Houston Astrodome

Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record. Houston Astrodome, 8400 Kirby Drive, Houston, Harris County, TX. HAER TX-108, Larger reference image (JPEG - 145K bytes) Highest resolution image (TIFF - 19242K bytes).

The records in HABS/HAER were created for the U.S. Government and are considered to be in the public domain. the Library of Congress is not aware of any U.S. copyright protection (see Title 17 U.S.C.) or any other restrictions in the HABS/HAER materials Rights and Reproductions

Survey number HAER TX-108, Building/structure dates: 1964 initial construction. Significance: Originally called the Harris County Domed Stadium, the Astrodome was completed in 1964. Conceived as the home of the Houston Colts and Houston Oilers, it was termed by many as the Eighth Wonder of the World.

It was the first time that a stadium was built for both baseball and football that was totally enclosed and fully air-conditioned. The building covers 9.14 acres of land. Circular in shape, the outer diameter of the Astrodome is 710' and the clear span of the dome roof is 642'.

Collection: Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress) Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. DIGID: hdl.loc.gov/hhh.tx1045

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Summary: Reliant Astrodome, taken Dec. 31, 2005. High Resolution Image (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 850 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Reliant Astrodome From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Reliant Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is a domed sports stadium, the first of its kind, located in Houston, Texas. The stadium is part of the Reliant Park complex. It opened in 1965 as Harris County Domed Stadium and was nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World".

Major League Baseball expanded to Houston in 1962 with the Houston Colt .45s, who were later renamed the Astros. Houston's unpredictable subtropical weather made outdoor baseball difficult for players and spectators alike. Several baseball franchises had toyed with the idea of building enclosed, air-conditioned stadiums. Former Houston mayor Judge Roy Hofheinz claimed inspiration for what would eventually become the Astrodome when he was on a tour of Rome, where he learned that the builders of the ancient Colosseum installed giant velaria to shield spectators from the Roman sun.

The world's first domed stadium was conceived by Hofheinz, and designed by architects Hermon Lloyd & W.B. Morgan, and Wislon, Morris, Crain and Anderson. Structural engineering and structural design was performed by Walter P Moore Engineers and Consultants of Houston. It was constructed by H.A. Lott, Inc. for Harris County, Texas. It stands 18 stories tall, covering 9½ acres. The dome is 710 feet (216.4 m) in diameter and the ceiling is 208 feet (63.4 m) above the playing surface, which itself sits 25 feet (7.6 m) below street level.

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Western Wall Wailing Wall

Western Wall Wailing Wall TITLE: The Temple area. Jerusalem. The western wall of the Temple area. (The Jews' Wailing Wall). CALL NUMBER: LC-M32- P-46[P&P] REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-DIG-matpc-05899 (digital file from original photo) RIGHTS INFORMATION: No known restrictions on publication. MEDIUM: 1 negative : glass, dry plate ; 5 x 7 in.

CREATED, PUBLISHED: [between 1898 and 1946] NOTES: Title from: list, Photographic subjects of Bible Lands. Taken either by the American Colony Photo Department or its successor the Matson Photo Service. Gift; Episcopal Home; 1978.

PART OF: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection. REPOSITORY: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. DIGITAL ID: (digital file from original photo) matpc 05899 hdl.loc.gov/matpc.05899 CONTROL #: mpc2004005789/PP

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, LC-DIG-matpc-05899]

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Digital ID: matpc 05899 Source: digital file from original photo Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-matpc-05899 (digital file from original photo) Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA Retrieve higher resolution JPEG version (198 kilobytes) .

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birkhat cohanim at the Western Wall during Passover 2004 High Resolution Image (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 313 KB, MIME type: image.

The Western Wall (Hebrew: הכותל המערבי, translit.: HaKotel HaMa'aravi), or simply The Kotel, is a retaining wall in Jerusalem that dates from the time of the Jewish Second Temple (516 BCE - 70 CE). It is sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall (Arabic: il-Mabka), referring to Jews mourning the destruction of the Temple. The Western Wall is part of the bigger religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem called Har ha-Bayit (the Temple Mount) to Jews and Christians, or Al-Haram al-Qudsi al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) to Muslims.

