Get a jump on it.

The National Transit Building was built in 1890 by John D. Rockefeller and housed the financial, commercial and transportation dealings of the Standard Oil Co.  It is a four story building with an annex building built six years later.  The buildings are connected by a bridge  on the second floor that passes over the alleyway between the buildings.

Invariably when people visit the building, the one thing they all say is "How beautiful a building it is."  The architecture of the building is amazing even though it is old and in need of some TLC.  Everyone notices and comments on it.

So..... as I've been saying for quite awhile, I've designed some jewelry based on the architecture of the Transit Building.  (Finally got off my butt and got it moving.)  So far I've created four designs that are pretty much literally based on a piece of architecture somewhere in the two buildings.  I do plan on doing more but this is just a start.

On Saturday, at the Friends of the Transit Event in the Graffiti Gallery I will be demonstrating how to make a PPP plate and how to work with bronze clay.  After the demo I'll be giving away a piece of jewelry from my Transit Series.

In order to be eligible for the drawing, the designs need to be identified as to where they are located in the buildings.  (It should be easy, since the first designs are pretty literal.)  Be specific as to where the designs are located.  There will be forms in my studio for the scavenger hunt and some at the event which starts at five.

If you are coming to the event, or are going to be in the area this is your chance to get a jump (and more time to look) on the game.  Winner need not be present.

Here are the designs, but the official forms must be picked up at my studio or at Saturday night's event.
Good Luck!

All jewelry will be available on my Etsy site (once I get decent photos.)

(I plan on doing other jewelry series and conducting more games.  These will be online search games.)  Stay tuned....... although it may be awhile. 

"No Women Allowed"

As mentioned in an earlier post (August 16th to be exact) I finally started working on my National Transit Jewelry series.  Some of it will be very traditional and some of it will be a contemporary variation.  I plan on doing limited editions of each piece although I haven't decided the exact number yet.

Most of the pieces will be totally based on the architectural details of the building. But, even though the pieces are based on purely the visual aspects of the building the history of the building itself is interesting.  Right now I'm reading  The History of the Standard Oil Company by Ida M Tarbell to get more of a feel for what transpired in the area and in the building as it related to the oil industry.  

The concept of time travel fascinates me and I would love to be able to go back and observe the Transit Building in it's hey day.  I would have to go back as a man though, since the Transit Building was a men only building!

Here's a few photos of the National Transit Building where my studio is located.

This spiral fire escape is outside my window (The one that I can't get open..... hope I never need it!)

The steam elevator is not working anymore but when it did it went to Rockefeller's penthouse on the 4th floor.  I've been told that there are only two of these elevators in the world and that the other one is in the Eiffel Tower.  (It's loaded with lots of design possibilities.)

This is the (it takes two hands to open it) vault located inside my studio.  I'm not sure how many there are in the entire building but this one is part of a block of four.