The Doors of New York’s Upper Eastside mark the entrances to some of the most expensive homes in our country. Research points to residences on 5th Avenue that command as much as $35,000,000… That’s correct, thirty five million. Sure, you might find a bargain at $7,500,000 just off 5th Avenue, which is still remarkably difficult to comprehend when you consider the fact that you can buy a palatial 10,000 sq. ft. mansion in LA’s Hancock Park for less than that. But as they say, location location location.

The Upper Eastside stretches from the East River to Central Park, between 59th Street and 96th Street. Prior to the 1890’s 5th Avenue north of 59th wasn’t considered  prestigious. That began to change in 1915 when speculators began building palatial residences on 5th Avenue north to 96th. Around that same time New York’s Central Railroad tracks along Park Avenue were electrified and covered, which helped restore land values that had been waning. The Upper Eastside prospered through the early 20th Century, slowing only during the Great Depression and World War II. It’s now home to the very best that Manhattan has to offer: luxury hotels, world class restaurants, flagship designer stores, and of course internationally renowned museums.

As I walked from my buddies apartment on York and 74th, to the NEUE GALERIE on 86th and 5th Avenue, I snapped photos of these spectacular doors along the way. Their architectural details are not to be missed: Cartouches,  Doric Columns, Balustrades, Garlands, Egg and Dart Trim, Statues, Topiaries… they all speak to a world steeped in elegance and rich in history. I spent as much time soaking in the artistry of these residences, as I did the Egon Shiele Portraits at the NEUE.  And if you haven’t been to the NEUE Galerie, I highly recommend it, as it might be the only chance you’ll have to step inside one of these grand old world residences. Built in 1914, it’s known as the William Starr Miller Residence,  and was also home to Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt III.

LongBeach has a large array of Art Deco, from the Queen Mary, to the Lafayette, to little known apartment buildings. In fact, there’s even an entire collection of deco buildings know as Lowell Elementary School that covers several blocks on Livingston Drive.

What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than canvasing the streets of LongBeach looking for Art Deco gems. My initial search online didn’t yield much. But I was meeting a buddy for lunch, who was in town on a business trip from Manhattan, and I knew there just had to be some great buildings worth photographing. The East Village Arts District had three  amazing buildings across from one another, including the Lafayette.  And the First Baptist Church, located on Pine Avenue,  is on the eastern border of a ‘transitional’ neighborhood that’s clearly undergoing gentrification. In hindsight  it  would make sense to head to the older areas of town to find structures built in the 20’s and 30’s. I just had to remind myself to be patient and not lean on the horn for any reason… wouldn’t want to end up with a ‘cap in my ass’.

The one element of the church spire that really grabbed my attention,  was the black disks near the top. They make me think of the May Company Building with it’s massive gold cylinder on Wilshire Boulevard, in LA’s Miracle Mile. It’s such a specific design feature whose rarity makes it unforgettable. And while we’re on the top of specific design elements, take a close look at rooflines of each of the buildings. They each have a very different silhouette, yet all of them fall into the design category of Art Deco. The vertical bands on each of the buildings also helps identify the deco period. The zig zag patterns in the plaster reliefs are hallmarks of 1920’s Art Deco, while the bright pastel tones of the structure with the street corner cylinder make me think of Florida’s Tropical Art Deco, done in the Streamline Moderne style.

You might be wondering why I chose to include the Queen Mary as my opening image for this series, but when I think Art Deco and LongBeach, she’s what comes to mind first. And what has a stronger silhouette than those three smoke stacks, tilted slightly backwards. She looks like she’s moving, even when she’s standing still, exemplifying  the spirit of deco. Planes, Trains, Cars, Steamships… it was all about the new found glamour of travel and how quickly we could get from one place to another after we evolved from the horse drawn carriage.

And a little FYI, the first 30 minutes of parking at the Queen Mary in the Port of LongBeach are free. I didn’t exactly know that when I took the ticket to get into their parking lot. I just knew I wasn’t leaving town without a good shot of her, and if that meant paying for parking, so be it. I was planning on making the argument of being lost and needing to turn around… I guess I’m not the only one who’s done that. Art Deco will be turning 100 in a few years, and I predict you’ll be reading a lot more about that period in the coming years.

Los Angeles has some spectacular Church Spires, which is remarkable since we’re often referred to as Sin City.  But in a city with over 2,000 churches, we can’t all be bad, can we?  Maybe that’s why we’re also known as the City of Angels. Clearly, church and community have been very important to Angelenos over the decades. Why else would so much time, effort and money have gone into creating such total works of art.

A Spire etymologically is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass. Symbolically they have two functions: to proclaim marital power, (reminiscent of the spear point it gives the impression of strength) and to reach towards the skies. The celestial and hopeful gesture of the spire is one reason for its association with religious buildings. It’s not just a symbol of piety, but is often seen as a symbol of the wealth and prestige of the order, or patron who commissioned the building.

The movie Stigmata has always been one of my favorite films. IMDB lists it as Horror/Thriller, however, I think it’s quite remarkable in it’s message. Basically the film has 3 scholarly priests, located in 3 regions of the world,  each deciphering a portion of a long lost document, believed to be the actual word  of Christ. Never allowed to share their findings with each other, the Church swears them to secrecy. Alas, Patricia Arquette begins to channel the findings of one priest via his rosary beads, a gift from her eccentric mother purchased at a Sau Paulo street fair. By the end of the film we learn the simple premise: Break open a stone, and I am there. Cut open a piece of wood, and I am there. God is everywhere, therefore, we don’t really need the church. Suffice it to say, I’m not a terribly religious guy. That said, I’ve never felt closer to god than when sitting in front of the Rose Window at Notre Dame in Paris. The craftsmanship of that structure, which took centuries to build, does exactly what it’s meant to do.  With it’s massive stained glass windows and soaring cathedral ceilings, it inspires one to look upwards towards the heavens in complete aw.

So, as you’re stuck in LA traffic, honking your horn and waiting impatiently, take a moment to look to the tops of some the buildings around you, or on the horizon… you must just be surprised at what you see.