The Western Wall is revered for its proximity to the sacred Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount, which is the Most Holy Place in Judaism. This means that for Jews the Western Wall is the holiest location that is currently generally accessible to the Jewish people for prayer. There is a small area below ground level, called "The Cave", in the Western Wall Tunnel, that is closest to the site of the Holy of Holies. However, as this area is not amenable to the large groups that frequent the wall, most people limit their visits to the outdoor plaza.

At any hour, Jewish men and women can be found praying at the wall, which is actually a large outdoor synagogue. As is traditional in Jewish synagogues, there are a number of holy arks containing Torah scrolls, tables for reading of the law and a mechitza, or divider, separating the men's and women's sections of the wall.

Bar mitzvah celebrations are frequently held here, and people of various ages travel from all over the world to have their ceremonies at the Kotel. It is also a tradition to deposit slips of paper with wishes or prayers on them in the crevices and crannies of the wall. Looking closely, one can see hundreds of tiny, folded papers stuffed inside every space that will hold them.

The Temple in Jerusalem was the most sacred building in Judaism. Herod the Great built vast retaining walls around Mount Moriah, expanding the small, quasi-natural plateau on which the First and Second Temples stood into the wide open spaces of the Temple Mount seen today.

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St. Peter's Basilica

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St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican is the largest church in the world. The square in front of the facade of St. Peter's is called St. Peter's square.

Vatican City From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vatican City, officially State of the Vatican City (Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae; Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano), is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. At approximately 44 hectares (108.7 acres), it is the smallest independent state in the world.

The state came into existence by virtue of the Lateran Treaty in 1929, which speaks of it as a new creation (Preamble and Article III), not as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756 to 1870) that had previously encompassed central Italy, most of which was absorbed into the Kingdom of Italy in 1860, and the final part, the city of Rome and a small area close to it, ten years later.

Vatican City is a non-hereditary, elected monarchy that is ruled by the Bishop of Rome — the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all clergymen of the Catholic Church. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See (Latin:Sancta Sedes) and the location of the Apostolic Palace — the Pope's official residence — and of much of the Roman Curia.

For almost 1000 years (324-1309) the Popes lived at the Lateran Palace on the Caelian Hill in the east of Rome. Only because the Lateran building was out of repair on their return from 68 years in Avignon have they since 1377 lived in the Vatican or, for a while, at the Quirinal, now the residence of the president of Italy. The Lateran Treaty by which the Vatican City State was set up is so called because it was signed in the restored Lateran building, which is now the residence of the Pope's Cardinal Vicar for the City of Rome. There have been two Vatican Councils, but five Lateran Councils. The Basilica of St. John Lateran, not the St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, remains the Pope's cathedral.

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Dome of the Rock

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Dome of the Rock, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Dome of the Rock (Arabic: مسجد قبة الصخرة, translit.: Masjid Qubbat As-Sakhrah, Hebrew: כיפת הסלע, translit.: Kipat Hasela, Turkish: Kubbetüs Sahra) is an Islamic shrine in what Muslims call the Noble Sanctuary (al-Haram al-Qudsi al-Sharif, Arabic: الحرم القدسي الشريف) — which Jews and Christians call Har ha-Bayit (Hebrew: הר הבית) or the Temple Mount — it remains one of the best known landmarks of Jerusalem. It was built between 687 and 691 by the 9th Caliph, Abd al-Malik, making it the oldest extant Islamic building in the world.

The rock in the center of the dome is the spot from which, according to Islamic tradition, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ascended for a night-long journey to Heaven in AD 621, accompanied by the angel Gabriel. There he met many prophets like Abraham and Moses and was given the (now obligatory) Islamic prayers before returning to Earth. A Qur'anic verse says that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) took an instantaneous night journey on Buraq from al-Masjid al-Haram ("the sacred mosque", interpreted as being in Mecca) to al-Masjid al-Aqsa ("the farthest mosque", interpreted as being in Jerusalem)

In Judaism the stone is the site where Abraham fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19). (Muslims believe that this event involved Abraham's other son Ishmael and occurred in the desert of Mina where millions of Muslims offer pilgrimage every year).

There is some controversy among secular scholars about equating Mount Moriah (where Isaac's binding occurred according to the Biblical narrative), the Temple Mount, and the rock where Jacob dreamed about angels ascending and descending on a ladder to heaven (Genesis 28:10-19); but for Orthodox Jews, there is no doubt that all these events occurred on this spot.

