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Gulf Building | Monday Dec 08, 2008

This Week: The Gulf Building

Over Thanksgiving vacation I attended the Texas state landmark dedication ceremony for the Gulf Building (now JPMorgan Chase Building). This is one of my favorite buildings in downtown Houston. The building was commissioned by Houston tycoon Jesse H. Jones and opened in 1929. It remained the tallest building in Houston until the early 1960s. The building had an expensive restoration in the late 1980s and is a beautiful structure inside and out as you will see this week.

Tags: architecture building downtown

Galleries: Architecture

Camera Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Aperture: F8
Exposure Time: 1/250 sec
Focal Length: 17.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure Bias: 0
Shooting Mode: Normal program
Flash: Flash did not fire, auto
Metering Mode: Multi-segment

Comments:

Great shot. I like the tilt, it emphasizes the size of the building, nice composition!

Posted by Phil on December 08, 2008 at 11:25 AM CST #

I like the perspective ! Cool shot !

Posted by groenkemarquez on December 08, 2008 at 05:38 PM CST #

I once tried to get a photo of the entrance to the building off main, but got stopped before I had a chance to click the shutter by the metro cops (I had chosen to set up my tripod between the tracks on what appeared to be a perfect little landing). It wasn't, and I was told that I was breaking all sorts of laws and had to move. The guy wouldn't even let me click the shutter (I was shooting large format, and had just loaded the film) :(

Posted by klevevz on December 09, 2008 at 11:01 AM CST #

This is one of those surprise photos for me. I took it, but not until I was at home processing it did I really fall in love with it. I'm glad others like it too.

Klevevz, shooting downtown is tricky. I have learned that the metro rail platforms are technically considered private property so they are free to tell you that you aren't allowed to take photos there. The sidewalks are public property so they can't stop you there, although I have heard many stories of people who HAVE been stopped by security guards and police officers. Photographers have to be vigilant to protect our rights.

Posted by laanba on December 13, 2008 at 11:13 AM CST #