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Scion tC

The Scion tC is a compact car manufactured by Toyota under its Scion brand from 2004 to 2016 over two generations: ANT10 (2004–2010) and AGT20 (2010–2016). Both generations were built in Japan. The tC was introduced first in the United States for the 2005 model year and then, beginning with the second generation in the 2010 model year, in Canada as well. The tC was Scion's best-selling model, constituting almost 40% of total Scion sales.

The name tC stands for "touring coupe." Beginning in 2011, the tC was sold as the Toyota Zelas in the Middle East, China and South America, a name derived from "zelante", Italian for "passionate" or "zealous."

First generation (AT10; 2004)
Toyota debuted the production tC at the January 2004 NAIAS with sales beginning in May 2004 as a 2005 model year. The tC was a spiritual successor to the Celica intended to appeal to the millennial market. To this end, Toyota included numerous standard features, and optional features were easy to add. Standard equipment included power windows, cruise control, air conditioning, keyless entry, mirror-mounted turn signal lights, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, a 160-watt Pioneer sound system with CD player, 17-inch alloy wheels, and a panoramic moonroof.

The tC shares its chassis with the Avensis and uses a MacPherson strut front and double wishbone rear suspension. It was offered at a low (base MSRP of US$17,670 for the 2009 model with manual transmission) with the pure "monospec" pricing marketing style that Toyota adopted. This generation was not sold in Canada.

A bare-bones version of the tC known as the Spec Package was offered without many of the standard accessories. The Spec Package replaced the 17 in alloy wheels with 16 in steel wheels and seven spoke wheel covers, and had simplified interior and exterior equipment, including a fixed rather than powered glass roof, deletion of cruise control and steering wheel audio controls, and urethane steering wheel finish instead of wrapped leather. Meant to serve as a blank slate to the tuner market, the Spec Package was offered in only four colors: Super White, Flint Mica, Black Sand Pearl and Classic Silver Metallic. MSRP was $1,400 less than the standard model. The Spec Package was discontinued for the 2009 model year.

The tC received a minor facelift in 2007 for the 2008 model year that included a revised grille and new head and taillights.

The model was Scion's best seller, reaching over 79,125 units sold in 2006, but the car's sales quickly dwindled by 2010, only moving 15,204 units. A 2nd generation was released for the 2011 model year.

Car and Driver praised the 2005 tC for its list of accessories but criticized its low headroom in the backseat and limited cargo room.

Specifications

 * Engine: 2.4 L Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC) 16-valve 4-cylinder with VVT-i, compression ratio of 9.6:1 for the 2005/06 models and 9.8:1 for 2007–2010.
 * Displacement: 2362 cc
 * Power: 161 hp at 6000 rpm (2007MY+) / 160 hp at 5700 rpm (2005-06MY)
 * Torque: 162 lbft at 4000rpm (2007MY+) / 163 lbft at 4000 rpm (2005-06MY)
 * 200 hp / 185 lbft with TRD Supercharger
 * Transmission: Standard 5-speed manual transmission or optional 4-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission (2008-2010 automatic transmissions are labeled as "4 speed sequential" transmission in the Scion brochure)
 * Curb weight: 2970 lb (automatic); 2905 lb (manual)
 * Fuel tank: 14.5 usgal
 * EPA ratings for manual transmission: 20 mpgus city / 27 mpgus hwy (2007MY+); 19 mpgus city / 27 mpgus hwy (2005/06)
 * EPA ratings for automatic transmission: 21 mpgus city / 29 mpgus hwy (2007MY+); 20 mpgus city / 27 mpgus hwy (2005/06)
 * Performance
 * 0-60 mph 7.4sec.
 * 1/4 mile (~400 m) 15.6 s at 89.9 mph
 * 1/4 mile (~400 m) 14.2 (TRD Supercharger)

Safety
NHTSA crash test ratings (2006)
 * Frontal Crash Test - Driver:
 * Frontal Crash Test - Passenger:
 * Side Impact Rating -
 * Side Impact Rating - Rear:
 * Rollover Rating:

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the Scion tC an "Acceptable" overall score in both the frontal offset and side impact crash tests.

All Scion tCs come standard with 4-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock brakes. For 2008 models, front seat-mounted side torso airbags, front and rear side curtain airbags, and a driver's knee airbag became standard. Front passenger classification was also added, allowing dual stage control of airbag release dependent upon the weight of the passenger. Vehicle Stability Control was not originally offered until 2011 when Toyota began rolling out Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) in all their vehicle brands, including Scion, sold in North America.

2011–2013

The replacement model debuted at the April 2010 New York Auto Show, and appeared in U.S. dealerships in October 2010. It received a performance bump; with the new engine being carried over from the Toyota Camry being a 2.5 liter I4 2AR-FE engine producing 180 hp and 174 lbft. Like the first generation, the chassis remained a variant of the Toyota Avensis, the model using the third generation chassis. Visually, the second generation is a toned-down variant of the Scion Fuse concept, featuring a similar rear quarter-panel window line to the concept but with xB-styled blacked-out A-pillars. The headlights, taillights and grille received a makeover to make the car seem more muscular and angular. It continued to receive very high safety marks, an all-glass roof, roomy interior, and a hatchback design. Other changes included a wider track, standard 18 in wheels, larger brake discs, a more powerful engine, a six-speed transmission, and a performance-tuned electric power steering system. The Scion tC now comes standard with Vehicle Stability Control. A TRD Supercharger was originally offered for the car as well as a special body kit by FiveAxis but both have since been discontinued. The tC remained popular in the tuner market, with many aftermarket performance upgrades still being available.

Toyota Zelas

At the 2010 Abu Dhabi Motor Show, the Scion tC was introduced under the Toyota Zelas nameplate. It later went on sale in the Middle East, with an aggressive body kit not featured on the Scion tC.

2014–2016

Initial sales of the second generation tC fell short of expectations, and to coincide with the launch of the Scion FR-S, the tC received a facelift for the 2014 model year. Inspired by the design of the FR-S, the 2014 tC received updated headlamps, grille, LED taillights, 18-inch alloy rims, body kit, a sport-tuned suspension, reworked faster shifting transmission, sport-tuned shocks, and a new touch screen audio system standard. For the first model year, Scion offered a Series 10 anniversary edition of the ten-year anniversary of the brand, limited to 3500 units. It included a new silver color, silver seat belts, a solar-powered illuminated shift knob, an LED Scion locator badge that lights up when the car is unlocked and a sequentially numbered interior badge. For the 2016 model year, the tC received some minor changes, such as a standard rear windshield wiper, new silver interior door handles, center console tray cover, and a leather-wrapped shift knob, the latter of which was formerly an optional upgrade.

The tC ended production in August 2016 after a final release edition as part of the phasing out of Scion brand. At 29, the tC sports coupe had the lowest-average age buyer in the industry according to Toyota.

Safety
NHTSA crash test ratings (2011)
 * Frontal Impact - Driver:
 * Frontal Impact - Passenger:
 * Side Impact - Driver:
 * Side Impact - Rear Passenger:
 * Side Pole - Driver:
 * Rollover Rating -

Toyota Racing Development (TRD)
Similar to many other models of Toyota/Lexus/Scion, there are many upgrades available through the in house tuning shop Toyota Racing Development (TRD). Currently TRD produces performance parts such as lowering springs and racing struts, full coilover suspension systems, performance brake kits, rear sway bars, front strut tower bars, limited-slip differentials, upgraded clutches, axle-back exhausts and cold-air intakes for the Scion tC. Other cosmetic accessories such as TRD branded valve covers and oil caps are also offered.

TRD also offered a supercharger which is a rebadged Vortech supercharger that is capable of putting out 20 psi, although when installed by a dealership and under warranty it is set at 6 psi. Starting in 2008, Scion began making the supercharger with tamper-proof pulleys. As of mid-2009, TRD discontinued production of superchargers for the Scion tC.

Release Series line
Scion used a simplified "pure price" sales model that eschewed traditional factory options in favor of fixed base-vehicle pricing and buyer customization via dealer-installed accessories; hence, the tC was offered in a single standard trim, with exterior colors and the choice of transmission typically being the only factory options. However, some limited-production special editions with added factory equipment and exclusive colors were offered. Beginning in late spring 2004, Scion launched the Release Series (RS) line, limited quantities of their current vehicles pre-packaged with individual numbered badging, exclusive accessories, and other special features. Their exterior colors were bright hues (i.e. orange, yellow, red, blue, green).

