Sooner Theatre - Austin Heyne

Located in downtown Norman is the Sooner Theatre. Originally it was built in 1929 as the first talkie, or non silent movie theatre. Designed by local architect Harold Gimeno it was a top of the line building of its time. It had new features such as air conditioning and chilled water fountains. The entire ceiling of the theatre is covered hand painted Spanish coat-of-arms to complement the building’s Spanish gothic style. When movie became much more popular, the single screen theatre couldn't keep up with the new multi-screen cinemas and in 1975 the theatre closed. Thanks to a group of people dedicated to the preservation of the building, they convinced the City of Norman to purchase the property and rent it out at a $1 a month. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and after restoration the theatre opened back up in 1982.

Granada Theater - Scott Vo

The outside is pretty simple and straight forward. The inside is what I really enjoy. There are some great paintings on the wall and open area. There is a small balcony where you can stand and watch the band or show. It really was an old opera style building but now they do concerts and some private events. The open space and unobstructed views is what makes the show look great. The audio is not perfect but it is also not horrible. It is a small venue and the tickets are not expensive. I enjoy concerts like this. Sometimes if it is a bad band, at least I can enjoy the architecture.

Forbidden City - Scott Vo

Forbidden City should be a city itself. When I visited, I could not walk the entire city in a day. It has layer on layers of walls and small buildings. The building area is just inspirational because it is not a modern building. The wooden roof with shingles are huge and covers every walkway and walls.  A visitor could easily get lost and confused during his or her visit. It is beautiful.

J. Colton Hill - The Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge

This is the Golden Gate Bridge, something we are all at least familiar with. It was built in 1937. Construction began in 1933 so it took about 4 years to build. This is one of my favorite pieces of architecture. Aside from the sheer size of the bridge I find the placement of the bridge beautiful.  It is located in San Francisco Bay.  The paint on the bridge has to be continuously repainted because the color fades from the sun.  On some mornings the mist and fog from the harbor is a fantastic site as you can see from the following pictures: 

The bridge contains a total of 6 lanes. These lanes accommodate cars, bicycles, and pedestrians. Its designers were Joseph Strauss, Irving Morrow, and Charles Ellis. It is constructed by large steel trusses.  There is one main arch that extends 4,200 ft.  The height of the bridge is 746 feet. This is a very popular tourist attraction in the San Francisco area.

Willis Tower - Emad Shariff

Willis Tower 

This is a skyscraper that was, when it was built, the tallest building in the world. It is the first building to incorporate the bundled tube structure. This building has 108 stories and is a pioneer in the way skyscrapers were built in the future. The building has the highest bathrooms in the western hemisphere. The building stands at 527m.

Allianz Arena - Emad Shariff

Allianz Arena

The Allianz Arena is the first stadium in the world to have a fully changable color exterior. It houses the team of Bayern Munich and the German National team. The exterior is made of a special polymer and the interior can house around 71,000 people. The construction took 3 years to complete. The building cost 310 million Euros to achieve the end product of the project.

My Parents' Home- Chase Ossenkop

I may not live with my parents anymore, but the house they recently moved into is absolutely perfect for our family. It has two extra bedrooms for me and my siblings to share for holidays, and plenty of space for parties to be held. The reason that this home is so perfect for my family is that my parents got to work one on one with the architect and contractors on the job to make sure that they could get exactly what they wanted.

One main thing my parents wanted was a large kitchen. Everybody in my family is a great cook, and we always spend large amount of time together in the kitchen. For every holiday, the kids come together to plan and cook a meal for the parents and whoever else may be visiting. It is so much fun. They also kept the entire downstairs as one large, open space. This allows us to be with each other and communicate regardless of whether we are cooking or sitting on the couch. While I do miss my childhood home, I love going home to visit my parents at their new home. It is perfect.