Situated inside the Holy of Holies, this was the rock upon which the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the First Temple. During the Second Temple, the stone was used by High Priest who offered up the incense and sprinkled the blood of the sacrifices on it during the Yom Kippur Service. Rabbinic legend also alleges that the entire world was created from this stone, hence the name אבן השתייה, Foundation Stone.

In Christianity, in addition to Jesus's actions in the temple, it is believed that during the time of the Byzantine Empire, the spot where the Dome was later constructed was where Constantine's mother built a small church, calling it the Church of St. Cyrus and St. John, later on enlarged and called the Church of the Holy Wisdom.

On the walls of the Dome of the Rock is an inscription in a mosaic frieze that includes the following words:

"Bless your envoy and your servant Jesus son of Mary and peace upon him on the day of birth and on the day of death and on the day he is raised up again. It is a word of truth in which they doubt. It is not for God to take a son. Glory be to him when he decrees a thing he only says be and it is."

This appears to be the earliest extant citation from the Qur'an, with the date recorded as 72 after the Hijra (or 691-692 AD), which historians view as the year of the Dome's construction.

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This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code. High Resolution Image, (482 × 709 pixel, file size: 234 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg). El Sakhra (a.k.a el Sakhra, the Rock, and the rock beneath the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem).

This is half of a stereoscopic image in the Matson Collection of the Library of Congress. Originally, The Library of Congress horizontally flipped this online image (leading to multiple erroneous Wikipedia entries). The image has now been corrected.

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Seattle Space Needle

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Space Needle From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Space Needle is a tower in Seattle, Washington. It is a major landmark of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and the symbol of Seattle. Located in Seattle Center, it was built for the 1962 World's Fair, during which time nearly 20,000 people a day used the elevators — 2.3 million visitors in all for the World Fair.

The Space Needle is 605 feet (184 m) high and 138 feet (42 m) wide at its widest point and weighs 9,550 tons. When it was completed it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. It is built to withstand winds of up to 200 mph (320 km/h) and earthquakes up to 9.5 magnitude (which would protect the structure against an earthquake as powerful as the 1700 Cascadia earthquake) and has 25 lightning rods on the roof to prevent lightning damage.

The Space Needle features an observation deck at 520 feet (160 m), the SkyCity restaurant at 500 feet (152 m), and a gift shop. From the top of the Needle, one can see not only the Downtown Seattle skyline, but also the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Elliott Bay and surrounding islands. Photographs of the Seattle skyline often show the Space Needle in a prominent position, even appearing sometimes to tower above the rest of the city's skyscrapers.

This occurs because the Space Needle sits roughly four-fifths of a mile (1.3 km) northwest of these skyscrapers, and photographers must capture the city with the Space Needle in the foreground in order to include both it and the rest of the tall buildings. (This angle offers the added bonus of affording a view of Mount Rainier in the background.) At 60 stories it is not remarkably tall, and it is not as close to the cluster of downtown skyscrapers as one might think judging only from the typical angle from which the skyline photographs are taken.

Visitors can reach the top via elevators that travel at 10 mph (16 km/h). This trip takes 43 seconds and some tourists wait in hour-long lines in order to ascend to the top of the tower. It was designated a historic landmark on April 19, 1999. It is now owned by the privately held Space Needle Corporation.

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United Nations Headquarters Building

Digital ID: gsc 5a24399 Source: intermediary roll film Reproduction Number: LC-G613-T-68977 (interpositive) Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA Retrieve uncompressed archival TIFF version (222 kilobytes). Unedited jpg

TITLE: United Nations. From northwest on 1st Ave. CALL NUMBER: LC-G613- 68977 [P&P] REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-G613-T-68977 (interpositive) No known restrictions on publication. MEDIUM: 1 negative : safety ; 4x5 in. CREATED/PUBLISHED: 1956 Apr. 20.