2005
 * tC RS 1.0 only available in Absolutely Red with 2,500 units produced

2006
 * tC RS 2.0 only available in Blue Blitz Mica with 2,600 units produced

2007
 * tC RS 3.0 only available in Blizzard Pearl with 2,500 units produced

2008
 * tC RS 4.0 only available in Galactic Gray Mica with 2,300 units produced

2009
 * tC RS 5.0 only available in Gloss Black with 2,000 units produced

2010
 * tC RS 6.0 only available in Speedway Blue with 1,100 units produced

2012
 * tC RS 7.0 only available in High Voltage Yellow with 2,200 units produced

2013
 * tC RS 8.0 only available in Absolutely Red with 2,000 units produced

2014
 * tC 10th Anniversary Series only available in Silver Ignition with 3,500 units produced

2015
 * tC RS 9.0 only available in Two Tone Magma Orange and Gloss Black with 2,000 units produced

2016
 * tC RS 10.0 only available in Barcelona Red with 1,200 units produced

Sales
The tC immediately became Scion's most popular model, representing almost half of the brand's sales in its peak years from 2005 to 2007, before being eclipsed by the redesigned xB in 2008. On release of the second-generation model, Scion hoped to sell 40,000–60,000 units annually once the economy recovered, but actual sales fell well short of this figure; analysts believe that sales were cannibalized by the similar FR-S. Despite the decline, the tC reclaimed and held its sales lead in the Scion lineup in 2011; it was ultimately the all-time best-selling Scion, constituting almost 40% of total Scion sales from 2004 through 2015, the brand's last full year before being amalgamated into Toyota.

Motorsport

 * With the demise of the Toyota Celica, the Scion tC was used for the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race held during the Long Beach Grand Prix from 2006 to 2012, when it was replaced with the FR-S.
 * There are several tCs in drag racing. Kenny Tran Jotech Motorsports, Leslie Armendariz Horizon Motorsports, Christian Rado World Racing, and Gary White (formerly Brad Personett)Titan Motorsports. Kenny Tran has been competing in the NHRA Sport Compact drag racing series hotrod class where he garnered the 2007 championship. Kenny cut his fastest run with 7.91 ET at 184 mi/h during a NHRA race at Pomona Raceway. In 2007 and 2008, the Jotech Motorsports team won back-to-back Pro Import Class titles of the Battle Of The Imports drag series. Leslie Armendariz's All-Motor Scion tC pushed a record setting 9.34 at 143 mi/h. Christian Rado claimed 2nd place in the Pro FWD class of the 2008 BOTI nationals, he also later claimed a victory with the first FWD car to pass the seven second mark in a quarter mile with a blistering time of 6.97 seconds. Gary White won second place in the Extreme 10.5" class of the ADRL Battle of the Belts World Finals.
 * A 2011 tC was entered for the Formula Drift season in 2011 and is driven by Fredric Aasbo for Team Need For Speed. The 2AR-FE engine, being 2.5 liters was bumped up to 2.7 liters for over 500 hp.
 * For the 2008 Formula Drift year, RS*R converted a Scion tC to rear wheel drive. This was done by taking a Toyota Avensis chassis (which the Scion tC is based on, originally an AWD platform) and converted it into RWD. The car was powered by a tuned BEAMS 3S-GE engine. Ken Gushi previously competed with this vehicle. After talks with teammate Christian Rado, Ken Gushi switched back to the factory 2AZ-FE engine, for the 2010 Formula Drift season. Ken Gushi stated "Chris Rado, my Scion Team mate who runs his famous record tearing Scion tC uses the same base motor (of course for a different application) has proven this motor to withstand numbers up to 900hp, possibly even more." Ken Gushi's tC is now pushing 790 hp.
 * For the 2009/10 Formula Drift seasons, Tanner Foust competed using a Rockstar, AEM and Toyo Tire sponsored Scion tC converted to RWD, built by Papadakis Racing. It was powered by a TRD (Toyota Racing Development) built V8 taken from a former TRD Busch Series NASCAR stocker.
 * For the 2008 KONI Challenge season, Dan Gardner and Craig Stanton drove a Scion tC in the Street Tuner (ST) Class. This marked Scion's world-first professional start in road racing, and the team led the race for a period of time in a 50+ car field.
 * For 2009, a Supercharged tC driven by team owner Dan Gardner was entered in the SCCA World Challenge Touring Car 2 (TC2) class. Scott Webb drove the car to victory, bringing Scion home their first-ever professional win.
 * For the 2010 SCCA World Challenge season, Dan Gardner and Robert Stout drove a pair of supercharged Scion tCs in the Touring Car (TC) class. Robert Stout would win at the 2010 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, giving Scion its first-ever TC class win.
 * In 2010 DG-Spec won the manufacturer's championship in World Challenge for Scion. This marked the first time any Toyota brand had ever won the prestigious championship. No Toyota marque has won since.
 * In 2011 Dan Gardner Spec won the WERC endurance series for the second time, capping off the performance with an entry into the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. The team led the race by as much as a whopping 28 laps before an engine failure brought the car into the pits. The team accomplished the impossible, doing a full motor-swap in 2 hours, and putting the car back on track with 25 minutes to go in the race, claiming the final step on the podium.
 * In June 2012, Christian Rado used a Team Need for Speed AWD Scion tC at the Palm Beach International Raceway for a lap record of 1:20.810 minutes.

title: Scion tC


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General Sherman incident

The General Sherman incident was the destruction in 1866 of the American merchant ship SS General Sherman in the Taedong River during an unsuccessful and illegal attempt by the ship's crew to open up trade with the isolationist Joseon dynasty of Korea. With the rapid increase in Western imperialism in Asia during the 19th century, Asian nations came under increasing pressure to end their isolationist policies. Despite China and Japan being forcibly opened to foreign trade by Western powers, Korea maintained its isolationism.

The General Sherman purchased stocks of cotton textiles, tinware, mirrors and glassware from Tianjin before sailing up the Taedong River. Korean officials informed the ship's captain that he was not allowed to trade in Korea; these instructions were ignored. Eventually, regent Daewongun, believing the General Sherman to be a French Navy warship on a punitive mission to avenge the deaths of Catholic priests in Korea, ordered Pyongan Province governor Bak Gyusu to inform the crew that if they did not leave Korean waters they would be executed.

The crew of the General Sherman then dispatched a dinghy to forage, which took Korean official Yi Hyon-ik hostage. Korean diplomat Bak Gyusu attempted to negotiate for his release, while a crew of civilian onlookers gathered around the General Sherman, attacking the merchant ship in anger. The General Sherman responded by firing its cannons against the civilians onshore. The Koreans then dispatched troops and an improvised warship to destroy the General Sherman, but these efforts were repulsed. Eventually, waves of fire ships set the merchantman on fire.

The crew of the General Sherman jumped off the ship and were killed by enraged civilians on the shore. Korean officials did not inform the U.S. government of the incident and evaded inquiries from American officials. Five years later in 1871, the United States dispatched a military expedition to Korea, in part to ascertain the fate of the General Sherman. After being ambushed, the expeditionary force captured and occupied several Korean forts after a brief battle. The Korean government eventually ended its isolationism in the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876.

Background

The region of Korea had been under the control of the Joseon dynasty since 1392. During the period of Joseon control, Korea, known in the West as the "Hermit Kingdom", had adopted several isolationist policies in response to Chinese and Japanese invasions. These policies remained in place during the 19th century, a period which saw the rapid increase in Western imperialism in Asia, including the Opium Wars which led to the opening of Qing China to foreign trade.

Increasing Western influence in Asia saw Christian missionaries travel to the region to proselytize, which led them into conflict with various Asian governments over the tensions caused by the introduction of Christianity. In China, the activities of Western missionaries indirectly led to the Taiping Rebellion, as Christian rebels led by Hong Xiuquan revolted against the Qing government. In response to these developments and what Joseon royalty perceived as a subversive religion, regent Heungseon Daewongun initiated a series of persecutions of Korean Christians in 1866 in which 8,000 were killed, including several French missionaries. In response, the French dispatched an unsuccessful expedition to Korea, which reaffirmed Korean isolationism.

Foreign merchants who attempted to travel to Korea for trade were rebuffed by local officials, though the Korean government attempted to maintain friendly relations with Western powers. Meanwhile, the United States was attempting to expand its influence in Asia, and in 1854 forced the Japanese government to open Japan to foreign trade. American merchants hoped that a similar process could lead to the opening of Korea.

