constructionviews

Nos. 12-13 & 14-15 Parks Road, North Oxford, seen from north east. Built in 1868 and 1869, architect(s) unspecified, Semi-detached houses on the Keble Road Triangle, called "South/North Grove" (Nos. 12/13) and "East View" (Nos. 14/15). The two remaining of originally four Victorian buildings on this section of Parks Road. Though no informations are available about the architects, Nos. 12-13 can be attributed to Frederick Codd, whose designs at 2 Bevington Rd and 58 Woodstock Rd are identical in style and workmanship. Nos. 14-15 represent a semi type which is quite common in this area, similar buildings can be found near Museums Rd and on Blackhall Rd, and particularly on Winchester Road. No. 15 was later enlarged at the north side, with additional windows and a chimney, furthermore attaching an extension at the north west corner. Everything else looks today almost like on this photograph, just 150 years older. A blue plaque at No. 12 notes today that this was the home of Novelist Joyce Cary from 1920 until his death in 1957. In 1963, Oxford University's Department of Theoretical Physics, headed by Prof. Rudolf Peierls, moved into Nos. 12 to 14. At that time the Victorian houses were already surrounded by modern buildings of the developing Science Area. Today, both buildings are housing offices and laboratories of the Department of Materials. The houses - not occupied yet - look brand new on this photograph, as if the last brick was set moments ago, the site not completely being cleaned up, thus the date of the photograph should also be around 1869. Sources: - T. Hinchcliffe: North Oxford (Yale Univ. Press) - Town Plan of Oxfordshire XXXIII.15.7 (1876), National Library of Scotland - Internet Archive (archive.org)

Appears to be taken by leaning out the south window of the Washington Monument (which you could do at that time). The buildings were temporary war offices constructed for WWII. Out of frame to the right are more temporary war buildings still left from WWI. The buildings in the picture were taken down in the mid fifties, if I am remembering correctly. The WWI buildings (not in picture) in what is now Constitution Gardens, were not demolished until the 1970s, when Constitution Gardens was built as part of the Bicentennial celebration. Notice the Rainbow Pool (right foreground) is where the WWII Memorial now stands. The pool (actually just a fountain) was demolished for the WWII Memorial construction, but recreated as a part of the Memorial.

Contrary to my previous post, I think this was taken from the west window. The barracks in the upper left, in the polo grounds field were demolished in 1965.

According tp the National Register of Historic Places, the large office buildings along the Reflecting Pool were not taken down until 1965.

kplifescience Thank you for all this useful information

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Lost American Architecture, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Destroyed Works of Art and Architecture, and we'd love to have this added to the group!