Our Girl Scout troop visited the Biltmore Hotel last month as one of their activities to earn their Arizona Badge. The hotel is a famous resort for the guest list and it's architecture.Although I've been to the hotel, I hadn't had an opportunity to wander around. I could have gone on with my camera for awhile longer...
The facts and statistics were really interesting but my eyes were feasting. We started out in the former library where they have historical photographs are on display. I looked up to see this sky light, pictured above.
The building is made of concrete block construction. They designed their own molds for the concrete blocks.
I always thought that the hotel was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. My mistake, the designer, Albert Chase MacArthur studied under Frank Lloyd Wright. Therefore, the influence is quite evident.
It seems like no detail is too small. The carpet in the photo room.
The ceilings are covered with square upon square of gold leaf squares... Kudos to these craftspeople. I tried gluing a piece of the stuff once. Disaster!
Elevator doors... The concrete looks so heavy but the windows and the quality of light in the building counteracts the heft.
Outdoor light fixture set into the wall. Even the glass is molded to compliment the whole of the structure.
Onto the ballroom. This screen was standing off to the side. It appears to be metal soldering on copper. I fell in love with the patterns. Reminds me of glue lines. This is a good starting point for drawing and mixed media play!
Art... There's beautiful pieces throughout the hotel. Native American pottery and weavings, cases full of Art Noveau ceramic pieces... These hang in the majestic ballroom. Paintings on linen by Maynard Dixon.
The room was absolutely beautiful. A room to host a wedding, a bar/bat mitzvah... something pretty memorable.
From the high end to the ordinary. Our tour took us into the kichen. I love finding beauty in the everyday. This rack of canned goods caught my eye. Can we ever get away from the influence of the artists we've studied? Could I have seen the beauty of these cans without knowing about Andy Warhol? Hmmm...
Stacked baking pans.
Claus Oldenburg has made building size scuptures of Swiss knives and spoons. The scuptural beauty of every day objects celebrated.
I'd made a mention of the "chocolate room." A room dedicated soley to storing chocolate. It wasn't big enough for all of us to enter so I was the last one in. The next thing I knew, I was in there all by myself... All I took was pictures but the bunnies looked pretty tasty!
The Chicklet kept eyeing this dessert as it was being prepared. 
We didn't have too much time to explore the grounds. The interiors were such an inspiration, I can only imagine what the exteriors are like. I got a glimpse of a lot of pattern on pattern. Oh, I like that! We'll save that for another adventure.Marissa
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