstone was laid September 18, 1793.
Learn more: Architect of the Capitol: U.S. Capitol Building
Map of Exhibit Venues and Book Contributors
Exhibit Venues: Green | Book Contributors: Yellow