Incident

Determined to force the Korean government to end its isolationism, the SS General Sherman, an armed merchant schooner owned by Boston businessman W. B. Preston, made plans to travel to Korea. The crew of the General Sherman consisted of Captain Page and Chief Mate Wilson (both Americans), English supercargo George Hogarth and thirteen Asian crew-members, which included Chinese sailor and interpreter Chao Ling Feng, two pilots from Shandong and ten sailors from Beijing, Malaya and South China (who were possibly former soldiers in service of Henry Andres Burgevine). Also on board were a money changer from Guangzhou, Welsh missionary Robert Jermain Thomas and Preston.

Prior to travelling to Korea, the ship's crew purchased stocks of cotton textiles, tinware, mirrors and glassware from British trading firm Messrs. Meadows and Co. in Tianjin and travelled to Yantai before departing for Korean waters on August 9, 1866. Entering the Taedong River on August 16, the crew made frequent stops for Thomas to hand out Bibles to Korean villagers. Korean officials repeatedly informed Page that the ship was not allowed to trade in Korea, which were ignored by the crew.

After receiving reports of the General Sherman and its voyage, Daewongun believed the merchantman to be a French Navy warship on a punitive mission to avenge the deaths of Catholic priests in Korea. He ordered governor of Pyongan Bak Gyusu to inform the crew that if they did not leave they would be killed. In the meantime, the General Sherman ran aground on the river when the tide receded, having misjudged the depth of the river due to a temporary rain swell. On August 27, the crew dispatched a dinghy to forage, which was intercepted by a junk carrying Korean official Yi Hyon-ik, a subordinate of Bak. The crew of the General Sherman took the occupants of the junk hostage. Bak attempted to negotiate for their release, with the crew responding by demanding a ransom of rice, gold, silver, and ginseng for the release of the hostages.

A crowd of civilian onlookers, which had gathered near the stranded merchantman, grew so angered by the unfolding situation that they began attacking the General Sherman with arrows, stones, and Hwacha rockets. In the ensuing chaos, Korean soldier Park Chong-wun commandeered a dinghy and rescued Yi. In response, the General Sherman began bombarding the civilian onlookers with its twelve-pound cannons, killing seven. On September 2, Daewongun dispatched Korean troops equipped with matchlocks with orders to destroy the stranded merchantman. The Koreans initially attempted to destroy the General Sherman by constructing an improvised turtle ship, which was protected by metal sheeting and cowhides and equipped with a concealed cannon. However, the turtle ship's cannon proved unable to penetrate the armor of the General Sherman, and return fire killed a crewmember of the Korean warship.

After the first attack failed, the Koreans then roped together three small boats loaded with firewood, saltpeter, and sulfur, lighting them on fire, and sent them drifting towards the General Sherman. Though the first trio of fire ships missed their target and a second wave bounced off the General Sherman, the third wave set the merchantman on fire. The crew and passengers of the General Sherman abandoned the ship but were killed by enraged civilian onlookers on the shore. The death of Thomas, which supposedly occurred while attempting to hand a Bible to his killer, was later portrayed as an act of martyrdom. The cannons of the General Sherman were salvaged by the Korean government, which celebrated its successful resolution of the incident.

Aftermath

After the incident, the U.S. government remained unaware of the fate of the General Sherman, as Korean officials refrained from informing their American counterparts of what had happened. This was in part due to the Korean government believing that the General Sherman was a British or French ship, and also over concerns that informing the U.S. government would lead to a punitive expedition or a demand for reparations from the United States. Several U.S. Navy officials conducted investigations in Korea in 1867 and 1868, though Korean officials evaded their questions concerning the General Sherman. In the meantime, the French expedition to Korea overshadowed the General Sherman incident.

In 1871, the U.S. State Department dispatched Frederick Low, the United States Minister to China alongside the Asiatic Squadron of the U.S. Navy to investigate the disappearance of the General Sherman and negotiate a treaty with the Korean government which would open up Korea to foreign trade. The expedition consisted of five ships: frigate Colorado, sloops Alaska and Benicia and gunboats Monocacy and Palos. The New York Times claimed that the expedition would produce a "Detailed Account of the Treacherous Attack of the Coreans on Our Launches" and deliver "Speedy and Effective Punishment of the Barbarians".

The expedition departed from Nagasaki on 16 May, arriving at Incheon a week late before setting anchor at Ganghwa Island on 28 May. On 30 May and 31, the expedition made contact with Korean officials, who rebuffed American offers to negotiate, noting that their government "was not the least interested in a trade treaty". Two days later on June 1, the expedition was ambushed by Korean troops as it was sailing up the Han River, with the Americans repulsing the ambushing forces. After failing to receive an apology and receiving confirmation of the fate of the General Sherman, the American expedition attacked and occupied a series of Korean forts. Though the U.S. had emerged militarily victorious, the Korean government maintained its isolationist stance, which would only be ended in the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: General Sherman incident


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User:Chwe

no user is a stub unto himself

Some Architects:

Le Corbusier

Tadao Ando

Carlo Scarpa

Alvaro Siza

Herzog & de Meuron

Rem Koolhaas

Daniel Libeskind

Peter Eisenman

And Architectural history

title: User:Chwe


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Culture of Lebanon

The culture of Lebanon and the Lebanese people emerged from Phoenicia and through various civilizations over thousands of years. It was home to the Phoenicians and was subsequently conquered and occupied by the Assyrians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Persians, the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Ottomans and the French. This variety is reflected in Lebanon's diverse population, composed of different religious groups, and features in the country's festivals, literature, artifacts, cuisine and architecture of Lebanon. Despite colonization by different entities genetic testing has revealed that 89% of Lebanese people today descend from the Phoenicians. Regardless of religion or colonization which were layers of paint on top.

The Maronite, Muslim and the Druze founded modern Lebanon in the early eighteenth century, through the ruling and social system known as the "Maronite-Druze dualism" in Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifite. Despite the religious and denominational diversity of the Lebanese, they "share an almost common culture". Article 11 of the Constitution of Lebanon states: "Arabic is the official national language. A law determines the cases in which the French language is to be used". The spoken Lebanese Arabic dialect used in public mixes Arabic with French. Cuisine and literature are deep-rooted "in wider Mediterranean and Levantine norms".

The hilly Mediterranean geography of Lebanon has played a role in shaping the history of Lebanon and its culture. Archaeology of Lebanon is conducted to explore the region's past.

Arts
By the turn of the 20th century, Beirut was vying with Cairo to be the major centre for Near Eastern and Middle Eastern thought, with many newspapers, magazines and literary societies. Additionally, Beirut became a thriving epicenter of Armenian culture with varied productions that was exported to the Armenian diaspora.

Visual arts
Daoud Corm (1852-1930), Habib Serour (1860-1938) and Khalil Saleeby (1870-1928) are considered the first successful professional studio artists in Lebanon, with careers extending to Europe. All were trained outside Lebanon, with Corm and Serour attending Roman academies and Saleeby British and American ones. They were known for portraiture of Lebanese high society and men of religion, as well as Christian sacred art in the case of Corm and Serour.

Mustafa Farroukh (1901-1957) was one of Lebanon's most important painters between the 1920s and the 1950s. Formally trained in Rome and Paris, he exhibited in venues from Paris to New York to Beirut over his career.

Farid Mansour (1929-2010) was a Lebanese multi-talented painter and sculptor. Being trained in Italy and England, Mansour mastered several painting and sculpting techniques. His works were exhibited in London, Paris, New York as well as Lebanon and Syria.

Contemporary art
Contemporary art started in Beirut immediately after the end of the civil war (1975-1991).

Many contemporary artists are currently active, such as Walid Raad, a contemporary media artist currently residing in New York.

Two contemporary art exhibition centers, the Beirut Art Center and the Beirut Exhibition Center (does not exist anymore) in the BIEL area reflect the vibrant Lebanese contemporary art scene. These two centers are intended to host exhibitions and are a must in the world of international as well as local contemporary art. Many art galleries also add to the local art scene, exhibiting the works of artists such as Ayman Baalbaki, Akram Zaatari, Marwan Sahmarani, Nadim Asfar, Lamia Joreige, Jean Marc Nahas, Ricardo Mbarkho, Mansour El-Habre, Anita Toutikian and many others. These galleries are run by gallerists such as Saleh Barakat > Fadi Mogabgab, Nadine Begdache (Galerie Janine Rubeiz), Odile Mazloum (Galerie Alwane).

Located in Foch Street in the Solidere area, FFA Private Bank is home to many temporary exhibitions of contemporary local artists as well as to a permanent display of paintings by Lebanese artists (Sahmarani, Baalbaki, Hanibal Srouji ... ) or foreign artists such as Fabienne Arietti's "Nasdaq". A Jean Dubuffet's huge sculpture can also be seen when visiting the atrium of Bank Audi Plaza, located in a beautiful contemporary building designed by Kevin Dash. By Strolling through the streets of the city one can find some interesting works such as sculptures of Michel Basbous in the Bank of Lebanon street.

