Empty Tabernacle Tour of Lower Manhattan

There are many different devotions for the Triduum that take you on a mini-pilgrimage. Some people walk the Stations of the Cross through neighborhood streets. Others spend Holy Thursday night driving around to visit the Eucharist at seven different churches before midnight.

The Southern Baron has introduced me to the New Orleans Good Friday Nine Church Walk custom. If you start early and have a plan you can visit nine empty tabernacles before the 3pm liturgy. Luckily the NYC skyline is crammed with church steeples, so we have plenty of nearby opportunities to make it happen.

This Holy Week we're planning a route through the Upper East Side. Last year we started near Battery Park and worked our way up to Midtown West, traveling from the early days of the American Church to the site of some recent archdiocesan controversy. Besides being an interesting walking tour (who knew there were zero churches in TriBeCa?), it was a beautiful experience of the universality of the Church. Witnessing the once-a-year bare emptiness of parishes is always a favorite of mine too.

You can see the entire itinerary after the jump! No selfie sticks were used or harmed in the making of this field trip.

Church Architecture: Balancing Tradition and Modernity

There has been some fascinating coverage lately of new cathedral plans and the modern design elements in them. First, the New Liturgical Movement discussed re-wreckovating the Cathedral of Berlin. The church was damaged in WWII and its mistreatment appears to have continued. A mid-century renovation decided to unite the upper church and crypt via a pillar and gaping hole, for some reason. The irony of managing to displease traditionalists by adding more railings is an impressive achievement.

St. Hedwig Cathedral's current open pit state. 

Fortunately the cathedral wants to shed this logistically bizarre floor plan. Unfortunately, the new design chooses to downplay the building's heritage and go as modernist as possible. The church's cylindrical shape will take precedence, with simple chairs and a minimalist altar playing an understated supporting role.

Rendering of the proposed St. Hedwig redesign.
Trash bins for your Burger King wrappers are located on the perimeter.

The parish near my college had a very similar design. It wasn't terrible; the building was bright, airy, and impressive. The altar was indeed the focal point. But it also felt cold and cavernous sitting under so. much. white. My guy friends called it "The Mothership." I couldn't help comparing it to these highway rest areas on the Ohio Turnpike, which at least jazz up their floors with contrasting tile colors.

"Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, don't fail me now!"

So yeah, based on my own liturgical experience this is not my favorite scheme. I'm confused by some of the Berlin plan's catchy descriptions. "The floor remains a visible and palpable constitutive, fundamental element of the architecture" How? Because it's there? Sure it's ubiquitous and essential, but so is the cement in your garage. "Unlike in rigid rows, one can look around the circle of the gathered community in which one feels secure." Yes, that's exactly why I love making eye contact with the people across my subway car. It makes me feel so secure!

This isn't to say that church decorative styles can't progress past the 19th century, though. Fr. Dwight Longenecker recently wrote a very nuanced view of modern design in his assessment of the plans for California's Christ Cathedral. He pointed out that "the problem with traditional churches is that they can sometimes be no more than copies of earlier churches." Modern churches often deny continuity with the past, but that doesn't mean we can never leave the past, either. I especially liked his hypothesis that medieval Gothic architects would have gladly used steel beams if that material had been available to them. Praising the clean lines of Christ Cathedral's floating sanctuary canopy, he notes that it would certainly "be wrong to plonk down a baroque altarpiece or a gothic pulpit" in such a modern space.

Rendering of Christ Cathedral sanctuary.

This mis-matching of styles is sometimes an occupational hazard of traditional piety revival. Just as you wouldn't put a geometric Matisse painting in a gold rococo frame, you can't just slap more gilded columns on a modern church and call it a day.

Niagara University alumni chapel, above.
Divine Mercy parish, below.

For example, I ran into some interesting architectural combinations last weekend on the first leg of my Three Weddings and a Conference trips. First stop was the alumni chapel at Niagara University. This historic church at a Vincentian school blended old and new very well. You could tell which stained glass windows were from the 19th century and which were post-Vatican II, but there was still subtle continuity. The glass rood screen separting the main sanctuary from the smaller daily mass area was obviously a recent addition, but it featured traditional iconography of the four Evangelists and scenes from scripture. Sitting in its "rigid rows", I still felt secure and inspired, and not just because my friend was a gorgeous bride.

