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| Sunday, 9 October 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Most famous royal house in the world The Buckingham Palace in London, England needs no introduction. It is the most famous royal house in the world and a major tourist attraction.
The first house on this site was known as Goring House and was built by Lord Goring in 1633.The building originally known as Buckingham Palace was built in 1703 as a townhouse, for the Duke of Buckingham and Normandy. It was sold in 1762 by Sir Charles Sheffield to King George III for 28,000 sterling pounds, to be used as a private residence. The then royal residence was St. James' Palace. Over the next 75 years, the building was enlarged by architects Edward Blore and John Nash. George IV decided to upgrade the palace to a royal residence. He died in 1830, while work was in progress, and the project was completed by William IV at a cost of 719,000 pounds. However, he continued to live at Clarence House, keeping Buckingham Palace for functions. It became the official royal palace of the British monarch only in 1837 with the accession to the throne of Queen Victoria. Modifications were carried out after 1838, when the Queen married Prince Albert. The palace was deemed to contain many problems. These were rectified(solved) around 1840 in which year the large wing and the palace facing the wall, which is now generally known as the 'face' of the Buckingham Palace, were built. The additional features include the balcony from which the Royal Family acknowledges the public gathered outside the palace, and the ballrooms. After Prince Albert died in 1862, the Queen left and the Buckingham Palace was largely neglected. The accession of Edward VII in 1901 breathed new life to the palace, making it the hallmark(distinctive feature) of the British empire and the seat of entertainment for royalty. The last major work at the palace was carried out in 1913 by George V, who succeeded Edward VII in 1911. He was responsible for the east wing, the backdrop to the Victoria Memorial, a statue placed outside the main gate of the palace. Buckingham Palace remained unharmed during World War I, when the Royal Family continued to live there, although valuables were removed to other places. However, it received damages during World War II and even the chapel was destroyed in 1940. The palace now has 19 state rooms, 53 principal bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. The northwest pavilion was converted into a swimming pool in 1938.The sprawling(spreading across a large area) gardens of the palace are some of the largest private gardens in London. The aura (atmosphere) of the palace owes much to the grounds spanning across 40 acres and comprising many lawns and lakes. One of the traditions associated with the palace is the Changing of the Guards. This event takes place at 11.30am every day to the accompaniment of the guards' band, and thousands of people mostly foreign tourists gather outside the palace gates to witness the spectacle. The museum with wings What is this strange building that looks like a bird? It is the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM), located on the bank of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, United States; to be more exact, the new and modern section of the building referred to as the Quadracci Pavilion.
The moveable, wing-like structure is known as Burke Brise Soleil and is a sunscreen that can be raised and lowered. This unique moving sculpture has made the building a must-see destination. It rests on top of the museum and is its signature element. The fin sizes vary between 26 and 105 feet and the wingspan is over 217 feet at the widest point. The 90 tonne wings open and close when the museum opens and closes everyday, and also at noon, to entertain visitors. The museum has a collection which includes over 20,000 works by old masters as well as work produced during the 19th and 20th centuries. The MAM has its origins in the Layton Art Gallery established in 1888 and the Milwaukee Art Institute founded in the early 1900s. The two institutions joined forces in 1957 to form the private, non-profit organisation, Milwaukee Art Centre. The same year, it moved to its current lake-front location. The name-change came into effect in 1980, after which, it came to be known as the Milwaukee Art Museum. It was fully accredited by the American Association of Museums in 1983. By the 1990s it had amassed(accumulated) a huge collection of art and the number of annual visitors had gone upto 200,000. This made more space necessary, prompting the exciting yet functional building that was designed "to set architectural standards for the new millennium". Construction work, which started on December 10, 1997, was completed by October 2001. The Pavilion was designed by the renowned Spanish-born architect Santiago Calatrava. It comprises new exhibition galleries, larger museum stores and auditoriums along with a completely renovated and reinstalled permanent collections gallery. It also comprises the Windhover Hall, the 280 feet long Reiman Pedestrian Bridge and Cudahy Gardens. It is said that 20,000 cubic yards of concrete weighing 81 million pounds was used to construct this section and if formed into a one square foot column, it would reach 102 miles into the sky. The lowest floor of the building is located 13 feet below the level that Lake Michigan is expected to reach in a 100 years. If not for the 81 million pound weight of the concrete, it is believed that the 48 million pound pressure effected by the water will make the building float away, if the water level gets high. |
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The Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British
monarch and the largest "working" royal palace in the world. It is now
home to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and the London residence for
the Duke of York and the Earl and Countess of Wessex. It is also the venue
for various events and the base for official visits by numerous heads of
state. The Royal Family occupies the north wing and the Royal Standard is
flown when the Queen is in residence. 
The new wing was unveiled on May 4, 2001. The expansion and renovation
of the building has been carried out combining art, dramatic architecture
and landscape designing. The 142,050 square foot Quadracci Pavilion
features a 90 feet high glass-walled reception hall enclosed by the
building's most outstanding feature, its 'wings'. 
