I accompanied my wife to campus and then to her new office in the Rotunda. The lights were off inside the domed space, so you’ll still have to wait for that, but as always I found some beauty before, during, and after the trip.
My wife’s office happens to be situated right within the colonnade of the façade, so I was able to get two fine shots of the columns (figures 1, 2). The capitals are much more detailed and beautiful than I had expected from seeing them from afar (figure 1).
The Rotunda’s columns are not monolithic, of course, and appear to be assembled of half drums for ease of transport. I was struck by the visible grain in the stone right outside my wife’s window (figure 2).
I exited the Rotunda through a back door and was treated to a view of the inner workings of Regina Hall (figure 3). I was pleased enough with the combination of colors, textures, and shapes, but most of all I love, love, love the buff brick in the little ‘cortile’ inside the building and especially where it interlocks with the red brick of the exterior.
Lastly I spotted this sullen little mushroom in the green space between the Marywood Veterans’ Resource Center and Seminary Street. No wonder it’s so sullen: look at those scars!
