This beautiful red building was once the Dallas County Courthouse built back in the late 1800’s. It has since then been turned into a museum for those interested in learning about the history of Dallas. I grew up about 8 minutes away from the Old Red Museum and as a little girl, I called it the big red castle. My dad used to work downtown so, we often drove by this enchanting piece of architecture. I grew up proclaiming to my parents that I would someday get married in the big red castle then proceed to live in it someday afterword’s. Obviously that dream of mine will never come true considering it is a historical building. Looking at photos of the Old Red Museum now, I think I was so attracted to it because of its dark red stones, castle like features, the windows, and the clock tower. I have always been fascinated with historical building because they trigger my imagination as I wonder what went on in the buildings before they became historical monuments.

Alvar Aalto designed a building called the Vyborg Library that was built from 1927 to 1935 in Vyborg, Russia. This building is most famous for the ceiling in the auditorium that looks like the shape of a wave. Aalto’s unique design of this building led to be considered a milestone in the history of modern architecture. The architecture included classical elements along with new designs and Finnish landscape.

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit France in the spring of 2018. During my explorations of Paris, it was inevitable that i go see the famed cathedral of Notre Dame. My first impression when i saw it from up close was one of majesty. The sheer size and massiveness of individual parts of it are a mix of both intimidating and awe inspiring. Having only seen it in pictures before, i could hardly believe that i could touch the very walls that had stood for centuries; the pictures do it no justice. I was overwhelmed by the stark beauty of the cathedral, by the intricate detail and prowess that it demonstrated. In an ideal world, the only thing that would have made it better would have been being able to explore it and study it in its entirety without tourists and guides; being able to take my time and savor each and every element of this masterpiece.

Xi’an is known for many historical buildings and one of the very famous building is the Wild Good Pagoda. It is a Buddhist pagoda and was built in year 652 during the Tang dynasty. The building was rebuilt and renovated over the next few dynasties though. It is currently seven stories tall. This pagoda is very well known for the start of Buddhism in China. A Buddhist monk, Xuanzang brought sutras and figurines of Buddha from India and translated to Chinese in this pagoda. I had the chance to go inside when I lived in Xi’an, China. The stairs were made of dark wood and was quite tall. It was tiring for me to walk all the way up to the top and I had to be more careful when I walked down the stairs. They have displayed the fake sutras and figurines in almost every floor. There were small windows on all four sides, so I was able to see the view although the windows were dirty. It was definitely nice to see and experience real ancient historical building, but the tickets were very over-priced. I would recommend people to not pay the ticket and enter the pagoda because there isn’t nothing amazing in my point of view. It’s better to see the pagoda from the outside.

The Bass Performance Hall is located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. As I grew up just 30 minutes outside of Fort Worth, I have seen many performances here, and my prom was even right next door. The building is so beautiful on the inside and out. My favorite feature has always been the giant angels perched on the outside of the building. I have many fond memories here, but the ones that are most precious to me are the ones that I share with my grandma. My grandma loves to come to a special performance of the Nutcracker here every year. Unfortunately, she lives in Oklahoma City and the travel has gotten more difficult for her in recent years. But I will always cherish the times that we were able to go together.

I have been to DDP three times. The first time was for sightseeing and art exhibitions. The next two visits were fashion week. I remember the first time I went there was in the evening. The weather was fine so the moon was clear and bright. The lights make the silver buildings more vivid. I had a great time taking pictures and walking with my friends. It is located in the city center with convenient transportation and excellent geographical location. 

DDP was designed by Zaha Hadid and Samoo, the overlooking is a large curved building, a bit like a spaceship or ufo. If you are traveling to Seoul, a half-hour walk around DDP is also a good choice.

St. John Missionary Baptist Church has been in Oklahoma City since 1919. This church is registered as an historic landmark, due to it Civil Rights Era involvement. In the first building, when you first walked in, the first thing you saw was the two- story sanctuary of the church, next you would see the pulpit and the balconies that lined the sanctuary. A unique feature about this first build was that there were no windows in the sanctuary.

Today, the church still stands tall at the top of a hill. With colorful stained glass windows that surround the perimeter of the sanctuary, high ceilings and a tall steeple topped with a star. When driving down Kelly, it is hard to miss. The interior is just as unique as the exterior. Red carpet lines the hallways and the sanctuary is filled with pews lined in red as well. While attending service, the sound of the organ can be heard all throughout the church.

St. John is also home to the St. John Christian Heritage Academy, an elementary school for kids Pre-K through 5th grade. There is a whole wing dedicated to the school. St. John is an Eastside landmark, that has withstood the test of time, and I am grateful to be apart of a church with so much historical weight.

Just south of Jerusalem is one of the coolest sites that I have ever seen in my life. Built by Herod the Great between 37 and 31 BCE it sits atop a plateau overlooking the Dead Sea and was fortified to survive attacks from Roman soldiers. The remains of the fortress on the top of the plateau was built with amazing thought including curved ceilings for the steam room so that water did not condensate on the ceiling and a caldarium which is a bath room that could be heated through the floor to offer warm water to clean off in. Even the food warehouse was built with a drain in the olive oil room to catch any olive oil that was spilled or if a vase was broken. Walking through the ruins there was a feeling of being on top of the world able to overlook the entire landscape around you. Anyone who has the opportunity should absolutely visit the site to take in the views of the mountains, deserts with flash flood channels cut through, and the wonderful sight of the Dead Sea in the distance.

The Perot Museum in Dallas is one of my favorite pieces of architecture. It is a very interesting structure, like something from a dream. It’s an odd, distorted cube, while also being subtle enough to not stand out too much in the Dallas cityscape.

Inside, it has wide open, bright rooms covered in glass, as well as dark rooms filled to the brim with under-lit dinosaurs. From the inside, the rooms seem to be all different shape and sizes, and you rarely realize the structure of the building as a whole as you go through it. My experience in the Perot Museum was a positive one, and the building enhances the museum experience greatly. I hope to go back soon.

I saw the colosseum on the same trip I saw Sagrada Familia and it was the other building I thought I should write about. The colosseum is one of those buildings thats I had seen countless videos and pictures that had to be seen in person. I was and still am a history nerd so to get to see not only the building itself but also learn about it’s history was fantastic. I can really see how it was the center of Rome for so long, as it is beautiful and imposing all at once. Even now it can take you back to a time when there must have been nothing like it in the world, and was the pinnacle of Roman construction. I also was really fortunate to be able to see the underside of the colosseum, which is home to a pulley system that replicates how they used to lift animals inside. There was not a single part of Italy that did not live up to the hype for me and the colosseum had to be at the top of my list. I really would like to go back one day and take my kids just so they can see a building and city with so much history within it.