Historic Building

The  Ancient Spanish Monastery, officially St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church, was originally built in the Spanish town of Sacramenia in Segovia in the 12th century and named Santa María la Real. It was closed some time between 1836 and 1840 during the reign of Isabella II of Spain and as a result of the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal. William Randolph Hearst purchased the structure in 1925 and was subsequently dismantled and shipped to the United States. However, as a result of an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease in Segovia, the 11,000 crates containing the historic monastery building were quarantined in New York. Though he planned to relocate it to his Hearst Castle in San Simeon, because of Hearst’s financial difficulties, the building remained in storage in New York. Raymond Moss and William Edgemon purchased the building in 1952, a year after Hearst died. The building was re-assembled on a plant nursery north of Miami.

Beauly Priory, in the Beauly village of the Highland area, was a Valliscaulian monastic community that was probably founded in 1230. The monastery’s founder is unknown for certain, as different sources give different names, such as Alexander II of Scotland, John Byset, or both. The French monks and Bisset, a nearby landowner, had a strong French-speaking presence, hence the name of the location and the river: “beau lieu” (“beautiful place”), which later passed into English. The priory’s ruins, protected as a scheduled monument, are one of the top attractions in Inverness.

The Bullock Hotel is a historic landmark located at the corner of Wall Street and Main Street in Deadwood, South Dakota. It was built by Seth Bullock and his business partner Sol Star around 1895 for $40,000. The hotel is the oldest in Deadwood and has 28 of its original 63 rooms and a casino and restaurant. Seth Bullock began construction on the hotel shortly after the devastating Deadwood fire of 1894, which destroyed the original two-story wood-frame building. The hotel was designed in an “Italianate” and Victorian style, with the first floor featuring a grand hotel lobby, a large dining room, and several offices. The second and third stories held 63 luxury sleeping rooms with baths down the halls and two large banks of skylights for natural lighting. All rooms were furnished with iron and brass beds and oak furnishings.

Cardiff Castle is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion in the center of Cardiff, Wales. Norman invaders built the original motte and bailey castle in the late 11th century on top of a 3rd-century Roman fort. During the mid-18th century, ownership of Cardiff Castle passed to the Stuart dynasty, specifically the Marquesses of Bute. John, 1st Marquess of Bute, employed Capability Brown and Henry Holland to redo the main range, turning it into a Georgian mansion. In addition to that, the castle grounds were landscaped, and numerous older medieval buildings and walls were demolished.

Circus Maximus, which means the largest circus in Latin, was once home to chariot races during Roman times. The stadium, located between the Aventine and Palatine hills, could hold more than 150,000 spectators and was a model for circuses across the Roman Empire. It is today a public park.

The Clermont Citrus Tower first opened to visitors in 1956. It took 13 months, roughly $300,000, five million pounds of concrete and 149,000 pounds of reinforced steel to build the tower. Counting its antenna, the tower reaches over 500 feet above sea level, making it the highest observation point in the Sunshine State. At one point, more than 500,000 people visited the tower every year. However, the 1964 extension of the Florida Turnpike provided a waste route for motorists and the tower’s popular among travelers began to wane. Then, that roadside oddity called Walt Disney World opened. The rest, as they say, is history.

Concord Woolen Mills dates to 1847 when Robert Daniell and Martin Ruff opened the mill. The mill was destroyed on July 4, 1864, by Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s troops. The two men rebuilt the mill, which reopened in 1868. By 1870, the mill had 16 workers, making it the largest employer in the area. The two men sold the mill in 1872. The mill went out of business in 1916, and the ruins are located along what is today the Heritage Park Trail and Silver Comet Trail.

The Crime and Punishment Museum in Ashbury, Ga., opened in August 2003 in a bucolic community of about 4,100 located along Interstate 75. The building — known to many as “Castle Turner” — served as the county jail from about 1907 until 1993. Miles Cribb was the only inmate hanged inside the jail. Today, visitors to the museum can see the trap door that dropped, sending the condemned Cribb to his death. They can also gaze upon the blood-stained collar he was wearing at the time he was executed and see a replica of an electric chair, affectionately nicknamed “Old Sparky.”

