LUBRIFICAÇÃO ESPECIALIZADA

Garagem Passos Manuel, Porto  (1937 - Architect Mário Abreu). This is the 200th post!

TRIUMPH OF THE BAROQUE

This is the bigger sister of the previously posted fountain in Guarda. And how much bigger! This fantastical concoction of mythological beings dominates the top of a hill overlooking the city. The architecture seems practically pulverized in mermaids's tails, wavy capitals and tentacle-scrolls, but nonetheless there is a strong design structure underneath. As mentioned this was part of an estate which disappeared long ago and then was integrated into a monotonous fascist piazza/garden.

FOUNTAIN

This baroque fountain is in Guarda. It was moved here from an estate in nearby Vela. The estate is long gone, but this and its bigger sister fountain (to be published here soon) make formidable souvenirs. The setting is a stark fascist/protomodern park without any grace nor much beauty, but it places the wonderful objects in the limelight.

FOUNTAIN

Fountain, Sintra

FAUCETS

Faucet types in the historical chemical laboratory of the "Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa"

NEGRO DO FUMO

Laboratorio Chimico, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa

STONE PAVING DESIGN

Anfitheater of "Laboratorio Chimico", Lisbon

MÃE D'ÁGUA

The main cornice at the Mãe d'Água in Lisbon. This was one of the main water reservoirs in town, terminating the huge aqueduct of Águas Livres. The simple detailing reveals the utilitarian nature of the building, its refinement the elegance of ages past. Under Lisbon's harsh light, the moldings become bold, shadows deep and planes of light disappear into the texture of the limestone.

THE DOORWAY OF THE TOWN HALL

Braga. Although Braga doesn't have a Baroque urban layout like the Sicilian Southeastern towns, its center is a crazy amalgamation of the wildest 18th century designs and, like the Noto Valley, all keeping reasonably within the same language. The Town Hall has the largest scaled volutes around a door ever, inverted and massive. Diagonally placed in plan to welcome the visitor as if with open arms, a scheme widely used throughout the Baroque. The whole composition right up to the complex pediment is an essay on absurdity and plays of scale and distortion. But Trystan Edwards would approve - everything is tightly tied together.

BAHAMAS? NO, MARINHA GRANDE

The British Industrialist William Stephens established himself around Lisbon during the 18th century. He became known for producing glass, and brought to Marinha Grande, near Leiria, foreign skilled labor to work in his factory. He must have also brought an architect or two, as everything built is in the British Palladian style. The architectural compound encompasses his own house, offices and factory. As in the Bahamas across the ocean, the severity of the architecture is made smoother, infused with the local colors and vernacular details. It is sadly semi-abandoned, waiting for funding to turn it into a museum like so many projects in the country today, but the exterior is still charming and surprising.

THE BRITISH FACTORY, PORTO

The British Factory in Porto, Portugal, has a long history which can be researched anywhere online. What matters to us here is that it is a beautiful surviving example of British Palladianism in Portugal, brought about by a centuries-old trade agreement and the Port wine business between the two countries. It has jib windows, a cantilevered stone staircase, numerous examples of Georgian furniture (most built in Portugal after English examples) and of course the perfectly proportioned facades, of which a great model exists inside.
We are visiting this building in two days - Wednesday the 28th. There are no more vacancies, unfortunately, but shoot us an email and we'll let you know when the next tour comes up!