Guggenheim Museum Replicas

The design has been likened to a white ribbon curled into a cylindrical stack. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often called simply The Guggenheim, opened in 1959 in New York City. Its distinctive round design is the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The building was Frank Lloyd Wright last major works before his death and it opened 10 years after the death of Solomon Guggenheim. The museum is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern and contemporary art. Inside the building, the viewing gallery forms a gentle helical spiral from the main level up to the top. Paintings are displayed along the walls of the spiral and also in exhibition space found at annex levels along the way. The center rotunda is lit by an enourmous skylight. In 1992, an adjoining rectangular tower was added to the original structure and designed by the architectural firm of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects. Just as the orignial design was controversial, so was the addition to Wright's design. In the past, a few replicas have been produced in a few different materials including resin and wood, but I don’t believe one was ever made in metal. (If you know of one or have one, send me a photo) A white resin ornament and a silver painted resin souvenir replica paper weight of the museum were made in the past. No purely souvenir buildings are available at present, but some other Guggenheim Museum inspired items are available. A Guggenheim lamp by Megara could Light up your night in high design with Zita Watkin’s beautiful, functional tribute to the iconic Museum building. The semi-translucent polypropylene spiral opens into beautiful table lamp. A set of white porcelain dinner china inspired by the Guggenheim include a bowl and sugar / creamer set. A plastic snow globe is also available at the museum’s online giftshop. In the past, I’ve written about a Guggenheim Lego kit and diamond ring. I also wrote about another lamp in the shape of the New Museum in Manhattan.

Magic Lantern Cathedral Replica

This spectacular gothic church souvenir building is also a magic lantern viewer. It sold recently for $ 3,450. The eBay seller of this item thought it might have been a replica of Chartres Cathedral in France. However, I believe it’s just a gothic cathedral design. Do you recognize it as an actual church? It is made of brass, very well detailed and may originally had a very small Cross on top. The base measures 8.24 inches across and 5 inch front to back and is about 8.5 inches tall. A predecessor of the modern slide projector, magic lanterns projected images from hand-painted glass plates well before the invention of photography. Magic lantern owners toured the country and presented their nighttime displays for large audiences in tents, theaters and schools to watch depictions of fables, legends and events. A skilled projectionist could move the slides quickly, making the screen images appear to move.

Mystery Bookend Building

I recently acquired this bookend in the shape of a building with a dome and a long colonnade in front. In the replica, stairs lead up to 14 columns in front with two pediments capping the columns on each end. Square windows above the columns lead to a roof with a dome with lines which could represent either windows or roofing. Made of bronze, this extremely heavy souvenir building measures 8.5 inches long and over 5 inches tall. Does anyone know which building this bookend might be a replica of? It seems too detailed to just be a generic building. Is it from a university campus, an auditorium or some other structure? If you have an idea, let me know via the ‘comments’ link below. Thanks.

Jasna Gora Monastery Church

Founded in 1382 by Pauline monks, the Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa, Poland has one very famous resident. Our Lady of Częstochowa, sometime called the “Black Maddona,” is a icon painting depicting the Mother of God with the Christ Child. A rare vintage lead souvenir building of the Jasna Gora Monastery was made around 1930. The lead building replica has ‘open’ architecture allowing you to see through windows. On the base are the words: "Andenken Aus Warschau" and on the other side: "PAM. Z CZESTOCHOWY" On the front you can see an embossed image of the "Black Madonna." This replica measures 6 3/4 inches high with a 5 1/2 inch base. One sold on eBay recently for $360. The real monastery has been a pilgrimage destination for hundreds of years. Because of this painting, Jasna Góra became Poland's most famous shrine to the Virgin Mary in Poland. Scott D. sent me photos of more souvenir versions including a lamp and miniature of just the church's tower.

