I love old buildings. When it is not quite so hot, I enjoy walking around town and taking pictures of some of the architecture, especially the features that I consider to be little bits of jewelry on the very fine buildings around town.
Here is a collection of some of my favorites....
Starting on North Austin Street, just a couple of blocks from the center of town, here is a little of the fun details you will find on the Texas Theater. The little balls and the zig-zag ornamentation on the column reminds me of court jesters and renaissance fairs. On the top, it is capped with the traditional arch, aTexas form which also tops the Alamo.
Just a block or so to the south on Austin Street, you will come to the Aumont Hotel. If you will recall in a previous post, the Aumont got its name because it is on the corner of Austin and Mountain Street. There is all kinds of ornamental brickwork on this building.
One block east of Austin Street is River Street. Walking south and east of the Aumont, in the 200 block of North River Street, you will come to City Hall, a wonderful art deco building. I would ask the post office to move their blue mail box if I thought it would do any good. They put it right in front of the building, ruining any opportunity to get a good, clean shot of this landmark. What were they thinking?
This building is located in the 100 block of North River Street, across from the Heritage Museum. The bits of red striping great on these white columns and the decorative blocks on the underside of the balcony catch my eye every time I walk past it.
The Starcke Building, on the other side of downtown, was built by the same architect who built the Aumont Hotel. This is a shot of the entrance to the building. The mosaic tile, featuring an elaborate black and white key pattern is an unexpected treasure as you look down. This little bit of mosaic definitely qualifies as a jewel.
Red is always an eye-catcher. Here is a door on South Austin Street, across from the courthouse. In fact, you can see a bit of the courthouse reflected in the glass.
Would you believe I even have a favorite door handle? Look at this ornate piece of art work that someone created for a door handle. This door is located on a building across the street from the Starcke building.
Finally, to complete todays display of little gems, here is a window on a red brick wall decorated with little cast iron stars. The sweetness of this treasure is that you have to search it out. It is not on one of the main streets. It is down a tiny little alley between a couple of buildings, leading to a hidden retreat complete with patio tables and chairs, used by the inhabitants of one of the Court Street buildings.
For all my Seguin readers, I hope my walking directions have been good enough for you to find some of these treasures for yourself as you travel downtown. I know that many of my readers live in far away places all across the world, so I hope you have enjoyed a little glimpse of some of the architecture of a small Texas town.
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