Piece description from the artist
Charnley-Persky House | Gold Coast | Chicago
Built in 1893 for lumberman James Charnley, this collaboration between one of America's powerhouse architects of the Gilded Age (Louis Sullivan) and his draftsman (Frank Lloyd Wright) remains one of the earliest, and finest, examples of modern American architecture. The unique blend of Sullivan's classical floral flourishes and Wright's forward thinking straight lines combine the most unique contrast between interior and exterior luxury.
The Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago was originally named the Astor Street District and emerged out of the shadows of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Potter Palmer, a major influencer of the elite and one of the wealthiest businessmen in the city, was the first to leave behind the ashes surrounding the Prairie Avenue District and create a desirable plot of land in swampland at the northern edge of the city. The wealthiest of Chicago followed suit and quickly developed the area into one of the most desirable addresses in America. The Gold Coast was the second wealthiest neighborhood in the United States behind Manhattan's Upper East Side until the 1990's. It is currently the seventh wealthiest neighborhood in the country and boasts iconic wealth symbols such as the original Playboy Mansion, The Drake Hotel, Astor Street Row Houses, gaslight street lamps, designer boutiques, and iconic homes and landscapes from some of the country's top architects.
Ashland grew up in Southeast Virginia surrounded by lush rural landscapes, great protected swamp lands, national & state parks, the Chesapeake Bay, the Eastern Shore, the breathtaking Skyline Drive & Blue Ridge Mountains, and the inlets & oceans of Virginia & North Carolina.
It was this constant variation in natural beauty that first drew his eye to the camera; that, and the constant joy of capturing life's candid moments on film. Although no particular subject is banned from the lens of Ashland's camera, it is landscapes, cityscapes, wildlife, and nature that truly captures his heart.
"There's always more to see, more to learn, more to be wowed about-I just hope you enjoy what I see in the world."
A constant staple on the likes of Instagram, Flickr, and Facebook, Ashland currently resides in Chicago, Illinois, and looks forward to many more years of development, collaboration, creativity, world travel, and art.
www.ashlandthomas.com
www.facebook.com/ashlandthomasphotography
www.instagram.com/ashlandgram
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