Great old Federal Hill rowhouses in a state of decrepitude. I wonder how long these have been vacant? It would be interesting to get inside and have a look around.

My dad and I took a day trip up to Baltimore today, with our final destination being Bertha’s in Fells Point for some Mussels and music by our friend Paul Wingo, who has played guitar there every Tuesday night for around thirty years.

Spotted a lot of good signage this trip. With better weather and more daylight, we probably would have been able to photograph a lot more.

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Second semester of architecture school here at Dalhousie is drawing to a close and I’ll be back in Maryland tomorrow for some diners, some music and some good old fashioned rest and relaxation.

We were assigned a “slice” of the city of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and tasked with occupying vacant lots within the city. As Lunenburg is a UNESCO world heritage site, our designs could not copy existing architecture of the town in order to distinguish them from the historic areas.
There were six groups, each with a slice. This is our 1/16″ scale model of our section of town. Existing buildings are modeled in brown card. Proposed construction modeled in basswood. To make our urban scheme work, we did have to hypothetically “demolish” one building, but it was 20th century in a much older district and did not follow historic setbacks or design.

A 1/8″ model of our block, showing our house designs and urban scheme. Mine is on the downhill (south) side of the site, second from the right.

Study models

Perspective

Stereotomic walls have been carved into for stairs, kitchen cabinets and counters, hallway sitting areas, fireplace, cabinets.

Ground Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

Thanks To reader “El Chaba”, we now have a location and the year of the presumed demise of Tom’s Diner.

“Tom’s Diner in Easton was located on Rt 50. The diner was moved about 1982 or so and a Wendy’s restaurant was constructed on the site and still is in operation at present. The radio towers visible are part of the State Highway Adm. facility….”

I found this souvenir today. Unfortunately he’s nowhere near the size given by the proportions of the people drawn standing on the base.

Here’s a truly lousy picture I took through a schoolbus window of Paul last summer while working the American Folk festival. Truth be told, Paul looks friendlier these days.

Here are some signs, currently for sale on ebay by the current owners of the Little Tavern name, who are trying to get the chain back up and running. Great images.

From another seller, but just as amazing and rare:

Spectacular serigraph of the neon lights of the famous “Little Tavern” hamburger stand (located in Baltimore/Washington, D.C.) by well-known artist Clay Huffman (1957-2001). Huffman was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Maryland. He apprenticed at the Torpedo Factory Art Center (where he later had a studio), studied architecture at the Montgomery School of Architecture, and studied serigraphy with Marcel and Anne Laddon. Huffman combined his drafting/architectural skills with printmaking abilities to become an exceptional and highly regarded serigraph artist. His prints won numerous prizes in the 1980s and 1990s and were placed in prominent public and private collections worldwide. Specializing in depictions of unusual architectural sites, Huffman’s prints often provide images of cultural landmarks that are now extinct. Clearly influenced by the photorealists, Huffman’s prints compare favorably to the work of Robert Cottingham, Richard Estes, and Ralph Goings. Sadly, Huffman passed away at the age of 43 from complications from AIDS.

This print shows one of the famous “Little Tavern” hamburger stands, the last of which closed in 2008. A 30-color serigraph, it was produced in 1986. Entitled “Club LT all aglow,” it is numbered 52/100 and signed and dated lower right. It is in excellent condition (nicely framed), measuring 10 3/8″ x 17 1/2″ (image size).

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