Ashkal Alwan, the Lebanese association for plastic arts and a platform for the creation and exchange of artistic practices. It was founded by Christine Tohmé, Marwan Rechmaoui, Rania Tabbara, Mustapha Yamout and Leila Mroueh. Initially, Ashkal Alwan promoted and introduced the work of artists who have been engaged in critical art practices within the context of post-war Lebanon. The Home Works Forum is a multidisciplinary platform that takes place in Beirut, Lebanon about every other year. it has evolved into one of the most vibrant platforms for research and exchange on cultural practices in the region and beyond.

Umam Documentation & Research runs an exhibition space (The Hangar) located at Haret Hreik, in Beirut's Southern suburb with extensive events.

In the field of digital art, the artist Ricardo Mbarkho investigates the transformation of cultural industries into creative industries.

In the field of photography, the Arab Image Foundation has a collection of +4000 photographs from Lebanon and the Middle East. The photographs can be viewed in a research center and various events and publications have been produced in Lebanon and worldwide to promote the foundation.

Architecture

Architecture in Lebanon includes the legacies of various occupying powers including the Romans, Phoenicians, Ottomans and French, as well as post independence developments.

When the Ottomans exiled Fakhreddine to Tuscany, Italy in 1613, he entered an alliance with the Medicis. Upon his return to Lebanon in 1618, he began modernizing Lebanon. He developed a silk industry, upgraded olive-oil production, and brought with him numerous Italian engineers who began the construction of mansions and civil building throughout the country. The cities of Beirut and Sidon were especially built in the Italianate style.

The Italianate, specifically, Tuscan, influence on architecture in Lebanon dates back to the Renaissance when Fakhreddine, the first Lebanese ruler who truly unified Mount Lebanon with its Mediterranean coast executed an ambitious plan to develop his country.

The influence of these buildings, such as the ones in Deir el Qamar, influenced building in Lebanon for many centuries and continues to the present time. For example, streets like Rue Gouraud continues to have numerous, historic houses with Italianate influence. Buildings like the Nicolas Sursock mansion on Rue Sursock, which is today a major museum, attest to the continuous influence of Italianate architecture in Lebanon.

Literature

Khalil Gibran (1883–1931), who was born in Bsharri, is particularly known for his book The Prophet (1923), which has been translated into more than twenty different languages. Several contemporary Lebanese writers have also achieved international success; including Elias Khoury, Amin Maalouf, Hanan al-Shaykh, and Georges Schehadé.

Several contemporary Lebanese writers have also achieved international success; including Elias Khoury, Amin Maalouf, Hanan al-Shaykh, and Georges Schehadé. Raméz A. Baassiri, a contemporary writer of Lebanese origin, authored a book on Entrepreneurship titled "Interrupted Entrepreneurship: Embracing Change in the Family Business" on family business cycles. The book published with ForbesBooks, was voted the 88th best book of all time by Book Authority.

Poetry
There are many well known Lebanese poets that marked the history of poetry. For example, there is Gibran Khalil Gibran who wrote "Love" in 1920, "On Friendship" in 1923 and many more.

Music
Music is famous in Lebanese society. While traditional folk music remains popular in Lebanon, modern music reconciling traditional styles, pop, and fusion are rapidly advancing in popularity. Radio stations feature a variety of genres and languages, including traditional, classical Arabic and Armenian Prominent traditional musicians include Fairuz, an icon during the civil war, Sabah Melhem Barakat, Wadih El Safi, Majida El Roumi, and Najwa Karam who built an international audience for the genre. Historical figure and Lebanese musical pioneer Lydia Canaan is listed in the catalog of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's Library and Archives in Cleveland, Ohio, USA as the first rock star of the Middle East. Canaan's unique style fuses Middle-Eastern quarter notes and microtones with anglophone rock. Marcel Khalife, a musician who blends classical Arab music with modern sounds, boasts immense popularity for his politically charged lyrics. Distinguished pop artists include Nancy Ajram, Haifa Wehbe, Fadl Shaker, Elissa, and Mika.

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, Lebanon's music industry is growing and could attain leading status in the region. Lebanese performers are celebrated throughout the Arab World, and with the notable exception of Egypt enjoy increasing regional popularity. Rising demand for Arabic music outside Western Asia has provided Lebanese artists with a small but significant global audience. However, widespread piracy continues to inhibit the music industry's growth.

Media
Lebanon is not only a regional center of media production but also the most liberal and free in the Arab world. According to Press freedom's Reporters Without Borders, "the media have more freedom in Lebanon than in any other Arab country". Despite its small population and geographic size, Lebanon plays an influential role in the production of information in the Arab world and is "at the core of a regional media network with global implications".

After independence, Beirut emerged as the epicenter of publishing in the Arab world, characterized by free and liberal media and literary scenes. Lebanon's press became a huge industry despite the country's small size and has remained a haven for Arabic publishing. The establishment of modern printing presses and sophisticated book distribution channels made Beirut a regional publishing leader, and gave the Lebanese publishers a dominant role in Arab publishing. Lebanon hosts annually two important regional publishing events, the Beirut Book Fair and the Beirut Francophone Book Fair.

Television in Lebanon was introduced in 1959, with the launch of two privately owned stations, CLT and Télé Orient that merged in 1967 into Télé Liban. Lebanon has ten national television channels, with most being affiliated or supported by certain political parties or alliances.

Lebanon was one of the first countries in the Arabic-speaking world to introduce internet. Beirut's newspapers were the first in the region to provide readers with web versions of their newspapers. By 1986, three newspapers from Lebanon were online, Al Anwar, Annahar, and Assafir, and by 2000, more than 200 websites provided news out of Lebanon.

Cinema
Cinema of Lebanon, according to film critic and historian, Roy Armes, was the only other cinema in the Arabic-speaking region, beside Egypt's, that could amount to a national cinema. Cinema in Lebanon has been in existence since the 1920s, and the country has produced over 500 films, some of which are:
 * West Beirut – by Ziad Doueiri, released in 1998, received the Prix François Chalais at the Directors' fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival (1998)
 * Mabrouk Again – by Hany Tamba, released in 2000
 * The Kite– by Randa Chahal, released in 2003, received many prestigious awards including the Silver Lion, Prix de la paix- Gillo Pontecorvo and Prix de la Lanterne Magique at the Venice Film Festival (2003)
 * After Shave – by Hany Tamba, released in 2005, received the 2006 French César Award for best foreign short film
 * Bosta – by Philippe Aractingi, released in 2005
 * Under the Bombs – by Philippe Aractingi, released in 2006
 * Caramel – starring and directed by Nadine Labaki, released in 2007
 * Where Do We Go Now? – starring and directed by Nadine Labaki, released in 2011, received the Cadillac People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival (2011)
 * Capernaum – written by Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojaily and Michelle Keserwany, released in 2018, the film was selected as the Lebanese entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards.

Theatre
Lebanese theatre has its origin in passion plays. The musical plays of Maroun Naccache from the mid-1800s are considered the birth of modern Arab theatre. Some scholars like Abdulatif Shararah divided theatre in Lebanon into three phases: translations of European plays, Arab nationalism, and realism.

Cultural relations between Lebanon and Egypt
The cultural and historical relations between Lebanon and Egypt are considered to be unique, because there is a considerable overlap between the Lebanese and Egyptian cultures, especially in the fields of literature, theater, cinema and journalism. All of them played an integral role towards each other especially in theater, cinema and journalism, that's what was confirmed by the Conference Egypt in the eyes of the Lebanese and which is Within the activities of the cultural program Egypt in the eyes of the World. Which is held at the headquarters of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, and in the presence of the Lebanese Ambassador in Egypt, Madeleine Tabar and Ahmed Ghanem founder of cultural program Egypt in the eyes of the World and an elite of Lebanese artists.

Fashion
Many Christians and most Muslims who live in the cities wear modern stylish clothes. In the countryside, women sometimes wear traditional colorful skirts and men wear a traditional sherwal (baggy trousers). Dress was historically Ottoman, but remains only as part of the folk culture. Today, almost all Lebanese wear modern clothing.

Famous names in the Lebanese fashion industry include Elie Saab, Zuhair Murad, Darin Hachem, Reem Acra, and Rabih Kayrouz

Holidays and festivals

Lebanon celebrates national holidays and both Christian and Muslim holidays.