PART OF: Gottscho-Schleisner Collection (Library of Congress), REPOSITORY: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. DIGITAL ID: (intermediary roll film) gsc 5a24399 hdl.loc.gov/gsc.5a24399. CARD #: gsc1994006120/PP

Architecture and Interior Design for 20th Century America: Photographs by Samuel Gottscho and William Schleisner, 1935-1955. Images in this collection have been placed in the public domain by the heirs of the photographers.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Gottscho-Schleisner Collection [please cite the reproduction number, LC-G613-T-68977]

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United Nations Headquarters From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The United Nations Headquarters is a distinctive complex in New York City that has served as the headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1950. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood, on the east side of Midtown Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River. Though it is in New York City, the land occupied by the United Nations Headquarters is considered international territory, and its borders are First Avenue west, East 42nd Street south, East 48th Street north and the East River east. FDR Drive passes underneath the Conference Building of the complex.

The United Nations Headquarters were constructed in New York City in 1949 and 1950 beside the East River, on seventeen acres of land purchased from the foremost New York real estate developer of the time, William Zeckendorf. This purchase was arranged by Nelson Rockefeller, after an initial offer of placing it on the Rockefeller family estate of Kykuit was rejected as being too isolated from Manhattan. The $8.5 million purchase was then funded by his father, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who donated it to the City. The lead architect for the building was the real estate firm of Wallace Harrison, the personal architectural adviser for the family.

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Empire State Building

Digital ID: gsc 5a02105 Source: intermediary roll film Reproduction Number: LC-G612-T01-21095 (b&w film dup. neg.) Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA Retrieve uncompressed archival TIFF version (123 kilobytes). Unedited jpg

Architecture and Interior Design for 20th Century America: Photographs by Samuel Gottscho and William Schleisner, 1935-1955. Images in this collection have been placed in the public domain by the heirs of the photographers.

TITLE: Empire State building. From south. CALL NUMBER: LC-G612- 21095 [P&P] REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-G612-T01-21095 (b&w film dup. neg.) No known restrictions on publication. MEDIUM: 1 negative : safety ; 5x7 in. CREATED/PUBLISHED: 1934 Jan. 8.

PART OF: Gottscho-Schleisner Collection (Library of Congress). REPOSITORY: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. DIGITAL ID: (intermediary roll film) gsc 5a02105 hdl.loc.gov/gsc.5a02105. CARD #: gsc1994012278/PP

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Gottscho-Schleisner Collection [please cite the reproduction number, LC-G612-T01-21095]

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Digital ID: cph 3b21877 Source: b&w film copy neg. Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-74620 (b&w film copy neg.) Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA Retrieve uncompressed archival TIFF version (1,698 kilobytes). Unedited jpg

TITLE: Empire State Building at night. CALL NUMBER: LOT 5097 [item] [P&P]

REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-USZ62-74620 (b&w film copy neg.)
No known restrictions on publication. SUMMARY: Bird's-eye view of New York City. MEDIUM: 1 photographic print. CREATED, PUBLISHED: c1937.

NOTES: Photo copyrighted by Vincent Lopez. No copyright renewal. This record contains unverified, old data from caption card. Caption card tracings: Geogr.; Lighting.

REPOSITORY: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. DIGITAL ID: (b&w film copy neg.) cph 3b21877 hdl.loc.gov/cph.3b21877, CARD #: 2003677456

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, LC-USZ62-74620]

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The Empire State Building in New York City, taken from 5th Avenue. August 2007 I, the copyright holder (Gryffindor) of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. High Resolution Image (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 369 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Empire State Building From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in New York City, New York on the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York. It stood as the world's tallest building for more than forty years, from its completion in 1931 until the construction of the World Trade Center North Tower topped out on December 23, 1970. It is now once again the tallest building in New York, after the destruction of the World Trade Center in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The Empire State Building has been named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. The building and its street floor interior are designated landmarks of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and confirmed by the New York City Board of Estimate. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The building is owned by Harold Helmsley's company and managed by its management/leasing division Helmsley-Spear.

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Brooklyn Bridge

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View looking SE from Manhattan shore at twilight. Jet Lowe, photographer, 1982. HAER NY,31-NEYO,90-14. No known restrictions on publication. Brooklyn Bridge, Spanning East River between Park Row, Manhattan and Sands Street, Brooklyn, New York, New York County, NY

VIEW LOOKING NORTH WITH FORMER BROOKLYN FERRY SLIP IN FOREGROUND ny79 TITLE: Historic American Buildings Survey Collection. CALL NUMBER: Guide Record [P&P]. REPRODUCTION NUMBER: _ _ _ _ _ No known restrictions on publication.