The next day I ventured to the parish closest to our hotel that fit our traveling schedule. It was a typical 1980s generic church design, with exposed brick, angular stained glass saints, and that wood beam tent/barn ceiling that was popular for a decade or so. The funny unexpected twist was the abundance of traditional devotional items scattered all around. These were probably inherited from a nearby parish that closed. It's great that these sacramentals still have a home, but boy, was it jarring. Pastel baroque curlicues do not mesh well with big blocks of brown and primary colors.This was one time where  a little modernist restraint would have helped.

Most interesting were the huge paintings hanging in the sanctuary, dating to the 1950s. One depicted the Holy Family, and the other showed the Catholic version of the Cleavers praying the rosary in their living room. It was a great piece of American Catholic material culture, but it clashed with the building overall. Thanks to the blinding morning sunlight coming through the windows, my little iPhone camera couldn't capture a good image of the paintings. In this mash-up of competing decorative styles, the best of both worlds got drowned out.

St. Joseph Church, Maplewood NJ

Since the Southern Baron and I both enjoy being church tourists, we've had fun scoping out weekday masses at some of the parishes nearby. These pictures of St. Joseph parish in Maplewood are from earlier this winter, back when the sight of snow on the ground was actually a novel idea. Please forgive the iPhone blurriness - I didn't think to grab a "real" camera on our way out for diner breakfast food. (New Jersey diners are practically a religious tradition in themselves, but that's another story for another day ;)

St. Joseph was founded in 1914, so they're celebrating their 100th anniversary this year! The parish complex includes a 1930 brick school building, which is currently up for rent. The current church building dates to 1970, and its design is a good example of the way churches built just after Vatican II were a hybrid of tradition and modern style.

The exterior features simple modernist geometry but still looks "churchy" and pays homage to the patron saint. Brick and concrete are more affordable materials often used by suburban parishes trying to keep up with population growth. The chunky stained glass is rather abstract, but will get more literal inside.

The interior is also heavy on unadorned building materials. Heavy ceiling beams are often a prominent feature in churches of the 70s and 80s, lending gravitas with modernist simplicity. Still, the basic layout is not too different from a gothic cathedral; there are pews facing inward from the side "transepts," and a reredos behind the altar features the crucifixion. The tabernacle is still in the center of the sanctuary, suggesting that separate Eucharistic chapels hadn't caught on yet when this church was built. My overall impression of the space was uncluttered reverence.

The really unique thing about St. Joseph was its stained glass windows. They told stories from saints and scriptures with a contemporary flair. I really loved these scenes from the life of St. Joseph:

Betrothal of Mary and Joseph, then the angel visiting Joseph in a dream. 

One of the transepts featured St. Paul, St. Therese, and maybe Pope St. Pius X? Facing them were Moses, King David, and Abraham, uniting the Old Testament with the New.

Our favorite though, was this window about the papacy. We're pretty sure that's Pope Paul VI (the current pope in 1970) next to St. Peter. Note the papal tiara above his head, another tradition that still lingered. These windows show a parish aware of its place in the wider Church and in salvation history.

What I Wore Sunday, Vol. 9

It's good to be back blogging! The past few months of wedding planning and moving and big work projects and Major Life Changes were busy to say the least. Now I finally feel settled in with my new husband and new last name. (Hint: it starts with a D.) On here I've called him "The Beau" and then "The Bethtrothed," but he needs a new nickname. For now he'll be "The Southern Baron," which he calls himself on the interwebs sometimes.

We're getting to know our little village in New Jersey and have joined a new parish. Sometimes it's lonely being far away from my friend base in the DC area and the Sunday brunch group at his former NJ church. But the gorgeous Gothic building down the street from us houses a busy congregation where the priests are very friendly and welcoming. A new young adult group is starting up there, so we are eagerly attending planning meetings and watching the other people our age come out of the woodwork. Already I've met one other person schlepping into the city for work like me, so that's encouraging. 

Today at the end of Mass the pastor called up all the new parishioners to formally greet them and give everybody a welcome gift. We always feel a little awkward about audience participation segments like this, so after a whispered conference we decided to stay in our pew. "Do you think Monsignor will be mad at us? Nahh, he won't see us back here." Yeah, well he did. He and our deacon friend gave us a good-natured hard time about it, and then gave us a plaque anyway. That's what we get for volunteering for things, haha.  

