Wednesday, April 24, 2013

More From Willie's Book

I've spent some time pouring over "Wellie's Book" and have found some very interesting things.  One thing which caught my eye was a front elevation and floor plan of a cottage like building.  It looked familiar to me; the central dormer and window above the door, the symmetry of the fenestration and general layout.  What was most baffling was the floor plan; I understood the "K" letter designation to mean kitchen but why was it at the front of the house.  Then there was the matter of the large room on the back of the building with lines dividing the room, was it some sort of squash court?   
Another look at both the elevation and the floor plan and it came to me; this was the Kewaunee county jail. The large room at the back was the cell block, not a court for some frantic indoor sport.  Absent was the hip roof replaced by a simple gable roof and there was no balcony above the front entrance but these were clearly preliminary drawings for the jail. 
It gives an insight to the design process, what was appealing and what was not.  The feeling of a home like building was maintained from the the first sketches through to the actual building.  I will post more from "Willie's Book" in the future.

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