SUMMARY: This expanding collection documents almost 30,000 structures and sites through large-format photographs, measured drawings, and written historical reports. Included are architecturally significant and vernacular examples of public, commercial, and private buildings throughout the United States and its territories.

The Historic American Buildings Survey began in 1933 as a WPA program, the result of a tripartite agreement among the American Institute of Architects, which designed and established standards for official documentation, the National Park Service, which administers the creation of the documenttation, and the Library of Congress, which houses, maintains, and serves the collection to the public.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division.

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Brooklyn Bridge, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Brooklyn Bridge, one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, stretches 5,989 feet (1825 m) over the East River connecting the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. On completion, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world and the first steel-wire suspension bridge.

Originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, it was dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge in an 1867 letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Since its opening, it has become an iconic part of the New York skyline. In 1964 it was designated a National Historic Landmark

Construction began in January 3, 1870. The Brooklyn Bridge was completed thirteen years later and was opened for use on May 24, 1883. On that first day, a total of 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people crossed. The bridge's main span over the East River is 1,595 feet 6 inches (486.3 m).

The bridge cost $15.1 million to build and approximately 27 people died during its construction. A week after the opening, on May 30, a rumor that the Bridge was going to break down caused a stampede which crushed and then killed twelve people.

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Transamerica Pyramid

Information presented on this website (U.S. Department of the Interior - U.S. Geological Survey) is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credit is requested The Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, built to withstand earthquakes, swayed more than 1 foot but was not damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta, California, earthquake

Exterior view of 600 Montgomery St. (photo by Dan Radulescu) U.S. Geological Survey Transamerica Pyramid From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Transamerica Pyramid is the tallest and most recognizable skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline

Built on the location of the historic Montgomery Block, it has a structural height of 260 meters (853 feet) and contains 48 floors of retail and office space. Construction began in 1969 and finished in 1972. It is currently ranked as the 88th tallest building in the world.

Its unique shape is the result of the desire by Transamerica to have a building whose top would be looked up to by the excutives on the highest floor of the Bank of America building, which is not only tall but also sits upon a substantially higher elevation.

The land use and zoning restrictions for the parcel limited the number of square feet of office that could be built upon the lot, which sits at the northern boundary of the financial district. The pyramid is an innovative solution to this design challenge, and when viewed from the East Bay forms a prominent and unique skyline projection, forming an important element of San Francisco's "signature skyline".

Although it no longer houses the headquarters of the Transamerica Corporation, it is still strongly associated with the company and is depicted in the company's logo. The building is evocative of San Francisco and has become one of the many symbols of the city.

Designed by architect William Pereira, it faced considerable opposition during its planning and construction, and was sometimes referred to by detractors as "Pereira's Prick". In 1999, Transamerica was acquired by Dutch insurance company AEGON. When the non-insurance operations of Transamerica were later sold to GE Capital, AEGON retained the building as an investment.

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Lincoln Memorial

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The building (archtect: Henry Beacon) was constructed in the style of a classical greek temple with 36 columns meant to represent the Union at the time of Abraham Lincoln's death .

On the North wall, the 16th president's second inaugural address; on the South wall the Gettysburg address. Above the statue the words: "In this Temple, as in the hearts of the people, for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever". The Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial is a memorial to Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln Memorial

The Memorial to Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was constructed as a monumental commemoration of the sixteenth President, who saw the nation through a divisive war and preserved the union. While the statue contained within is one of the best known public sculptures in the United States, the prominent setting and classical-revival design of the building have combined to produce an American icon, the location of celebrations and demonstrations. Lincoln Memorial

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The White House

The North façade of the White House, completed in 1824, located on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. Date 12:29 P.M., 6 July 2007 High Resolution Image (2597 × 1735 pixel, file size: 545 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

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South view of the White House. Photograph taken by Teddy Yoshida (Harajuku) on June 30, 2004. High Resolution Image (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 1.62 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

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White House Facts

For two hundred years, the White House has stood as a symbol of the Presidency, the United States government, and the American people. Its history, and the history of the nation’s capital, began when President George Washington signed an Act of Congress in December of 1790 declaring that the federal government would reside in a district "not exceeding ten miles square…on the river Potomac."

