Nathan's #1

 

Under Construction: Mount Rushmore

 

Under Construction: The Statue of Liberty

 

Construction Wonders: Hearst Castle Neptune Pool

 

Under Construction: The Psycho House

 

Hearst's Private Zoo

When Hearst built his castle, he wanted it to be a place where his guests would not just feel at home but would also be amazed. That's why he had Julia Morgan build a private zoo.

 

Elephants, antelope, zebras and so many more types of animals were on display on the ranch, many allowed to freely roam and graze on the hills of San Simeon. When the Hearst empire fell on hard times during the depression, Hearst downscaled the assortment, with his family donating most of the rest to zoos and preserves after his death. A herd of Zebras is still permitted to roam free, delighting tourists who stumble upon them.

Massive Construction: Hoover Dam

 

Historic Toys: Erector Sets

 

Under Construction: DISNEYLAND's Matterhorn & Submarine Voyage

 

Under Construction: Sather Tower

 

Opening Day at Marriott's Great America

 

Marriott's Great America in Santa Clara, CA had its grand opening on March 20, 1976 and opened to the general public on March 21st. Its sister park in Gurnee, IL would open a few months later. A third theme park to be located near Washington, DC was never built due to local opposition.

Under Construction: Rockefeller Center

 

Under Construction: Tokyo Disneyland

 

History Quote Weekends

 

Did You Know?

The Sears catalog used to sell actual houses- the company provided building materials and floor plans. You put it together!

 

Original/Reproduction: Carthay Circle Theatre

 

The famed Carthay Circle Theatre hosted many a preview during its heyday on the fringes of Hollywood. Alas, the original building no longer stands, but a replica of it exists thirty miles south in Anaheim at Disney California Adventure.

 

Samson Tire's Amazing Factory

How does one build a tire factory that can bring in extra money? Design it to look like an Egyptian temple and locate it down the road from Hollywood. Samson Tires did just that in 1929 in Commerce, California.

 

Now, they probably didn't intend it at the time, but the fanciful entrance became a much sought after shooting location for some of Hollywood's big bible epics. This brought some glitz and glamour down the 5 freeway to a simple tire factory.

After the factory closed down, the city of Commerce chose to redevelop the complex as a factory outlet mall, restoring and retaining the historic facade, which makes for one of the most interesting shopping malls in the world.

Groundbreaking at Universal Studios New Jersey

Before moving out west to escape Thomas Edison's patents, the first Universal Studios opened in New Jersey.

 

World Landmarks: Buckingham Palace

 

Under Construction: Tower Bridge

 

Under Construction: Alcatraz

 

Under Construction: it's a small world

 

Did You Know?

It is always hard to preserve World's Fair buildings because they are typically built to be temporary. A cheap building material called "staff" was often used to produce cheap ornamentation to make the temporary buildings look ornate.

 

Preservation societies often have to rebuild the structures they wish to preserve because the buildings will often deteriorate into rubble under even regular usage.

Under Construction: Transamerica Pyramid

 

Did You Know?

Before it was considered to be a children's candy, Pez Candies were intended to help people stop smoking. They sold better as candy.

 

1964 New York World's Fair

 

History Quote Weekends

 

History Quote Weekends

 

Under Reconstruction: Palace of Fine Arts

 

Adventure is Everywhere...

 

Look to the Future!