Holiday Miniature Buildings

This is the traditional time of year for gingerbread houses, but sometimes architectural replicas are made of other unusual materials. George Washington’s estate, Mount Vernon, has been reproduced in gingerbread by former White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier. The five-foot-wide and two-foot-tall replica will be on display as part of the new Christmas at Mount Vernon event at the historic Virginia home. Not far away in D.C., the U.S. Botanic Garden creates miniature buildings with their annual model train exhibit. Not your run-of-the-mill train miniatures, these are replicas of D.C. landmarks made of plant-based natural materials. Buildings included are the White House, U.S. Capital and new this year is a miniature of the National Museum of the American Indian. A few years ago in London, Chinese artist Song Dong created a city of biscuits and sweets at Selfridges department store. The 12 metre sculpture was composed of 72,000 biscuits, cakes and sweets.

Toys and Gifts for Budding Architects

Both adults and children would enjoy MUJI's New York in a Bag which comes with eight wooden city structures and six wooden cars. Included are New York City icons such as MoMA's original 1939 building, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Statue of Liberty, and the Guggenheim Museum. With a kit from Matchitecture, you can construct an Eiffel Tower, Matchitecture , the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building and more. Haba is making some wooden blocks for kids in shapes such as a Coliseum Set, Haba Russian House and a Haba Mayan Temple. Lego is making replicas of famous buildings including: Lego Architecture Series Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, Lego Architecture Series Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Lego Architecture Series Seattle Space Needle and more. Here’s info about other architectural games. Do you know of other architectural toys? If so, send me the information and I can add it to this gift guide post.

Oral Robert University Prayer Tower

Oral Roberts, a famed Pentecostal televangelist, died today at age 91. He leaves behind many things, including a University bearing his name. A gold plastic souvenir replica of the Oral Robert University Prayer Tower stands 4 inches tall. The base has a lead weight on the bottom and is printed with the words, “Abundant Life Prayer Group” with a phone number. The 24-hour-a-day group prays with people via telephone in a room on the observation deck. The Prayer Tower is located on the campus of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 200 ft (60.9 m) glass and steel structure opened in 1967 and offers visitors a heavenly view of the campus. An enclosed observation deck gives a 360° view of the surrounding area and enables a self-guided visual tour of the ORU campus. A visitor center on the ground floor has a gift shop along with showings of a 20-minute multimedia presentation on the history of the university and a 36-minute, faith-oriented presentation about the life of Oral Roberts. The landscaped Ralph L. Reece Memorial Gardens surround the tower base at the Christian university. According to school publicity the tower's form is laden with Christian symbolism. The Prayer Tower is located at the center of campus to symbolize prayer's utmost importance. The disc and spindle design takes on the look of a modern stylized cross from any horizontal bearing. The tower's height is intended to mirror one's relationship with God. The latticework which surrounds the observation deck is reportedly built in part from standard white PVC pipe (with the original specification markings still somewhat visible and is meant as a semi-literal representation of the crown of thorns worn by Jesus on the cross. The tower's tip features an eternal flame representing baptism of the Holy Spirit. The tower is a popular local tourist attraction. A reader commented on this post and said, “At one point back in the mid 90's there was a metal replica available." If you have one of the metal replicas of the Prayer Tower, please send me a photo and I'll publish it here. UPDATE: Mark M. sent me a photo of both the plastic and metal versions (above) The pewter version stands 2.5 inches tall and was made in four separate pieces and then put together to form the Prayer Tower.

Italian Prime Minister Attacked with Souvenir

Its not often souvenir buildings are in the news and its shocking that one has been used as a weapon. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was hit in the face with a small souvenir replica of the Doumo di Milano, the city's central cathedral. The attacker, a graphic designer named MassimoTartaglia who has a history of mental problems, was quickly taken away by police after he threw the statuette at the Italian leader's face. Berlusconi was assaulted in Milan as he signed autographs on Sunday in front of Milan's Duomo. He was bleeding profusely from his left upper lip, cheek and may have a broken nose and two damaged teeth. The replica of the cathedral, famous for its Gothic spires, was initially said to be made of metal but later reports suggested it was plaster. UPDATE: News continues about the souvenir building attack on Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Building Collector reader Carol D. sent me this link with a Reuters video update about the souvenir throwing event. In the video, people are reportedly stopping by souvenir stands in Milan to check the weight of the building replica to gage its potential damage. "Sales of this souvenir have never been better," said the reporter. The photos below are some of the souvenir building replicas of the Doumo di Milano Cathedral currently for sale in the Italian city.