Christian holidays are celebrated following both the Gregorian Calendar and Julian Calendar. Greek Orthodox, Catholics (Maronite and Melkite), and Protestant Christians follow the Gregorian Calendar and thus celebrate Christmas on 25 December. Armenian Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on 6 January, as they follow the Julian Calendar.

Muslim holidays are followed based on the Islamic lunar calendar. Muslim holidays that are celebrated include Eid al-Fitr (the three-day feast at the end of the Ramadan month), Eid al-Adha (The Feast of the Sacrifice) which is celebrated during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and also celebrates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to God, Mawlid (the Birthday of Muhammad), and Ashura. Lebanon's National Holidays include Workers Day, Independence day, and Martyrs Day.

Music festivals, often hosted at historical sites, are a customary element of Lebanese culture. Among the most famous are Baalbeck International Festival, Byblos International Festival, Beiteddine International Festival, Broumana Festival, Batroun Festival, Dhour Chwer Festival and Tyr Festival. These festivals are promoted by Lebanon's Ministry of Tourism, Lebanon Hosts about 15 Concerts from International Performers Each Year Ranking Number one for Nightlife in the Middle east and 6th Worldwide.

Cuisine

Lebanese cuisine is similar to those of many countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, such as Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus.

The Lebanese national dishes are the kibbe, a meat pie made from finely minced lamb and burghul (cracked wheat), and the tabbouleh, a salad made from parsley, tomatoes, and burghul. The national beverage is arak, a strong anise-flavored liquor made from fermented grape juice. It is usually drunk with water and ice, which turns the clear liquid milky-white, and usually accompanies food. Arak is a strong spirit similar to the Greek ouzo and the Turkish raki.

M'Juhdara, a thick stew of onions, rice, and lentils, is sometimes eaten around Lent by people in the Lebanese diaspora.

Society
Lebanese society is similar to certain cultures of the Mediterranean as the country is uniquely diverse religiously. It is often considered as a gateway to Western Asia, Levant and the Arab World.

Mixed-sex groups of youth are very common especially in Verdun, Hamra Street, Ashrafieh, and downtown Beirut as well as other places. Premarital physical sexual relations are very common, although intercourse is frowned upon and avoided by both Muslim and Christian people.

The contraceptive prevalence rate is estimated at 58%, of which 34% modern contraceptives, primarily IUDs, pills and condoms. Prostitution in Lebanon is nominally legal.

By comparison to most other Arab capitals, Beirut is more modern and more culturally liberal. Compared to Damascus, Cairo, and Baghdad, and especially in contrast to such cities as Riyadh, Beirut is more tolerant with regard to relations between men and women, and also with regard to homosexuality.

Notwithstanding the persistence of traditional attitudes regarding the role of women, Lebanese women enjoy equal civil rights and attend institutions of higher education in large numbers (for example, women constituted 41 percent of the student body at the American University of Beirut in 1983). Although women in Lebanon have their own organizations, most exist as subordinate branches of the political parties.

While gay sex does not enjoy wide acceptance, Beirut has a number of gay bars and nightclubs, in addition to five LGBT rights organizations, namely Helem, Arab Foundation for Equality (AFE), Nasawiya-Feminist Collective, Proud Lebanon, and Mosaïque.

Sports
France]] in their pool match, qualifying for the knockout stages and securing automatic qualification for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. In 2009, the country hosted the Francophone Games, which took place in the capital, Beirut.
 * In association football, the governing body for Lebanon is the Federation Libanaise de Football (FLDF), which organises the men's, women's, and futsal national teams.
 * In basketball, the governing body is the Lebanese Basketball Federation, which is a member of FIBA Asia. The Lebanon national basketball team has qualified three consecutives times to the FIBA World Championship in 2002, 2006, and 2010, and the team is ranked 24th in the world and the women's national team is ranked 61st in the world. Lebanese basketball clubs include Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut and Hekmeh-Sagesse, known as C.S. Sagesse or Sagesse for men and Antranik SC for women.
 * The Lebanon national rugby league team qualified and played in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup and 2017 Rugby League World Cup. In the latter, they beat [[France national rugby league team|
 * Weightlifting - In the 1972 Summer Olympics, Mohamed Traboulsi won the weightlifting silver medal.
 * Winter sports - Lebanon has six ski resorts
 * In the summer, skilifts can be used to access hiking trails.
 * The Beirut International Marathon is held every fall.
 * Rugby union was introduced from France. The Lebanon national rugby union team represents Lebanon in international rugby union, and is governed by the Lebanon Rugby Union.

title: Culture of Lebanon


text:
Babyshambles

Babyshambles were an English rock band established in London. The band was formed by Pete Doherty (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) during a hiatus from the Libertines. As of 2013 the band included Mick Whitnall (lead guitar), Drew McConnell (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Adam Ficek (drums, percussion). Babyshambles have released three albums—Down in Albion (2005), Shotter's Nation (2007) and Sequel to the Prequel (2013)—three EPs and a number of singles.

Early history and touring (2003–2005)
In mid-2003, Pete Doherty was banned from playing with the Libertines until he could overcome his substance abuse problems. As a response, Doherty formed an alternative band, and recruited former Libertine Steve Bedlow as vocalist. Initially, Doherty planned on calling his new band T'Libertines, because of the band's Yorkshire connection – the line-up of the band at the time consisted mainly of Yorkshiremen. On the night Babyshambles' first gig was scheduled to take place, Doherty was arrested for burgling Carl Barât's flat. After he was charged and released, his friend Dean Fragile organized a new gig at the Tap'n'Tin. The performance received mixed reviews.

Doherty was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for his crime. His sentence was later reduced on appeal to two months. When he was released from prison, Doherty rejoined The Libertines and sidelined the Babyshambles project. However, he found time to record the band's first single, "Babyshambles", which was released in April 2004 on High Society Records. The artwork was by Sophie Thunder. The single was limited to 2000 CDs and 1000 7" vinyl copies.

In the early summer of 2004, Doherty once again found himself cast out of The Libertines because of his drug use. As a result, Doherty brought Babyshambles to the fore with Patrick Walden on guitar, Gemma Clarke on drums and Peter Perrett's two sons, Jamie and Peter Junior, on guitar and bass respectively. Doherty organised several gigs and the band began to gain respect in their own right, even though Doherty missed a number of appearances. The band's lineup underwent several changes before stabilizing during the late summer of 2004 with Doherty on vocals, Patrick Walden on guitar, Gemma Clarke on drums and Drew McConnell on bass.

In September and October 2004, Babyshambles embarked on a British tour that culminated with two shows at the London Scala. Despite fears that Doherty's performance would not be consistent, the tour sold out and received critical acclaim. The band's second single, "Killamangiro", was released 29 November 2004 on Rough Trade Records, reaching number 8 on the UK singles chart. The band embarked on another tour in December 2004, among growing concerns regarding Doherty's drug dependence. During a gig in Blackpool, the band walked off the stage when it became clear that Doherty was too intoxicated to perform, and a riot broke out at the London Astoria after Doherty failed to appear, with 150–200 of the audience invading the stage and damaging the band's equipment, including the destruction of Gemma Clarke's drumkit, an incident that cast doubt over her desire to continue in the band.

After finally stabilizing in late summer, Babyshambles' lineup underwent another change in January 2005. On 27 January 2005, drummer Gemma Clarke quit the band after disagreeing with their management. The ongoing heavy drug abuse of the band members, especially of frontman Doherty, and James Mullord's inability to do something about it, made her eventually leave the band. She was immediately replaced by Adam Ficek, who was once a band member of the White Sport alongside Patrick Walden.

Down in Albion (2005–2007)
In April and May 2005, Babyshambles spent several weeks in a recording studio in Wales working on their debut album with Mick Jones of the Clash, who had also worked with Doherty on the production of the Libertines' albums. The album, entitled Down in Albion, was released on 14 November 2005. It reached the Top 10 on the UK Albums Chart. The first single from the album, "Fuck Forever", had been released on 15 August, reaching number four on the UK Singles Chart. The second single, "Albion", was released on 28 November and reached number eight in the UK singles chart.

Fellow English rock group Oasis had booked Babyshambles to support them on their UK tour in July 2005. However, Doherty was attending the birthday celebration of fashion designer Hedi Slimane with Kate Moss and was unable to arrange transport back to the UK in time for the band's first appearance. As a consequence Oasis cancelled Babyshambles' support for the rest of the tour.

Several small gigs took place at the end of 2005 and 2006.