The Empire State Building is arguably the most iconic representation of Gotham City. The 102-story-tall skyscraper was built in 1930-31 and opened on May 1, 1931. It was the tallest man-made structure in the world until 1954 and today is the second-tallest skyscraper in New York and the fifth-tallest completed in the country. The view from the observation deck is awesome, to say the least.

Fenway Park is a historic baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball and is known for its unique features, such as the Green Monster, a 37-foot tall left-field wall. Fenway Park opened in 1912 and has hosted countless iconic moments in baseball history.

The historic Fraunces Tavern played a prominent role before, during and after the American Revolution. The edifice was a headquarters for George Washington, a venue for peace negotiations with the British and housed federal offices during the early days of the republic. Downstairs is a tavern, and a museum is located upstairs. Exhibits include a lock of hair and a tooth from George Washington.

The Grapevine Calaboose, which derived its name from “calabozo,” the Spanish word for dungeon, was built as the town’s first jail in 1914. The Grapevine City Council authorized its construction in 1909. It was originally located elsewhere in town (on Barton Street) and moved to Heritage Park in 1976 and its current location in 1994. The jail apparently house associates of the Barrow Gang. It remained in use until the early 1950s.

Hearst named his mansion La Cuesta Enchantada (or The Enchanted Hill), but it is commonly referred to as Hearst Castle. The Casa Grande that stands atop the hillside, the symbol of the mansion, features two towers were inspired by the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Mayor in Ronda, Spain. The Castle is filled with Hearst’s collection of treasures from around the world, ranging from medieval tapestries to Renaissance furniture to 19th century sculptures. But, perhaps the most intriguing element of the mansion is Neptune Pool , which features the façade of an ancient Roman temple as its centerpiece.

The historic Montgomery County Courthouse in downtown Clarksville, Tennessee, dates to after the city’s great fire of 1878. Depending on the source, it is either the county’s fourth or sixth courthouse. It was built in 1878-79 to replace an edifice destroyed in the fire, which destroyed much of the city. The “new” courthouse was damaged several times, including during a 1900 fire and a 1999 tornado. Following the tornado, court operations moved to a temporary location on Legion Street (now Strawberry Alley) before moving into its current location. Today, the historic courthouse houses county government offices.

John Neely Bryan wore many hats. He was a Presbyterian farmer, lawyer and a tradesman. Perhaps more importantly, he founded Dallas, Texas. In 1841, he built a small log building. A reconstructed model of the edifice was later erected in Dallas County Historical Plaza in downtown Dallas.

Today, the “L&N Depot” is a centerpiece of the Clarksville, Tennessee, community and a popular gathering place for the community. It is also a gateway to the city’s railroad history. Long before the city purchased the historic structure, the railroad building served as the gateway to the community. The depot’s history harkens back to the earliest days of railroading in the community — and the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad.

New Zealand Parliament is comprised of a series of buildings, including the recognizable Beehive. The complex also includes the Edwardian neoclassical-style Parliament House, which dates to 1922. For anyone interested in learning more about the New Zealand Parliament, visitors can take a tour of the complex. Tour guides offer a history of the legislative body and bring visitors to committee rooms and the floor of parliament.

Old Sarum is an abandoned hill fort dating that was likely established in 400 BC. The Romans later used the site and created the town of Sorviodunum. A trio of Roman roads converged near the site, making it an essential strategic location. Following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the city was expanded, but it was largely abandoned in the 13th century. The bishop of Salisbury, Osmund de Sees, completed a small cathedral at the site in 1092. Little is left of the city, as much of the original construction in Old Sarum was demolished after Henry VIII sold the rights to the castle’s remains in 1514.

Palazzo Vecchio, which translates to Old Palace, is Florence’s town hall. The historic edifice is adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria and a copy of Michelangelo’s famed David statue; the Galleria dell’Accademia houses the original. It also overlooks the Loggia dei Lanzi, effectively an outdoor art gallery. Visitors who hike to the top of the Palazzo Vecchio’s bell tower are rewarded with stunning views of the city.