Sweater: JCPenney, skirt: Old Navy, shoes: Aldo, earrings: Brooklyn Museum gift shop,
family monogram: handmade by by my brother-in-law

This has been our first real week of fall weather, so I finally broke down and unpacked all my lightweight sweaters. My William Morris pattern earrings were a hasty addition as we ran out the door, but they got compliments from the sample girl at the grocery store. She was wearing a knit hat and a necklace that was practically a geode, perfect for hawking a quinoa smoothie beverage. (Would you ever drink that? I am a fan of kombucha and all sorts of earthy/crunchy drinks, but this seemed too sugary to do you much good. Also the banana flavor tasted like baby food.) 

The flats are a new purchase. I'd been eyeing them for a while since I am a sucker for wing tip styling. Finally they went on sale! If I can break them in they should come in handy for being on my feet all night at my museum's gala fundraiser this week. 

After church we strolled around the nearby Montrose Historic District, a neighborhood with lots of pretty early 20th century houses. The town's website has a guide to all the buildings, so we geeked out reading the details of each house on the Southern Baron's phone. Married nerd life is good. 

For some reason this part of NJ is obsessed with Tudor Revival architecture. 

For more Sunday outfits, visit Fine Linen and Purple!

7 Commuting Quick Takes

Thanks to Jen for hosting the link-up! Head over to Conversion Diary for more quick takes! 

By Sophie Blackall for MTA Arts for Transit

1. I'm no stranger to commuting. My high school was a 45 minute drive from my house, so my family developed a complex "No Child Left Behind" carpool system to get there. During my volunteer year in St. Louis, every morning I would bail out of my roommate's car at a strategic red light and then hop on the Metrolink train. When I worked in DC I took my car, then a bus, and then the Metro Orange Line to get to work from my parents' house.
   
   But now I have become something else  - a New York commuter. On Christmas Eve I got the call offering me a museum job in Brooklyn. So now I finally live in the same state as The Betrothed (hooray!) and travel between New Jersey and NYC every day. E.B. White once wrote about "the New York of the commuter — the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night." Gee thanks. If you had to deal with post-Sandy PATH train closures too, you'd appreciate our scrappiness more, Mr. Charlotte's Web.


2. It's funny how my attitude about working in NYC has evolved. As I was packing to leave, I was all panicky. "Ahhhhck I work in the hippest borough and everyone around me will have a fabulous Sex and the City life and all my clothes are uncool!"
   
   Then I actually rode the subway, and realized that New York is full of ordinary people just trying to get to work in practical puffy coats. Phew. 
   
   My emotions then went through this weird adjustment cycle that I've noticed every time I get to know a new city. First I am nervous and scared of dangerous things lurking around every corner. Then after a few weeks I get jaded and homesick. "This place isn't that special. They have Chipotle like everywhere else!" Then I finally do some exploring and the place starts to feel like it's mine. Maybe it was my umpteenth trip to the Trader Joe's in the 1923 bank building on Court Street, but at some point I've realized this is my town too now.


3. This piece about "How to dress like a New Yorker" is absolutely true: people choose accessories for their functionality. After a week of commuting I knew I needed to invest in some sturdy booties and a huge bag to stuff my lunch, tea thermos, and reading material in. I always scoffed at designer purses, but now I get why women invest in a solid leather handbag.
   


4. My office has been involved with a lot of the events for Grand Central Terminal's 100th birthday. It's definitely one of the best public spaces I've ever seen. The Main Concourse is so lovely it makes me cry - not just because of the gorgeous ceiling, but because I have to deal with ugly Penn Station every day! Did you know there was an earlier Penn that was also gorgeous? Legendary Gilded Age designers McKim, Mead, and White made it beautiful, and then in the 1960s they tore it down. Thanks, Madison Square Garden, thanks a lot.
   
   

   

   I could be hanging out here every day! You're killing me, smalls!

   
   The only happy ending is that Penn became a martyr for the historic preservation movement, inspiring the City to protect Grand Central from the same fate. The Garden's permit is soon up for review, and some groups are pushing for an overhaul of the whole complex.


5. I've been playing morning Tetris with my train times, trying to figure out where I can hit up daily Mass on my way to the office. Our Lady of Victory near Wall Street is close to the subway with lots of morning options. St. Francis on West 31st is famous for its convenient confession schedule. Because of when my train rolls in to Penn, I can either be early or late for one of their morning Masses. On Wednesday I caught the end of the 7am and then the beginning of the 7:30, like a kid in an old-timey movie theater. At the Offertory I ran off to work, thinking, "This is where I came in."



