20CDesign.com Architectural Elements

Architectural modern gates from a government installation. Set consist of 14 panels. Meticulously constructed from solid bar brushed aluminum stock with in...

Exceptional large-scale architectural screen designed for the Mineola Federal Saving & Loan Association building in Mineola, Texas, circa 1963–1964. Created as an integral component of the building's original Mid-Century Modern interior, the screen was installed floor-to-ceiling adjacent to the main entrance, where it functioned simultaneously as an architectural divider and decorative sculptural element. Period documentation identifies Carl A. Gregory as the architect of the building, with Lollar & Lollar serving as general contractor. An original photograph of the interior documents the screen in situ, providing unusually strong provenance for a surviving piece of custom mid-century commercial architecture. The composition consists of a tall, slender gold-tone anodized aluminum framework populated by repeating solid walnut elements with a distinctive hourglass or "bowtie" profile. Arranged in a disciplined geometric grid, the sculptural walnut forms project from the framework and create changing patterns of light, shadow and negative space as the screen is viewed from different angles. The combination of warm walnut and gold anodized aluminum is quintessentially 1960s, while the repetition and dimensionality of the individual elements give the work a distinctly architectural character. Removed from its original setting, the screen reads as much as a large-scale abstract sculpture as it does a functional interior element. The screen remains in excellent original condition. Although originally installed vertically from floor to ceiling, its strong geometric composition lends itself to a variety of contemporary applications. It could be suspended as an architectural room divider, installed against a wall as monumental sculpture, or potentially mounted horizontally to create a dramatic architectural feature or oversized...