The Royal Albert Hall is a renowned concert hall in northern South Kensington, London. It is considered one of the UK’s most precious and recognizable buildings. The hall is managed by a registered charity that doesn’t receive government funding and is held in trust for the nation. It has a seating capacity of 5,272 people.

Thomas Ryman was a riverboat captain when he went to see popular revivalist Samuel Porter Jones address a crowd in Nashville. With plans to heckle Jones, Ryman instead emerged a changed man and decided to build a tabernacle where Jones could speak to large crowds. In the ensuing years, dozens of famed musicians, politicians and performers have appeared on the auditorium’s stage – from President Teddy Roosevelt to Harry Houdini to Charlie Chaplin. But, the “Mother Church of Country Music” is perhaps best known for its three-decade run as the host of the Grand Ole Opry. While the auditorium – located in the heart of downtown Nashville – eventually fell into a state of disrepair, this National Historic Landmark has been revitalized and transformed into one of the most famous music venues. The Ryman still regularly hosts concerts and is open during the day as a museum.

The Spanish Steps or Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti in Italian links Piazza di Spagna and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, which is home to the church of the Santissima Trinità dei Monti or Trinità dei Monti. Francesco de Sanctis designed the staircase, which was completed in 1725.

The Tennessee State Capitol, home of the Tennessee legislature and the governor’s office, is a National Historic Landmark. Designed by architect William Strickland, it is one of Nashville’s most prominent examples of Greek Revival architecture. It is one of only twelve state capitols (along with those of Alaska, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, and Virginia) that does not have a dome.

Andrew Jackson built the original Hermitage in 1804, more than a decade before the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 and more than 20 years before he was elected the nation’s seventh president. The current mansion was built between 1819 and 1821 and later underwent major renovations in 1831 and after an 1834 fire heavily damaged much of the house. The current Greek revival look of the house dates to 1835. Jackson — nicknamed “Old Hickory” — retired from public life in 1837, and he lived in The Hermitage until his death in 1845. Jackson and his wife, Rachel, who preceded him in death, are buried on the grounds.

The Pace House in Vinings, Georgia, dates to after the Civil War. Before the war, Hardy Pace, operator of Pace’s Ferry, built his home in what was then called Vining’s Station. Federal troops, pursuing Confederate forces as they abandoned Smyrna, occupied Vining’s Station from July 5-17, 1864. Union Gen. William T. Sherman used Pace’s house as his headquarters and planned the siege of Atlanta. After federal troops left Vinings, the house served as a hospital for wounded soldiers during the Atlanta fighting, but because it was infected with disease, it was burned to the ground. Following the Civil War, Solomon Pace, Hardy Pace’s son, returned to find the homestead in ruins. Sometime between 1865 and 1874, he built a new home here, using whatever could be salvaged.

The Tower of London is perhaps the single most famous London landmark, best known for its history as a jail. Today, the tower, which dates to 1078, is one of London’s most popular tourist attractions and is home to the Crown Jewels. The tower, which sits on the north bank of the River Thames, has been besieged at various times and controlling the edifice has been critical to control of England. Its peak use as a prison was the 16th and 17th centuries. Among the many prominent people “sent to the Tower” are Anne Boleyn, Sir Walter Raleigh and Elizabeth Throckmorton.

Urquhart Castle, located on a headland overlooking Loch Ness 13 miles southwest of Inverness, is home to ruins that date back to the 13th to the 16th centuries. It was built on an early medieval fortification site and was critical in the Wars of Scottish Independence during the 14th century. Throughout history, it was raided on several occasions by the MacDonald Earls of Ross and was subsequently granted to the Clan Grant in 1509. Despite additional raids, the castle was strengthened, only to be mostly abandoned by the middle of the 17th century. In the 20th century, it became a scheduled monument placed in state care and opened to the public. Today, Urquhart Castle is one of the largest castles in Scotland and one of the country’s most-visited historical sites.

Wellington railway station is the main railway station serving Wellington, New Zealand, and is the southern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk, Wairarapa Line and Johnsonville Line. The station opened in June 1937, replacing the previous Wellington termini, Lambton and Thorndon.

Wrigley Field is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of two Major League Baseball franchises in the Windy City. The stadium opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman’s Chicago Whales of the Federal League. The team folded after the 1915 season.