St. Francis of Assisi Church, from jimcintosh's Flickr stream



6. I've gotten hooked on transit maps, especially this Tumblr of them. A few weeks ago I got to hear a talk by Massimo Vignelli, the modernist designer who made a controversial NYC subway map in the late 1970s. He made an uncluttered geometric diagram, but people still wanted the twisty, wavy spaghetti strands they were used to. As he put it "When you are taking a train, how it gets from Point A to Point B is none of your business!" He was recently vindicated when the MTA realized his design was the only one that would work for a digital app. Ha.
   

   

   Via Minkwell.com

7. Of course, I see all kinds of random people on the train. In the morning on my NJ Transit platform, I hear lots of bougie First World Problems like the architect coming to fix someone's door or how there was NOWHERE to get decent lamb shanks on Friday night. The subway is more diverse, of course. Sometimes there are hipsters, sometimes packs of school kids. I wonder about the conservatively dressed lady with the black Korn backpack. Did she steal it from her son? To the similarly mom-like lady rocking the fuchsia House of Dereon bag from Newark to the World Trade Center - respect.
   
   One night taking the R train to Park Slope, I saw a guy in Timberland boots reading a book by one of my favorite college professors. "Omigosh I know that guy!" I cried out. The reader was nice but a little weirded out. I had better luck with a well dressed older couple going uptown on the 2. They reminded me of my Mom's parents. The wife was wearing a killer pair of black boots with gold sparkly rivets all up the legs. I kept sneaking peeks at them without staring. As I got off at Penn, I just turned to her and said "Ma'am, your boots are freaking awesome." She smiled and thanked me. I was glad to be a part of her own commuter stories that day. 

What I Wore Sunday, Vol. 5

Sweater - Target, white tee - Kohl's, skirt - Anne Taylor outlet, tights - Target, shoes - Aerosoles

Back in 1991, I performed in a riveting first grade play entitled "The Gumby Shop." We kids dressed as the various nonsensical things you could buy at the shop. My line was "Some eggs, some eggs, with purple legs!" My Mom shouted that line when she saw my church outfit. Maybe I am subconsciously getting excited for advent? 

I wore this outfit to meet a friend for Mass and then get lunch at Panera. Neither of us had been to this parish before, but it was a midpoint between where we live. Mass was really lovely, especially with a violin accompanying the choir. I have to give this parish props for combining reverence with open and bright modern design. Their recent renovation is really nice. It's true, I can't help geeking out about church architecture wherever I go. 

For more Sunday outfits, check out Fine Linen and Purple! 

Road Trip Quick Takes

Thanks as always to Jen at Conversion Diary for hosting this link-up.

 The Betrothed and I just spent the last three weeks of June on an epic road trip visiting many friends and relatives across the Central time zone. Here are some of the funny and interesting things we saw at each of our stops.

This is what it looks like when two nerds  revisit childhood road trips. 

1. A store along the highway in Tennessee proudly proclaimed, "JESUS IS LORD" and "WE BUY GUNS."


2. The tiny town of Morrisville, AL is only nine square blocks. It was cute, but not as much of a time warp as  my doctor's office Southern Living December 2009 made it out to be. 



Quaint, but overrated. 






Fathers' Day Mass at my future sister-in-law's Florida parish featured the "Knights of Columbus Chorale" - basically Dads in matching Knights polo shirts leading the hymns. Adorbs. 






My fiance took me to a bayou nature preserve outside New Orleans, where the air was thick with humidity and cicadas. The alligators were hiding from view, but we did see lizards, a million dragonflies, and a crawfish crawling around in the the dirt. He threatened us with his claws.






Don't worry little guy, we won't eat you. 






There are a ton of historic plantation houses down River Road outside New Orleans. Evergreen Plantation is still privately owned, and so not jammed with tourists. Hollywood has found them though - apparently Quentin Tarentino has been filming scenes for Django Unchaned there. We only saw intact slave cabins, though, no movie stars.






Can't begin to describe how seeing these buildings blew my nerdy mind. 





A bumper sticker on a truck outside Dallas informed us that "Kids who hunt and fish don't steal and deal." Ok then. 







While visiting grandparents in Chicago, I did some archival research of old family photos. Check out the fantastic vestments at my great uncle's diaconate ordination. (Rest in peace. Fr. Kevin.)