Babyshambles announced four small club shows in London, Liverpool, Sheffield and Stoke in January 2006. To the surprise of his fans, the band performed without guitarist Patrick Walden, with Doherty on guitar instead. Walden returned for a gig in Cambridge on 23 January and a UK tour in February. He played his last gig with the band at the Shepherd's Bush Empire during that tour, and has not appeared with Babyshambles since. He has, however, appeared on stage independently and in the company of Drew McConnell and Seb Rochford, playing two Babyshambles songs which he co-wrote with Pete Doherty, in July 2007.

In February 2006, Babyshambles won the Naomi Award for Worst Live Act, and were nominated for several NME awards. The band performed "Albion" at the NME Awards show, and Doherty won the "Sexiest Man" award.

In August 2006, Babyshambles signed to major record label Parlophone for the release of an EP, and headlined the Get Loaded in the Park festival. The band released the limited edition single "Beg, Steal or Borrow", which was exclusively available to those who had attended the festival. A free copy of "The Blinding" was released in the street magazine The Big Issue.

A cover version of the Clash song "Janie Jones" was released through B-Unique Records in October. The single was released to raise money for Joe Strummer's charity foundation Strummerville and features contributions from others bands such as Dirty Pretty Things, Larrikin Love, We Are Scientists, the Kooks, and Guillemots. This release marked the first time that Carl Barât and Pete Doherty had worked together since the Libertines parted, although they never met during the recording process.

On 4 December 2006, The Blinding EP was released to critical acclaim. The release was promoted with music videos for "The Blinding" and "Love You But You're Green", and an acoustic performance of the latter on The Culture Show. The single was not eligible for the singles chart because it contained too many tracks; however, the band claimed on its MySpace page that it would have made number four in the Christmas Day 2006 UK chart had it been eligible.

On 18 January 2007, it was announced that the band had signed a long-term record deal with Parlophone. The contract was reportedly for three albums. In Summer 2007, Babyshambles played Oxegen, Glastonbury Festival, the V Festival, T in the Park and Paredes de Coura Festival.

Shotter's Nation (2007–2010)
On 1 October 2007 Babyshambles released their second album, Shotter's Nation. The track listing for the album was revealed on 23 July 2007 in the (p)review posted on Allan Jones' Editor's Diary Uncut.co.uk blog. The Stephen Street–produced record contains 12 tracks and features a guest appearance from Bert Jansch on the acoustic closer. Adam Ficek commented that Shotter's Nation is a "glossy picture" of where the band are at the moment.

The first single from the album, "Delivery", was released on 17 September 2007, reaching number six in the UK Singles Chart after its first week on general sale. A week prior to the release, a 7-inch vinyl containing a demo version of the song and an interview with the band was released with NME magazine.

In November 2007 Babyshambles played their first arena tour, taking in dates at the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, MEN Arena in Manchester, the Nottingham Arena, Bournemouth International Centre, London's Wembley Arena, Brighton's Brighton Centre, and Birmingham's National Indoor Arena.

The second single from Shotter's Nation, "You Talk", was released on 3 December 2007.

In January and February 2008, Babyshambles played their biggest European tour to date. Babyshambles were due to play at a lot of festivals that spring and summer, especially in France. In June they played at Hove Festival in Norway. In August they headlined the RadioOne/NME Stage of the Reading and Leeds Festivals. However, a large amount of their scheduled tour was cancelled due to Doherty's recent imprisonment. On 8 April, it was announced that Babyshambles was going to release a live CD/DVD entitled Oh! What A Lovely Tour on 2 June. The concert was recorded during the winter leg of the UK arena tour at the SECC Glasgow on 2 December. On 22 May 2008 Babyshambles performed at the Saturday Night Fiber, a new music festival in Madrid, Spain with other artists such as Morrissey. Growing speculation suggested that Babyshambles would be unable to make all tour dates for 2008, but in an interview with NME "Doherty added that he will honour all his booked live commitments with Babyshambles, but will not book further gigs until his solo album is finished". On 12 January 2009, along with Roger Daltrey, Babyshambles played a one-off gig at the O2 Academy Bristol in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust.

Sequel to the Prequel (2010–2014)
In June 2010 drummer and co-songwriter Adam Ficek split with the band to focus on his solo outfit Roses Kings Castles, with former Supergrass drummer Danny Goffey temporarily taking his place. In early 2013, NME announced that Babyshambles were working on a third album, with Stereophonics drummer Jamie Morrison replacing Adam Ficek in the line-up. Stephen Street denied this speculation, but bassist Drew McConnell is said to have broken the news to the music magazine. On 29 April 2013, Babyshambles announced a UK tour for the months of September and October of the same year, kicking off on 4 September at Glasgow's Barrowlands. The new album, titled Sequel to the Prequel, was released on 2 September 2013, following Babyshambles' scheduled Australian shows in late July. The album charted at number 10 in the UK. Although Doherty's band the Libertines re-formed in 2014, Babyshambles continued to perform sporadic shows and festivals until 2014, most notably Rock am Ring, Rock Werchter, and Best Kept Secret Festival.

Band members

 * Pete Doherty – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, sitar (2003–2014)
 * Mick Whitnall – lead guitar (2006–2014)
 * Drew McConnell – bass guitar, backing vocals (2004–2014)
 * Adam Ficek – drums and percussion (2005–2012;2014)
 * Patrick Walden – lead guitar (2004–2006)
 * Gemma Clarke – drums and percussion (2003–2005)
 * Danny Goffey – drums and percussion (2010)
 * Jamie Morrison – drums and percussion (2012)

Discography

 * Studio albums
 * Down in Albion (2005)
 * Shotter's Nation (2007)
 * Sequel to the Prequel (2013)

title: Babyshambles


text:
City Island

City Island may refer to:

 * City Island (Daytona Beach), Florida
 * City Island, Bronx, New York
 * City Island (Pennsylvania)
 * City Island Bridge, connects City Island and Bronx, New York
 * City Island Harbor, Bronx, New York
 * City Island (film), 2009 film by Raymond De Felitta set on City Island, New York
 * London City Island, United Kingdom

title: City Island


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Conny Plank

Konrad "Conny" Plank (3 May 1940 – 5 December 1987) was a German record producer and musician. He is known for his innovative work as a sound engineer and producer in Germany's krautrock and kosmische music scene in the 1970s. Plank was involved in releases by Neu!, Kraftwerk, Cluster, Harmonia, Ash Ra Tempel, Guru Guru, Kraan, and other German groups of the era. He later produced for new wave acts such as D.A.F., Eurythmics and Ultravox. As a billed performer, Plank also formed the group Moebius & Plank, releasing 5 albums between 1979 and 1986.

Style and influence
Plank and the bands he worked with in West Germany had a strong influence on mainstream rock artists, some of whom were able to popularize aspects of his production technique and his distinctive approach. In the 1980s, electronic pop bands were able to realize his ideas in performance as computerized electronic instruments became readily available.

Plank, who began his career as soundman for Marlene Dietrich, was an ardent believer in the possibilities of electronic music and electronic soundscapes. He was also known for blending them with conventional sounds, or natural sounds given unconventional treatments, such as using large metal containers and other industrial objects as percussion instruments.

Plank used multi-track recording facilities. He favored sometimes harsh-sounding effects and contrasting audio for each element in the mix. Plank used combinations of echo, reverberation and other electronic, mixing, editing and tape-based effects to create mixes.

Plank favoured a 'live' production sound, especially on drums. On a recording session in Hamburg in 1970 with Hartmut Kulka from the German Blue Flames & Philip Cantlay of Casey Jones & the Governors/Gaslight Union, together known as Kulka & Cantlay, he set up and recorded conga drums with specially inserted microphones to provide an unusual percussion sound.

1960s
Plank began producing albums and working as a sound engineer in the late 1960s and became involved in the underground music scene which was spreading outwards through Germany from Berlin. In 1969 he served as engineer for the first Kluster album, Klopfzeichen, which was released the following year. His long association with Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius of Kluster and later Cluster endured until his death. He also served as engineer for Alexander von Schlippenbach's album The Living Music, which was released in 1969, the first of a long list of engineering and production credits.

1970s
In 1970 he had a 56 channel mixing desk hand built by himself, Peter Lang and Michael Zähl. and went on to produce and/or engineered many recordings by significant German progressive/experimental music acts often referred to as krautrock internationally, including Kraftwerk, Organisation, Neu!, Cluster, Harmonia, Night Sun, Holger Czukay and Guru Guru.

In 1977, through Brian Eno, Plank recruited Dave Hutchins from Island Studios, as house engineer. Hutchins undertook recording and mixing roles on many of the productions originating from the studios in the following ten years.

