NZ Visual Diary - entry 374
Vulcan Buildings profile - intimations of urban park
Erected in 1928 at the corner of Vulcan Lane and Queen Street in the centre of Auckland’s commercial district, the Vulcan Buildings is one of the district’s most distinctive blocks.
I have photographed the block from different angles in two previous posts [entry 125 and entry 216]. It is one of my favourite commercial buildings of historical vintage in Auckland.
Today’s photograph depicts the view of the Vulcan Buildings from the corner of Vulcan Lane and Queen Street, an angle that features a corner turret of stacked oriel windows and the lovely curve of an ornate balcony with handsomely decorative balustrade and other architectural ornamentations. Given the space limitations from my vantage point, I could not capture (with my camera of fixed 43mm lens) the roof-top cupola.
My stylised photograph pays homage to the visual feel common amongst the photographs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, notably Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz within a pantheon of great European and American photographers. It seemed to me the proper presentation for a photographic nod of unbounded appreciation to a noble architectural edifice of the early 20th century.
Also, as I have stated numerous times across many posts, I so enjoy the interplay of mature street-side trees and buildings in urban centres. The trees whisper to remind us that the district is as much the intimation of urban park as it is flashy commercial precinct. That is the proper organic tension in urban centres.
Furthermore, in promotion of an urban park sensibility, the lower stretch of Queen Street has benefited from a recently completed project that extends the width of the sidewalk along the eastern side of the thoroughfare. The sidewalk widening works reduced by half car traffic from a total of four lanes to a single lane each of north and southbound travel.
The project begins the transformation of Queen Street into a pedestrian-first leafy boulevard rather than primarily a busy car-laden commercial thoroughfare. There are some, I amongst them, who would love to see lower Queen Street converted into a car-free zone of pedestrian-only travel, perhaps with early morning accommodation for commercial deliveries. The stuff of dreams and campaigning.