President Washington, together with city planner Pierre L’Enfant, chose the site for the new residence, which is now 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As preparations began for the new federal city, a competition was held to find a builder of the "President’s House." Nine proposals were submitted, and Irish-born architect James Hoban won a gold medal for his practical and handsome design. White House Facts

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Stonehenge

TITLE: [Stonehenge, Salisbury, England] CALL NUMBER: LOT 13415, no. 841 [item] [P&P] REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-DIG-ppmsc-08828 (digital file from original) No known restrictions on publication.

Digital ID: ppmsc 08828 Source: digital file from original Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsc-08828 (digital file from original) Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA Retrieve higher resolution JPEG version (214 kilobytes)

MEDIUM: 1 photomechanical print : photochrom, color. CREATED, PUBLISHED: [between ca. 1890 and ca. 1900]. NOTES: Title from the Detroit Publishing Co., Catalogue J--foreign section, Detroit, Mich. : Detroit Publishing Company, 1905. Print no. "10069". Forms part of: Views of England in the Photochrom print collection.

PART OF: Views of England REPOSITORY: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. DIGITAL ID: (digital file from original) ppmsc 08828 hdl.loc.gov/ppmsc.08828, CARD #: 2002708089

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, LC-DIG-ppmsc-08828]

MARC Record Line 540 - No known restrictions on publication.

I, the copyright holder (Daveahern) of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

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Stonehenge From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 2200 BC and the surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC.

The site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1986 in a co-listing with Avebury henge monument, and it is also a legally protected Scheduled Ancient Monument. Stonehenge itself is owned by the State and managed by English Heritage while the surrounding land is owned by the National Trust.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article, Stonehenge

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Toronto Canada CN Tower

Setting the free standing, land record for the world's tallest structure, measuring 553.33 meters (1,815 feet, 5 inches), the CN Tower is Toronto's most visible landmark and arguably its most celebrated tourist destination. 2006 marks its 30th anniversary. This view looks WNW. High Resolution Image (533 × 800 pixel, file size: 328 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

This image has been (or is hereby) released into the public domain by its author, Bill Wrigley at the enwiki project. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible: Bill Wrigley grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

CN Tower viewed from HTO Park in Toronto, Canada. High Resolution Image (599 × 800 pixel, file size: 212 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I, Scarps, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

CN Tower From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The CN Tower, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a communications and tourist tower standing 553.33 metres (1,815 ft 5 in) tall. From its completion in 1976 until 2007, it was the world's tallest free-standing structure on land. On September 12, 2007, the Burj Dubai became the world's tallest free-standing structure even though it has not yet been completed. The Tower is the signature icon of the city, attracting more than two million international visitors annually.

CN originally referred to Canadian National, the railway company that built the tower. Following the railway's decision to divest non-core freight railway assets, prior to the company's privatization in 1995, the CN Tower was transferred to the Canada Lands Company (CLC), a federal Crown corporation responsible for real estate development. Since local residents wished to retain the name CN Tower, the abbreviation is now said to expand to Canada's National Tower rather than the original Canadian National Tower; however, neither of these are commonly used.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article, CN Tower

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World Trade Center August 2001

World Trade Center Clip Art, Carol M. Highsmith's photographs are in the public domain. Photographer Carol Highsmith unexpectedly donated to the Library of Congress a stunning panoramic photograph she took of lower Manhattan and the World Trade Center from a helicopter on a clear day in early August 2001. Highsmith also put the Prints and Photographs Division in touch with company officials in charge of recycling the steel from ground zero.

For the Library's exhibition, they specially saved the last burned and crushed fragments of structural steel and metal cladding from the World Trade Center. A strong supporter of the Library, the energetic photographer also helped to arrange for another gift--a piece of limestone torn from the Pentagon. On display in the exhibition, these artifacts are tangible records of the physical devastation suffered on September 11, 2001.

The Calm, World Trade Center August, 2001. More about this image and story at Public Domain Clip Art - http://publicdomainclip-art.blogspot.com/2007/09/world-trade-center-august-2001.html

This photograph is from the Carol M. Highsmith Archive at the Library of Congress. Highsmith has released her photographs in the collection into the public domain.

