Sunday Stills - Architecture

From old canneries and bridges, to historic downtown buildings and beautiful Victorian and craftsman style homes, Astoria is full of wonderful architecture dating from a by-gone era. I had a fantastic time shooting pictures for this weeks Sunday Stills Challenge. Here are a handful of the fabulous architecture in my town. I hope you enjoy your visit as well as I enjoyed capturing part of it for you.


The Clatsop County Courthouse and our post office across the street are beautiful old buildings, but I didn't seem to get a decent shot. The courthouse sits up high with a big concrete staircase leading to the large front double doors. Inside, it is lined with black, gray and white marble. Marble floors and marble pillars contrast against beautiful turned wood staircase banisters. Buildings just are not made like this anymore and here in Astoria we are very lucky to have quite a few of the grand old buildings left and open for our enjoyment. (I guess there are people who wouldn't say that the courthouse gives them enjoyment. Depends on what you're there for, I suppose!)



If I have my facts straight, than this old building was once the Workers Union hotel, with contrasting cheap rooms available to the working class and a grand lobby and ballroom. A couple of local guys, a contractor and a developer, have recently purchased this run-down remnant of our historic past and have plans to reinvent the splendor of the past, complete with cheap but classic rooms to rent. These guys do beautiful work, so I can't wait to see what they do with this jewel. Don't you just love the spikes on the top of the building? I wonder what that symbolized...



The Flavel House is a gorgeous old Victorian that is open to the public as a museum. Captain Flavel was a bar pilot here in Astoria, helping ships navigate the treacherous waters of the Columbia River bar. He had this house built for his family, where his two daughters lived after his death for many many years. It's a grand, beautiful house, full of the echoes of the past.


I just had to throw this one in. Some of you may recognize this old jail from "The Goonies". It's not a working jail any longer, just used for storage I believe and I hate that the darn old garbage dumpster is sitting right there, but the building itself is old and fun. It's right across the street from the Flavel House.

Come on and visit Astoria. There's so much to see...