If you have been reading our recent posts, you already know that I have been busy capturing many old historic buildings in the neighborhood of Bellavista that are slowly being gobbled up by an uncontrolled appetite to build higher and higher towers. When these regal buildings are gone, at least you can see how they looked like by checking Lingua Franca. That’s what we do when we want to know how a Dodo looked like; we go to the old pictures taken by the historians of those days when these animals were alive.
Below are a couple of pictures of a stunning apartment building following the elegant architectural style of Bellavista. It was early morning—about 7:00 a.m.—so the light was just right. Photographers love to take their pictures during the first two hours or last two hours of light. Morning light is at its best from just before sunrise to about an hour afterward, while evening light is best from one hour before to just after sunset. Photographers call this soft light, “the golden light”.
This is the building with a soft touch of pink: I hope you like it.
Photograph of an apartment building following the classical Bellavista architecture. The ornamentation of this architecture style is one-of-a-kind. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
A closer view of the attractive ornamentation of the building. They don't build them like this anymore. The flavor for beauty has dried up in modern architecture. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Morning Omar!
I am loving your architectural tour of Panama City! The memories I have of ~40 years ago are of a city much different than today, I liked it better then.
A friend emailed me another side of architecture that I found strangely interesting. I’ll leave its value to your judgement:
http://www.thunderboxroad.com/votenow.html
jim and nena
fort worth, tx
Hi Jim and Nena:
I’m glad you are enjoying our pictures of Panama City. I’m preparing another series of pictures depicting Panama Seafood Market. I’m sure it will stir up your memories of Panama. I’m not sure it was built during your stay here.
When you return to Panama I encourage you and Nena to stop by and visit this interesting site beside the Panama Bay in Panama City.
Best Regards,
Omar.-
Hi Omar,
I have never made it TO the market but the photo is from the roof of where my brother-in-law lived in 2003. He passed away this past June.
http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s164/greatstuff_booster_chair/
The photo is obviously a collection of prints from one of those disposable 35 MM cameras. Today I would shoot a vid or even a panoramic view mode on some models. You can tell where the corredor sur construction was at that time.
Nena has made trips home since 2003 but I could never clear enough schedule to go. Maybe now that I’m retired if I can find someone to babysit the grands! haha
jim and nena
fort worth, tx
Hi Jim and Nena:
Sorry about the passing away of your brother-in-law. It’s a hard fact of life, no one of us will escape from.
The building with the blue roof towards the right of the picture is the Seafood Market at Avenida Balboa. This landscape picture covers a lot of ground. Very wide indeed.
If you decide to come down, please let me know. We could exchange a word or two about the “good old days.”
Enjoy the rest of the day. It’s now 4:39 p.m. in Panama City, 86° F, partly cloudy.
Bye,
Omar.-
Unfortunately the destruction of architectural history isn’t confined to Panama. It’s a world-wide phenomenon.
Hi Richard:
What a catchy song with a strong message—Paved Paradise. We are destroying our vital habitat, (e.g., forest destruction, pesticides, highway accidents, air pollution, global warming and so on.)
Thanks for the pertinent piece of music.
Regards,
Omar.-
It’s an old Joni Mitchell song titled Big Yellow Taxi from 1970. As Mitchell explained it:
“I wrote ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart… this blight on paradise. That’s when I sat down and wrote the song.”
Hi Richard:
I was a great fan of Joni Mitchell. As a matter of fact, I still have an old 33 rpm vinyl record of her somewhere in one of our closets. The name of the album is “Miles of Aisles.”
Thanks for teaching me about pop music. It’s interesting how a link to architecture has drifted us to Joni Mitchell’s music. Everything under the sun is intertwined.
Take Care,
Omar.-
Lindo edificio, es verdad. Me imagino que, el diseño original, no incluía esos hierros tan escuálidos y poco artísticos que supongo son consecuencia de un estrecho presupuesto. Yendo un poquito más allá, el conjunto me habla de mejores tiempos cuando no había crisis económica …
Gracias Omar, saludos a Aura y los sobrinos.
Hola Hilda:
Usted tiene toda la razón. Esta obra de herrería no formaba parte del edificio original. En aquellos tiempos no se necesitaba; el crimen organizado prácticamente no existía.
Hoy en día estamos encerrados como reos y los criminales libres en el exterior.
Le prometo transmitir los saludos a mi esposa y a los dos remolinos.
Saludos,
Omar.-