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Carol M. Highsmith grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

World Trade Center From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The World Trade Center in New York City (sometimes informally referred to as the WTC or the Twin Towers) was a complex of seven buildings in Lower Manhattan, mostly designed by American architect Minoru Yamasaki and engineer Leslie Robertson and developed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. It was initiated in 1960 by a Lower Manhattan Association created and chaired by David Rockefeller, who had the original idea of building the Center, with strong backing from the then-New York governor, his brother Nelson Rockefeller.

The World Trade Center, New York, like most all World Trade Centers located around the globe, belonged to the family of World Trade Centers Association. Larry Silverstein held the most recent lease to the complex, the Port Authority having leased it to him in July 2001. The complex, located in the heart of New York City's downtown financial district, contained 13.4 million square feet (1.24 million m²) of office space, almost four percent of Manhattan's entire office inventory at that time.

Best known for its iconic 110-story twin towers, the World Trade Center was beset by a fire on February 13, 1975 and a bombing on February 26, 1993. Despite the first two disasters, the World Trade Center was a part of New York City's identity and was recognized all over the world as an icon for the United States of America.

All of the original buildings in the complex were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. One World Trade Center (1 WTC) and Two World Trade Center (2 WTC)—the North Tower and South Tower, respectively, collapsed, as did 7 World Trade Center (7 WTC).

The Marriott World Trade Center (3 WTC) was crushed by the collapses of 1 WTC and 2 WTC. 4 World Trade Center (4 WTC), 5 World Trade Center (5 WTC), and 6 World Trade Center (6 WTC) were damaged beyond repair and later demolished. In addition, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (not part of the complex) was destroyed by the collapse of 2 WTC; the Deutsche Bank Building was damaged beyond repair and is currently being deconstructed.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article, World Trade Center

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The Pentagon

The Pentagon, headquarters of the Department of Defense. DoD photo by Master Sgt. Ken Hammond, U.S. Air Force. DF-ST-87-06962_screen.jpg
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Information presented on DefenseLINK is considered public information and may be distributed or copied unless otherwise specified. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested.

Headquarters of the Department of Defense, the Pentagon is one of the world's largest office buildings. It is twice the size of the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, and has three times the floor space of the Empire State Building in New York. The National Capitol could fit into any one of the five wedge-shaped sections. There are very few people throughout the United States who do not have some knowledge of the Pentagon. Many have followed news stories emanating from the defense establishment housed in this building. However, relatively few people have had the opportunity to visit with us.

The Pentagon is virtually a city in itself. Approximately 23,000 employees, both military and civilian, contribute to the planning and execution of the defense of our country. These people arrive daily from Washington, D.C. and its suburbs over approximately 30 miles of access highways, including express bus lanes and one of the newest subway systems in our country. They ride past 200 acres of lawn to park approximately 8,770 cars in 16 parking lots; climb 131 stairways or ride 19 escalators to reach offices that occupy 3,705,793 square feet. While in the building, they tell time by 4,200 clocks, drink from 691 water fountains, utilize 284 rest rooms, consume 4,500 cups of coffee, 1,700 pints of milk and 6,800 soft drinks prepared or served by a restaurant staff of 230 persons and dispensed in 1 dining room, 2 cafeterias, 6 snack bars, and an outdoor snack bar. The restaurant service is a privately run civilian operation under contract to the Pentagon.

Over 200,000 telephone calls are made daily through phones connected by 100,000 miles of telephone cable. The Defense Post Office handles about 1,200,000 pieces of mail monthly. Various libraries support our personnel in research and completion of their work. The Army Library alone provides 300,000 publications and 1,700 periodicals in various languages.

Stripped of its occupants, furniture and various decorations, the building alone is an extraordinary structure. Built during the early years of World War II, it is still thought of as one of the most efficient office buildings in the world. Despite 17.5 miles of corridors it takes only seven minutes to walk between any two points in the building.

The original site was nothing more than wasteland, swamps and dumps. 5.5 million cubic yards of earth, and 41,492 concrete piles contributed to the foundation of the building. Additionally, 680,000 tons of sand and gravel, dredged from the nearby Potomac River, were processed into 435,000 cubic yards of concrete and molded into the Pentagon form. The building was constructed in the remarkably short time of 16 months and completed on January 15, 1943 at an approximate cost of $83 million. It consolidated 17 buildings of the War Department and returned its investment within seven years.

We hope this information will serve to eliminate some of the myths surrounding the Pentagon and give an appreciation of the size of the building. The Pentagon - Washington DC

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