From the collection of:
The Kentucky Library and Museum || VAM Home

In addition to its pleasing aesthetics, this architectural rendering has a utilitarian function as a plan for a builder to follow. The drawing depicts a frontal view of a staircase design, using a repetition of curved and straight lines to show an upward progression from the first floor to the second. Above the frontal drawing is a rendering of the staircase from an overhead perspective. The space next to the drawing shows details of the decorative newel and balusters and the cross-section of the handrail. These items are drawn to a different scale.

About the Artist

Paducah native James Ingram worked as an architect in Kentucky from 1929 until 1963. He designed a number of school buildings, churches, banks, and homes in addition to the interior of the Kentucky Building at Western Kentucky University. After retiring in 1964, Ingram worked for the General Services Administration, designing courtrooms for the federal courthouses in Chicago and other cities.

Classroom Ideas

Discussion: Do you consider this architectural drawing a work of art? Would you like to frame it and hang it on your wall? Have you ever thought of a staircase as a work of art? How did the architect use the elements of art and principles of design in creating this drawing? What artistic aspects does this staircase have?

Activities: Explore the idea of scale. Why is it important that an architectural plan be drawn to scale? Practice making scale drawings of a variety of objects. Measure your classroom or a room in your home and draw a diagram to scale.

Take photographs of buildings in your community and try to identify the styles of architecture they represent. Create a classroom display using the photographs. Design a new building for your community.

Links

Read more about the Kentucky Building and see detail photos at the WKU Libraries web site.
[www.wku.edu/Library/onlinexh/hb/kentuckybuilding.html]

Learn about architects and see buildings around the world at GreatBuildings.com.
[www.greatbuildings.com]

Another good source for a wide variety of information about architecture is the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Architecture.com.
[www.architecture.com]