As a musician, Plank played guitar and keyboards on three Guru Guru albums: Kang Guru, Guru Guru, and Mani und Seine Freunde, the Os Mundi album 43 Minuten, and Cluster's self-titled debut album. In 1978 and 1979 he added guitar and percussion to two Roedelius solo albums, Durch Die Wüste and Selbstportrait. He was a member of the short lived band Liliental, contributing guitar, keyboards, and vocals. In 1979 he went into the studio with Dieter Moebius to record the first Moebius & Plank album, Rastakraut Pasta which was released the following year.

1980s
Plank continued to work as one half of the duo Moebius & Plank, recording four additional albums. Their second album, Material, was released in 1981. Their third album, the African-influenced Zero Set, with Guru Guru drummer Mani Neumeier, was released in 1983. These two albums are early examples of the predecessors of techno and electronica. In 1983, Moebius & Plank also recorded the album Ludwig's Law using an Emulator, an early form of sampling keyboard that enabled them to duplicate other instruments without having musicians to play them. Mayo Thompson of Red Krayola contributed vocals, mainly spoken monologues. The project was rejected by Sky Records and was not released until 1998. The final Moebius & Plank collaboration, En Route was recorded in Conny's Studio in 1986 but left incomplete as Plank's health deteriorated. It was completed and mixed in 1995, primarily by Dieter Moebius, and released that year.

During the eighties, Plank remained in high demand with the new generation of electronic pop and new wave artists, including Devo, the Meteors from the Netherlands (Hunger in 1980) and (Stormy Seas in 1981), the Fred Banana Combo, Ultravox (Systems of Romance, Vienna and Rage in Eden), Echo & the Bunnymen, Freur, Killing Joke, the Tourists (Luminous Basement) and Eurythmics (In the Garden). He also worked on pop and rock productions with artists such as Scorpions, Clannad, Play Dead, and Gianna Nannini (Latin Lover, Sogno Di Una Notte d'Estate, Tutto Live and others, also credited for music).

Plank's other production credits include Liaisons Dangereuses, Phew, Einstürzende Neubauten, Ástor Piazzolla, Psychotic Tanks, DAF (including the classic single "Der Mussolini"), Les Rita Mitsouko, and Nina Hagen.

According to René Tinner and Stephan Plank in a radio documentary about the life of Conny Plank, it was Brian Eno's idea that Plank should produce the U2 album The Joshua Tree instead of him. After being introduced to the band by Eno and after a short meeting, Plank turned down the job ("I cannot work with this singer"). According to the companion website of the documentary film Conny Plank – The Potential of Noise (but not the film itself), after the meeting, Plank firstly asked for time for a second thought. In the meantime he attended a U2 concert at Freilichtbühne Loreley, where U2's Bono introduced Plank to the audience as their new producer, after which Plank is said to have left the concert and never communicated further with any member of U2.

Death
Plank became sick while touring South America with Dieter Moebius, Arno Steffen and Detlef Wiederhoeft performing music from Ludwig's Law. Some of Plank's last work, before his death in 1987 from laryngeal cancer in Cologne, was the recording of concerts on Eurythmics' Revenge tour, and samples used on the NED Synclavier on their Savage album.

His studio, at his home on the southern outskirts of Cologne, continued to be run by his widow Christa Fast and their son until her failing health and the general change in the music business forced them to offer its contents for sale in May 2006. Fast died on 1 June 2006. Conny's hand-built mixing desk was bought by English producers David M. Allen and Mark Ralph and transported to England. The desk was originally designed and built by Plank in 1970, altered and frequently upgraded until his death in 1987. The 56 channel desk was a custom design and has a number of unique features, including a specially designed equalization (EQ) section that conformed to Plank's own preferred EQ settings, as well as a section that could be removed and fitted into a converted military van adapted for remote recording. It is also reputedly laminated in wood taken from a single cherry tree from Plank's own garden.

The mixing desk was initially installed at Club Ralf, the private studio of producer Mark Ralph, where he used it to record and mix a range of work including all or parts of "In Our Heads" and "Why Make Sense" by Hot Chip, "Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action" by Franz Ferdinand and "Communion" by Years & Years. It is currently in North London at Studio 7, the private studio of songwriter and producer Laurence Loveless.

Recordings
Plank was involved with the following chronological list of albums, either as a direct contributor or because his studio facilities were used. The dates refer to the year of first release.

Documentary

 * Conny Plank – The Potential of Noise, a 92 minute documentary film directed by Reto Caduff and Plank's son Stephan Plank, was released in September 2017.

title: Conny Plank


text:
Queen Street, Auckland

Queen Street is the major commercial thoroughfare in the Auckland CBD, Auckland, New Zealand's main population centre. The northern end is at Queens Wharf on the Auckland waterfront, adjacent to the Britomart Transport Centre and the Downtown Ferry Terminal. The road is close to straight, the southern end being almost three kilometres away in a south-southwesterly direction on the Karangahape Road ridge, close to the residential suburbs in the interior of the Auckland isthmus.

Geography
Named after Queen Victoria, Queen Street was an early development of the new town of Auckland (founded in 1840), although initially the main street was intended to be Shortland Street, running parallel to the shore of Commercial Bay. The early route of Queen Street led up the middle of a gully following the bank of the Waihorotiu Stream (later bounded in as the 'Ligar Canal'). This canal was culverted beneath the street from the 1870s onward, allowing for further development of the street to be undertaken. The course of the stream is still reflected today in the slight bend of lower Queen Street. From north of Shortland Street, Queen Street is built on land reclaimed from the sea in the late 19th century (see Auckland waterfront article).

There are several other 'Queen Streets' in the greater Auckland area, mostly in suburbs that were separate towns before being absorbed by a growing central city. Auckland was also called the "Queen City" since before the turn of the 20th century, though that term is now overshadowed by the nickname "City of Sails".

Demographics
The statistical areas of Queen Street, which encompasses a full block either side of Queen Street north of Wellesley Street, and Queen Street South West, which includes the area west of Queen Street to Vincent Street and Pitt Street south of Wellesley Street, cover 0.40 km2 and had an estimated population of as of  with a population density of  people per km2.

Queen Street had a population of 3,807 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 639 people (20.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 1,527 people (67.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,860 households, comprising 2,076 males and 1,725 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.2 males per female, with 123 people (3.2%) aged under 15 years, 1,851 (48.6%) aged 15 to 29, 1,626 (42.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 204 (5.4%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 46.3% European/Pākehā, 5.0% Māori, 2.8% Pacific peoples, 41.4% Asian, and 9.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 73.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 54.5% had no religion, 27.0% were Christian, 0.4% had Māori religious beliefs, 5.0% were Hindu, 3.5% were Muslim, 2.8% were Buddhist and 2.8% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,329 (36.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 162 (4.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 591 people (16.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,953 (53.0%) people were employed full-time, 630 (17.1%) were part-time, and 204 (5.5%) were unemployed.

Street, stream and canal
Māori settlements in the Queen Street area were along the local stream; Te Wai Horotiu (The water of Horotiu) or Waihorotiu Stream. The stream as a food source and for other purposes. It ran from the ridge along Karagahape Road towards the sea. Horotiu is the name of a taniwha (guardian spirit) which was believed to live in the stream. In 1841 colonial settlers built a number of wooden buildings along the western side, following the general path of the Waihorotiu Stream according to the plans set out by surveyor Felton Mathew. While the street was metalled in 1843 ('metal' is a New Zealand term for gravel road), the natural stream still often overflowed its banks, and the area was still swampy. This led to canalisation and later covering-over of the stream.

Mainstreet of Auckland
After a fire in 1858 destroyed around 50 buildings in High Street and Shortland Street, the commercial district began to shift towards Queen Street instead, and the first brick and plaster buildings of the 1860s started to cement this move, with the Bank of New Zealand building (only the façade extant today) being one of the first examples. Fires however still continued to plague the new town, with one in 1873 wiping out another 54 buildings in the Queen Street area between Wellesley Street West and Grey Street (today Greys Avenue). The fires, amongst other things, led to the establishment of the Auckland Volunteer Fire Service. In the 1880s, the first horse-drawn buses began connecting Queen Street with areas such as Ponsonby Road and Remuera. In 1900, the first motorcar was admired on the street, and in 1902 the street was finally asphalted, the first street in New Zealand. The same year the first electric trams also arrived, to provide services until 1956.

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a large number of imposing buildings constructed, such as the Smith & Caughey's building, the Auckland Town Hall and the General Post Office at the waterfront, later to become the Britomart Transport Centre. By that time, the street was popular for events such as parades and festivities, as well as for political activities such as the strike demonstrations of 1913. Queen Street riots occurred after a 1932 unemployment march and broke out again in the adjacent Aotea Square in late 1984. During the second half of the 20th century, many of the older buildings on Queen Street were demolished to make space for larger office buildings.

