Last week’s contest was won by BA1959. It was the site of the Vancouver hotel (then under construction) where actor Cory Monteith was found dead.
This week’s is a random location somewhere in the world, good luck!
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Looks like a fairly typical commercial district of an older medium-sized city or possibly a fairly small town. The corner building is typical early-20th-century bank architecture (probably an upscale restaurant now) and the building with all the pillars flying the American flag could be a theater. The late-model street lamps suggest they got a federal street-improvement grant recently.
@1
I think what you’re describing as two buildings is in fact one – look at the roofline, and the shared architectural elements.
What you’re calling a possible theater is the main entrance – still could be a theater, or a hotel, perhaps – looks like Christmas decorations – green garlands perhaps, same with the balconies above the corner entrance.
Things to note:
1) Cars drive on the right side of the street. The street which bisects the picture from bottom to top is a one way street.
2) Street lights on only one side of the street.I would hazard the guess that it is the south side of the street for the one way street.
3) The building on the right side of the photo has a warehouse look to it. Are those buttresses on the front of the building on the left wing?
4) The lack of smaller cars leads me to say that this is somewhere in the US.
5) The large building on the left of the photo could be a hotel, but I think it is a concert hall of some kind. There is no cab stand in front of the hotel. This could be a side entrance to a hotel.
6) The building on the right looks like it is from the 1920’s or so, with a terra cotta facia.
7) If those are buttresses of some kind, this could be an earthquake reinforcement for something in California.
For reasons that I can’t explain, I think it is Stockton or Sacramento, CA.
@3(3) Awnings, not buttresses.
@5 Yes, they are awnings. Yes, buttresses didn’t make sense for just part of a wall, and and odd placement for them.
I think both of these buildings date from the 1920s-1930s. I was looking for a town that would have been prosperous to have two large buildings as these built back then, but then not redeveloped in the intervening years. Enough economic development to merit the building being built, but not so much to merit them being torn down.
The Driskill Hotel in Austin, TX
@6 They could be 1890 – 1910. Oops, we have a winner @7, let’s see when the Driskill Hotel was built. Wikipedia says 1886, so I was close on the architectural period.
@7 How did you ID it?
The Driskill is a very cool place. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in Austin.
@9 – I’ve been there a couple times. The first as a Braniff flight crew member on a layover in 1978 (still can’t believe that was our layover hotel!), then again in 2004 for lunch. I recognized it right away – I was just a bit late checking out this week’s challenge.
Good job! Now that I know to look for it, there’s a Texas state flag along with the US flag in front of the hotel.
@7
Good win!
I have a suspicion that I had a previous contest with a very similar looking building, possibly also in Texas. I may have to look through the archives for it.
I looked for the first time just now (I’m back from Philly), and knew it was the Driskill right away. Well, actually, I knew it was “that kewl old hotel in Austin” but not the specific name.
Saw it and briefly stepped inside when Netroots Nation was held in Austin in 2008.
Damn! I used to stay there when my Aunt’s house was full but never saw it from above.
I don’t care what anybody says, “Sharktopus” is way better than “Sharknado”.