I took an architecture appreciation class years ago, and the instructor gave me two suggestions that have stuck with me ever since. The first was: Look up. Adhering to his advice, during my travels around the Unites States and the world I have admired and enjoyed features on buildings I would otherwise have missed—grotesque stone gargoyles staring down at the setting below, lovely murals painted on walls high above street level and other ornamentations that vie in magnificence with many a work of art I have seen in museums.
My mentor also recommended seeking beauty everywhere, not just in world-famous structures that many people visit. This can include not only appearance but also touches of history, engineering acumen and other traits that the casual observer might overlook.
Following this advice has enhanced my travels by introducing me to diverse sites that tell a variety of intriguing stories. Here are a few of these masterpieces that might serve as an impetus for you to check out similar beautiful, interesting and, in some cases, unique structural designs when you take to the road. Adding architectural gems to a travel itinerary can augment the enjoyment of visiting a destination.
The dramatic beauty of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, designed by Moshe Safdie, rivals that of the creations housed inside it. Curved walls banded in cedar wood echo the shape of the hillside on which it stands. The rounded rooftops resemble mounds of Earth overlooking the ponds that are spanned by the structure. The design fully achieves its goal of representing the interaction between art, architecture and nature.
The scene is very different for those viewing a building that is known by two nicknames: Spaceship House and Bug House. The home and office of the well-known eclectic architect Bart Prince add an interesting touch to a charming residential street in the stylish Nob Hill neighborhood of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Contrasting with the spaceshiplike exterior, which includes a stucco and wood fuselage dotted by portholes, are metal statues of stegosaurus dinosaurs scattered about the property.
New Mexico and Colorado are neighbors, but the architectural treasures they share couldn’t be more different. The Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is famous for its perfectly preserved collection of cliff dwellings that were built in rock overhangs along canyon walls. These sandstone structures provided housing for Indigenous peoples during the 13th century. Despite the space confinements, some of the abodes were multiroom pueblos that could accommodate up to 100 people.
Another architectural site in Colorado is much newer but no less captivating in its way. Adjacent to the historic El Santuario de los Pobladores church in Antonito is a labyrinth comprised of some 40,000 handmade adobe bricks. Within the 6-foot-high walls of this maze, the largest of its kind in the world, are several small meditation chapels and resting places. This manmade warren was intended to represent the mysteries of the rosary of the Roman Catholic faith. Its distinctive design offers appeal to people of every faith—or none.
A much smaller chapel located southeast of Tustin, California, attracts oohs and aahs. This eight-seat chapel was constructed in 1962 around an old oak tree, since deceased, within a shopping center. The Little Tree Church is a miniature version of a place of worship in Tennessee where the grandmother of its builder once attended services.
Other small edifices around the United States also are big architectural attractions. In 1861, a cattle rancher in Three Rivers, California, named Hale Dixon Tharp used fire to hollow out part of a large sequoia tree, then built a rough little cabin into the empty space. Among early pioneers who used this rustic tree house as shelter was John Muir, the well-known conservationist. Today’s visitor can see an old bed and bench along with other original furnishings.
An even tinier home is the appropriately named Little House in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. This diminutive limestone cottage and a miniature barn standing nearby were built at the behest of the supervisor of teacher training to serve as a light-hearted distraction for students attending summer school. A peek inside reveals that the small domicile is fully furnished.
People driving along historic Route 66 through Holbrook, Arizona, often do a double take at the sight of a group of teepee-shaped structures that serve as the Wigman Village Motel. The impetus for this unusual lodging came from the Native American art and artifacts owned by a collector in the 1930s, which gave him the idea. The 32-foot-tall concrete and stucco rooms mimic teepees, the conical tents associated with Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains.