Seriously, check out that man-lace. 

I hope we come back soon, Chicagoland. 

St. Vincent Ferrer Church, New York City

When The Betrothed came back from England a few weeks ago, we spent a day wandering around New York  City. On our walk between The Frick Collection and meeting a college friend for cupcakes at Sprinkles, we peeked at a church at the corner of  Lexington Avenue and E 63rd Street. Janitors were sweeping up rose petals from an afternoon wedding procession.

St. Vincent Ferrer parish began in 1867, and its current building dates to 1918. Architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue designed the church, which is the most elaborate Gothic revival building I've seen since our field trip to the Newark Cathedral.

This reminds me of a medieval church I did a middle-school report on.

The sanctuary was just glorious. I've never seen seven lamps like that in a church that wasn't Anglo-Catholic. The altarpiece topped with Christ the King was carved in Belgium.

I wonder if the little dog/fox/wolf on top of the pew is a shoutout to the Dominicans
as God's dogs (Domini canes.)

The rood screen. 

Immaculate Conception shine

Side altar with tons of saints, plus Mary giving St. Dominic the rosary.

You can take a virtual tour of all the church's features and symbolism here. St. Vincent Ferrar is a peaceful oasis in a busy city. From the abundance of votive candles ($4 at the front desk, we bought one), you can tell many New Yorkers bring their intentions there. St. Vincent and St. Dominic, pray for us!

Modernist Monday - Libraries

All my inter-semester for-fun reading has been possible thanks to Delaware's New Castle County library system. The only drawback is their pesky 6 month probation period for new members. I can only check out 12 items at a time, with three audio-visual items at most. What, are they afraid I'm just there to pirate their DVDs? That I will return books scribbled with crayon? Happily, my probation ends next week. To celebrate, I'm posting pictures of the very cool looking library branches I like to visit.

Brandywine Hundred is my usual stop. I love how it combines glass and steel with the stonework traditional in this region.

On each pillar of the back loggia is a plaque explaining an article from the Bill of Rights. 

The Kirkwood Highway branch is farther away, so its my alternative destination if I'm going to campus and want a book Brandywine doesn't have. This is a more modernist building, and was just finished last year. Unlike Brandywine, it is only one story. The tall ceiling is deceptive.

Both branches have nice outdoor seating areas that seem to get a lot of use in warm weather.  You can see Kirkwood's surrounded by that little flagstone fence.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home and read some more books wrapped in those crinkly plastic covers. I love that sound.

Pressure Cooker

"Don't make fun of the grad students, Bart. They just made a terrible life choice."- Marge Simpson

Last week was really icky. Grad school can sure mess with your head. Suddenly I found myself doubting and questioning pretty much everything in which I thought I believed. It was like there was a demon whispering in my ear that my life was pathetic and boring, and that there was nothing on this earth that could make me happy. Thank the Lord there were lots of good things on the horizon to cheer me up and give me a reality check. Here's the top ten in chronological order.

1. My grad prgram had a career panel consisting entirely of alumnae who are married with kids but also employed in museums. They all emphasized work/life balance and not neglecting your family for a stressful, high power job.

2. On my way out of town on Saturday, I ran to confession at a nearby church. The priest was a wonderful grandfatherly man who told me not to be too hard on myself. "You're just in a pressure cooker right now, gearing up for the next thing." Kind advice plus sacramental forgiveness = why I am glad to be Catholic.

3. When I arrived in New Jersey, I discovered The Beau had bought me flowers the color of autumn leaves :-)

4. After talking about it for ages, we finally cooked gumbo combining gluten-free roux (1/2 sourghum, 1/2 brown rice flour) with vegtables and stock

and chicken, andouille and rice. It was delicious.

5. On Sunday I tagged along to a choir concert/evening prayer at the Diocese of Metuchen cathedral. Why yes, I photographed the architecture.

6. On Monday I took another thesis field trip to New Tork, this time to Trinity Wall Street (the church at the end of National Treasure. Nicholas Cage did not actually find a fortune there.) The Trinity archivists were super nice and I even found some records of vestment purchases. A friendly security guard offered to take my picture while I was exploring the church.

7. I met my friend Laura for lunch uptown, emerging from the subway at yet another Anglo-Catholic church, St. Bart's.

8. After lunch, I went looking for a restroom. Laura suggested I try the Waldorf Astoria lobby. Good call!

9. The Trinity rector diaries were fun but not useful, so I cut out early and visited the Statue of Liberty instead. Hey lady, I'm tired and poor over here!

