The title says it all. Check out this awesome custom iron fence in Boston’s Dudley Square neighborhood, outside the firehouse. Details on the firemen, such as their helmets, are historically accurate .While it doesn’t look too hard to breach this thing, it sure if fun to look at!

Learn more about the Dudley Square improvements.

I have cut the amount of newsletters I receive down to practically nothing, but there are a few that are a treat to receive. They include high style from Balustrade and Bitters, the always entertaining and infrequent letters from Blu Dot, and the interesting updates from The National Trust for Historic Preservation. Sadly, this month they reported the loss of most of the Bannerman Castle Ruins. The castle has a “scenic ruin” designation from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and now all but one wall and part of another are standing.

The silver lining of the story is that the talented photographer John Midgley shot a fantastic spread for Esquire with the castle, combined with a moody sky, providing a sublime and surreal backdrop. You can see the whole shoot here, and here’s a teaser in memory of the lost tower and walls:

SIDE NOTE: I just bought my first issue of Esquire this month, because Tina Fey was on the cover, and I loved it. Now it’s crossed my path again with this…I’m starting to think I should subscribe. I’m curious – ladies, do any of you subscribe to Esquire?

Another question: Besides Hearst Castle, where are other  castles in the U.S.? It seems so bizarre to me – all I can think of is Lex Luthor’s castle on Smallville. Yes, I’m a geek. I’m in my thirties and I watch Smallville religiously.

O.K. One last question: Do you have some favorite ruins in the U.S.? Our civilization is so young we aren’t packed with the poetic ones like they are in other countries. Ruins can be so beautiful; most of the ones I can think of are industrial ruins; old brick factories overtaken by plants, dilapidated barns, even Alcatraz has beauty. I always loved the Barboursville ruins outside of Charlottesville Virginia. At one point it was the most lavish mansion in the regioin, a Palladian design by Thomas Jefferson. Sadly, the house was destroyed, but the ruins are a landmark as-is (I love the verticality of the fireplaces and the front columns):

Castle photographs by John Midgley for Esquire

Barboursville header from The 1804 Inn at Barboursville.

Philip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan Connecticut is opening up for tours again starting May 1 and running through November. Tickets start at $30 and go up to $400 for a private tour that includes dinner at The Four Seasons in NYC (this is my nerdy architectural dream date – forget all those The Bachelor-esque dates that include helicopter rides or wine tasting lessons). Click here for more information on the tours. Also, if you are a member of The National Trust for Historic Preservation, you will receive 50% off the Standard Tour (90 minutes) and the Extended Tour (2 hours, take all the pictures you want).* Seriously, if you are not already a member, why not? I mean, The Governator recently proposed SELLING California’s historic sites in order to raise cash! Get on it! Click here and join today – you’ll get all sorts of discounts at historic sites and you’ll receive a subscription to Preservation – it’s a wonderful magazine.

Image swiped from The Glass House website.

*members pay full price when ordering and then receive the 50% discount when attending the tour.

Ken McCown’s photo inspired me to search “motel” on flickr and it is a REALLY fun photographic subject! So many fabulous patio chairs, kitschy signs, great compositions, nostalgia, Wigwams/Tepees we saw Oprah and Gayle stay in on their road trip, bright colors and just plain old Americana. It makes me want to hop in the car right now with a cooler full of sammies and sodas and hit Route 66!

This photo comes from flickr member jody9:

The composition reminds me of a Diebenkorn painting. The rust, the faded colors, and the weeds make it so beautiful. The combination of colors is dreamy beachy to me – palm green, sea blue, off white with a few touches of pink and hay – it’s so serene, isn’t it?

Unfortunately, The North Shore Motel was bulldozed in 2008, but at least jody9 was able to grab a turquoise tile and some blue painted stucco from the remains!

I think I truly mourned when G.F. McGregor’s in Rockland Maine closed. You know how you find that very small handful of shops in your life that truly inspire you? They are curated and merchandised to perfection, and you just want to move in? That was how I felt about G.F. McGregor’s, but yesterday, I found a shop to fill the void.

My aunt bought some gorgeous Thomas Paul pillows for our family place in Maine (much to my chagrin, as I could have ordered them at DP), but when I asked her where she’d found them, she sent me to fourTwelve Home in Rockland. Formerly just the clothing and accessories boutique, the shop acquired the space next door and opened up a home store.

Home Goodies to the left, Clothing to the right…hey, there’s my Mom!

This shop combines just the right combination of historical preservation and regency glamor. The original wooden floors are painted light gray with a tiny hint of green/blue in it. The original exposed brick walls are painted white. The ceilings are covered in white tin tiles, and the exposed pipes are painted white. That’s where the the old patina shows through; everything else is shiny and fresh. It is a perfect balance. There are fabulous light fixtures hanging in a line down both halves of the store, there is oversized floral wallpaper in the dressing rooms along with benches, there are gorgeous mirrors and mirrored furniture, there is a large velvet ottoman in the boutique (it looks like it came straight from Nanette Lepore’s closet), and there are little peacocks peeking out at you here and there from the tops of shelves.

Included in the home items were John Derian decoupage, Jonathan Adler vases, Thomas Paul pillows, Bob’s My Uncle sea life plates, emu furniture, funny books, gorgeous soaps and bath items, those cool Caspari long match matchbooks, and a fun array of letterpress cards. It’s a perfect stop for accessorizing one’s own home or for picking up a great gift for just about anyone for any occassion at any price point.

By the way, among all the great articles of clothing they had in there, I kept pulling out the cutest pieces and they were all by Beth Bowley, whom I hadn’t heard of before. It turns out she is the owner, a Parsons grad, and she launched her clothing line in 1998.

Overall, the decor reminded me of the jewelry available in the store. The newer lines are very delicate, and handcrafted from silver and gold. In addition, they have a wide array of vintage pieces that are unique with some hints of funk and a few well-earned signs of age. It’s a new inspiration I know I’ll keep in the back of my mind whenever I am decorating.