Souvenir Building Gift Guide

Perhaps you or a loved-one would love to unwrap a gift to find one of these inside…A handcrafted wooden Grand Staircase Replica-Architectural Model reaches a hight of overe 19 inches. And this Duomo Due Replica-Architectural Model has a distressed ‘French’ finish. How about a Pylones Stainless Steel Eiffel Tower Cheese Kitchen Grater -Large to display in your kitchen. For the puzzle fan, how about a 4D Cityscape 4D New York City Skyline Time Puzzle.UberArc, as the name implies, is producing a few very large building replica toys which you assemble including the UberArc 1200 Empire State Building Architectural Series. As always, InFocus Tech offers great souvenir buildings as gifts and Howard Models produces Finely-made pewter buildings as well. In case you missed it, check out last year’s Building Collector Gift Guide. Also, here are some Christmas ornaments in the shape of buildings.

Stadium Souvenir Buildings: Part Three

Here is the last set of stadium souvenir building photos and information. I'm very sure there are even more not included in these three posts. If you have any stadium replicas not shown, send me a photo and some information about them and I can add to this post.
University of Illinois Memorial Stadium, Carbondale, 1930’s
Cast bronze ashtray
8” x 6.25” x 1.5” tall
no makers mark
Harvard University Stadium, 1930’s
Solid cast aluminum
5.25” x 3.5” x 1.25”
No mark, looks like a student project, poor casting

Ohio State University – 3 versions of the same stadium
All look like the same mold was used and are 4” x 3” x 1” tall
1930’s cast iron, painted red OSU in raised letters on the infield, no mark
1950’s cast aluminum, Ohio State in raised letters on the infield, bottom is inscribed R. C, Schneider Co, 184 long Ave, Columbus Ohio
1960’s ceramic, painted gray, Ohio State in raised letters on the infield, no mark
Ohio Stadium, home of Ohio State Buckeyes
Solid cast bronze
8" x 6" x 2" tall & weighs 7 pounds 10 ounces.
Made as a bookend perhaps for VIP's at the opening of the stadium
Very rare

One end (not the set) sold recently on eBay for $482.00

University of Minnesota Stadium, 1927
Aluminum casting
4” x 3.75” x 1” tall
Bottom is inscribed “Engineers Day 1927”
No makers mark

University of Texas Stadium
Cast Aluminum
4.25” x 4” x 1.5” tall
Texas in raised letters on the infield
“Mechanical Engineering Laboratories” in raised letters on the bottomSundevil Stadium, AZ, 1995
Resign I think, Commemorative from Super Bowl XXX
4.5” x 3” x 1.75” tall
Sports Collectors Guild Limited AdditionUniversity of Pennsylvania, 1930’s
Painted cast iron
4.75” x 3.5” x 1” tall
No makers markUniversity of Nebraska Stadium, 2001
Pewter on a green plastic base.
4.5” x 4” x 1” tall
Add piece for woods brothers realty
Made by Awards Unlimited
Montréal Olympic Stadium (Parc Olymique), 1976
Plastic Model in white or gold
7.5” x 4” x 2.5” tall
Marked made in Quebec, Souvenir POP Ent

Bush Stadium, St Louis, 1970’s
Ceramic ashtray
8” in diameter x 2” tall

Yale Bowl, University Stadium, 1990’s
Lennox China numbered as Limited Edition
7” x 5.5” x 1” tall
Commemorates the “Yale Committee of Twenty-One” who built the stadium in 1914
Dodgers Stadium, 1960’s
Ceramic ashtray
8” x 7” x 1”tall
Franciscan pottery

Soldiers Field Chicago, 1970’s
14” x 8” x 4” tall
Ceramic replica with working lights
Made by City Sights, I believe it was commissioned by Marshal Fields StoreThe Ryan Center - The University of Rhode Island
Made of solid pewter
Printed on the base are: "Ryan Center" and "Gilbane" (the construction company)
1.5 inchs tall and 4.75 inches square base
Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas
Modeled after the ancient Colosseum in Rome
Versions include ahard solid plastic replica and plastic coin bank The Colosseum in Rome
Various sizes and materials