10.When I got off my train back to Jersey, I could look out from the platform and see where The Beau was doing homework and waiting for me. And when I got back to Delaware, my aunt was in town on business and we went out to dinner! It's nice to come home to people you love. Maybe I'll make it out of this pressure cooker after all.

Modernist Monday - Conference Edition

While I was sanely attending conference panels instead of rallies this weekend, I learned about some awesomely crazy modern architecture. A few years ago Chanel decided to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the classic 2.55 bag with a mobile art exhibit. The resulting UFO-like building was designed by celebrity architect Zaha Hadid. I had never heard of her before I went to grad school, but now I find her work very entertaining. Just say her name out - even that sounds fun.

So here she is with Karl Lagerfeld in her fashion-inspired building that can be dis-assembled into 56 crates of materials. Apparently it was the hot place to be in Central Park for a while. Note how the lines on the walls look like the seams on the iconic quilted handbag.



Isn't that fabulous? It makes me imagine Karl and Zaha in one of the Fug Girls' imagined dialogues. Karl would say something like "Fashion is architecture for the body. BUILD." or "Your presence decorates the walls of your creation. CONNOISE."

Conferences rock my socks

They really do. I know that there will come a day when they feel like a tired, boring, routine, but for I now I love having an excuse stay in a hotel and share my work with other scholars. It's really encouraging to see that there are other people out there who care about nerdy things. It's even better to present a paper and prove to yourself that there can be a final product from all that research. Extra bonus: I got to meet up with two dear friends from high school, and pretty much hang out in Old Town Alexandria in some perfect fall weather.

My presentation was about a project I did years ago on 20th century Catholic churches. It had been a while since I looked at the material, and then I realized all over again what a monstrous pile of information it was. I also realized my undergrad-quality writing was a little clunky - I guess that's a good sign for my current abilities? After two days of editing, I am proud of what I wrote. At my panel I was pleased to find that there are at least 2 professors out there who are interesting in similar topics and liked what I had to say. Should I let this topic die or think about publication?

The conference as a whole was a pretty mixed bag; it was large and varied like the aisles of Costco. There was a pop culture focus, so many papers were about movies and tv. At first this seemed fun, but after 1 hour of scholarly buzzwords mixed with analysis of Twilight, I realized there is a reason academics tend to look down on such things. From what I saw, there were some intelligent points mixed with a lot of things anyone with internet access already knows.

Then again, I can't judge every talk. Here are a few other titles that looked, um, interesting.

"You don't even look Italian!": Counting Italian-Americans on Reality TV
Philosophy from a Pineapple Under the Sea
(Re)presentation of the Body in Pain on Survivor
Mayhem in Motherhood: Working Class Representations on The George Lopez Show
From Genesis to Torah: The Harry Potter "Such a Person" Happening

Oh, and there were 5 Twilight papers, 4 on Harry Potter, 3 on American Psycho, 2 on Avatar, but only 1 about Lady Gaga.

Modernist Monday - Shakespeare edition

I'm not opposed to a well done modern adaptation of Shakespeare plays; they can help you see the timeless language in a new light. This weekend I watched the 1995 film of Richard III starring Ian McKellen. It was amazing! The 1930s setting had great costumes and music, plus it gave Richard's tyranny a fascist feel. The best moment was Richard at the wheel of a stalled jeep shouting "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!" If that weren't enough, this movie stars just about every British actor you've ever heard of, plus Robert Downey Jr. for good measure.

There were some great modernist buildings used as sets, particularly old power stations. The Tower of London was re-imagined as the Tate Modern gallery building, which is itself an adapted power station. Richard's office headquarters also had striking clean lines. There were even a few art deco touches, like a candy bowl with cobra handles.

What made this modernity even more effective was its contrast with older styles of buildings. I got really excited when I recognized some of our stops on the London trip! King Edward's last days were filmed at the rockin' Brighton Pavilion. Not gonna lie, the best part of the king's deathbed was the overhead shot of the lotus chandeliers. Other royal spaces featured a lot of Gothic revival elements - even the bathroom. Yes, at Horace Walpole's Strawberry Bank estate, there are urinals with Gothic borders. Crazy! Definitely check this movie out if you are interested in historical intrigue in dramatic settings.

Source for view of the Tate Modern