Character
Queen Street is known by reputation all over the country, even by people who have never seen it. It gives its name to the most expensive square in the New Zealand version of Monopoly and to a somewhat disrespectful description of business people with rural investment interests (but lacking farming expertise): 'Queen Street farmers'. The street was immortalised by The Front Lawn with their song (It started on) Queen Street.

The street has been the site of numerous parades, marches and other events of political, cultural or sporting nature. Together with adjacent High Street, it is the main retail precinct of the central city, with most national store, bank and restaurant franchises having a branch on the street. Several important other local businesses, such as the Smith & Caughey's department store, have flagship branches here.

The street sees very high pedestrian numbers, estimated by some as up to 10 times as high as on Broadway in Newmarket, seen as Queen Street's closest shopping street rival in Auckland.

Transport and foot traffic

Prior to a 2006–2008 street upgrade (see below), Council figures showed that over 50,000 pedestrians, 40,000 public transport users and 20,000 people in private vehicles used Queen Street daily. The Council anticipated that the private car share would drop by around 15%. An editorial of The New Zealand Herald accused Council of using overestimated public transport user numbers for political purposes to support its bus lane plans.

Former tram network
Until December 1956, trams provided public transport along Queen Street, and it was the only street in New Zealand with grand unions, double-track to double-track junctions, where trams could go to all directions from all directions. These junctions were at the intersections with Customs Street and Wellesley Street. Since the closure of Auckland's tram network, Balaclava Junction on Melbourne's tram network has been the sole grand union left in the Southern Hemisphere.

2006–2008 upgrade
Public perception in the early 2000s was that Queen Street had lost some of its good reputation in the previous decades, with a rundown and uncoordinated streetscape and the loss of several prestigious retailers cited as either causes or effects. Auckland City Council decided to address the issue of the 'tired' Queen Street through a major redevelopment of the street.

This involved the widening and relaying of footpaths with basalt kerbstones and paving. Granite insets, designed in consultation with the local Māori (Ngati Whatua iwi), as well as recycled redchip pavers from the existing footpath, were used to denote special areas – such as those related to the existence of the old Waihorotiu Stream. New street furniture (such as multi-purpose poles for lighting, signage and pennants) and new trees and other landscaping were added to create a 'boulevard effect'. The liquidambars and Nīkau Palms chosen for the new design touched off heated public discussion in 2006 as their inclusion came at the destruction of previous, established trees (which were not native flora of New Zealand, and thus not retained in the new landscaping plan).

The 2006–2008 project repeatedly increased in cost, from NZ$23 million to around NZ$43.5 million, with some aspects (such as an improved entrance to Myers Park) falling victim to the blowout. While Council noted in June 2007 that progress had often been quicker than expected, the cost overruns, and the long duration of the construction works – which substantially affected pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic as well as retail sales – made the upgrade unpopular in public, at least during the duration. It also became a problem issue for Dick Hubbard in his failed campaign for re-election to Mayor of Auckland in 2007. The upgrade is now considered to have generally been a success, and it won the 2009 Urban Design Award of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, which commended it for creating a quality public realm and sense of place.

Upgrade priorities
To accommodate construction work, Auckland City Council reduced traffic lanes for vehicles to one lane in each direction in early 2007. A proposal was made for this to become permanent, with extended public transport provisions such as bus lanes and cycle lanes proposed for the outer lanes. Also proposed was a 30 km/h speed limit. Committee discussions and public consultation resulted in four physical lanes being retained, mainly to safeguard the street layout for future public transport options such as light rail.

The changes included further improvements to pedestrian facilities, with the total footpath area increasing by 20% to almost 14,000 m2, and longer traffic signal phases for pedestrians, while three new signalised pedestrian crossings were introduced mid-block, at accident 'black spots'. Also undertaken was a reduction of on-street parking spaces from 81 to 51, part of the prioritisation for pedestrians. The remaining spaces became dedicated short-term parking (i.e. drop-offs, loading). Not included in the design were dedicated bus bays, noted as a serious oversight by some critics, causing potential delays on the proposed bus lanes.

Shooting
On 20 July 2023, a mass shooting involving a construction site on the southern end of Queen Street occurred, resulting in the deaths of three people, including the shooter.

Buildings and attractions

At the northern (waterfront) end of Queen Street are several significant buildings. These include:
 * Auckland Ferry Building, 1911. Alexander Wiseman architect. This brick and sandstone building is in the Edwardian Baroque style. It was renovated in 1986 at a cost of $11 million.
 * Endeans Building, 1914–15. Corner of Queen Street and Quay Street. Built by John Endean, a prominent hotel proprietor, in 1905 and rebuilt 10 years later after a fire. Chilwell and Trevithick architects. The upper floors of this reinforced concrete building were converted to apartments during the 1990s. Listed as a Category II heritage building.
 * (Former) Chief Post Office, 1910. John Campbell architect. Opened by Prime Minister William Massey before a crowd of over 8,000. This Edwardian Baroque building of limestone and granite has been incorporated into the Britomart Transport Centre. Campbell was the Government Architect, and consequently this building has similar features to the New Zealand Parliament Buildings in Wellington, which were constructed around the same time.
 * (Former) Custom House, 1888. Thomas Mahoney architect, 22 Customs St. This building displays the mansard roofs typical of the French Second Empire Style. In 1909 an addition was built to the south [now demolished]. Prior to the Town Hall's opening in 1911 several departments of the Auckland City Council were located here. The Custom House was renovated for retail use in the 1980s.The old Auckland Customhouse, c.1889.jpg

Between Customs Street and Wellesley Street, Queen Street is lined with retail and office buildings. This section of the street is where the majority of the high-rise buildings are located. These are mostly 20th century in origin, although a number of 19th century structures survive. Many large corporations, insurance companies and banks had substantial buildings on Queen Street and in some cases their head offices were located here rather than in Wellington (the capital). The most significant buildings along the middle part of the street are the:
 * Dilworth Building, 1927. Gummer and Ford architects. 22 Queen St. Envisaged as one of a pair of buildings flanking the entrance to Queen Street and thus being a "Gateway to Auckland". The use of electric cranes rather than hydraulic meant a very short construction period. The Dilworth Building is a reinforced concrete structure encased in Portland stone. William Gummer had been trained in the offices of Sir Edwin Lutyens, and this building shows influence of this connection.
 * The Queens Arcade – 34 Queen Street. 1920s Neo-classical building linking the eastern side of Queen Street with Customs Street.
 * Imperial Hotel – 66 Queen Street. A Victorian building from 1883 that is now used as a backpackers, the Imperial Hotel incorporated a building that had previously been offices for the Auckland Harbour Board and the Gas Board.
 * Guardian Trust Building – 105 Queen Street. A 1919 reinforced concrete structure distinguished by bronze entrance columns. The architect William Gummer had been trained in the offices of Sir Edwin Lutyens, and this building shows influence of this connection. The stone used on the Queen Street façade and in the lobby is Cloudy Bay Marble from Nelson.
 * The Deloitte Centre – 80 Queen Street. New tower designed by Woods Bagot Architects which incorporates the Jean Batten State Building.
 * Jean Batten State Building – Named after the pioneer New Zealand aviator Jean Batten. Designed by John Mair, government architect in 1937 and completed in 1940. This was intended as office space for Government departments in Auckland which had outgrown their premises in the Custom House in nearby Customs Street. The building was used by the American High Command as their headquarters for the duration of the Second World War.
 * South British Insurance Building – 15 Shortland Street. 1927 building by R F Draffin for the South British Insurance Company – the lobby is arguably the best Art-Deco interior in Auckland. The addition to the east dates from 1968 and is on the site of a Victorian Pub.
 * General Building – 33 Shortland Street. Neo-Classical skyscraper built for the Yorkshire Insurance Company. Designed by W R Bloomfield in 1928. Bloomfield was probably the first Maori architect. The Shortland Street facade of this building was extended in 1977. Few people looking at the building would be aware that the right hand {western} side of the building is from 1928 and the left hand {eastern} from 1977 as the classical detailing was perfectly replicated.
 * Bank of New Zealand Building, 1865. Leonard Terry architect. 125 Queen St. Built of beige sandstone imported from Hobart, Australia, this building was originally only five bays wide, and in 1882 two more bays were added on the Queen Street facade. In 1986 this building was substantially altered, and now only the facade remains, attached to a large high rise office building.
 * Vulcan Buildings, 1928. Holman, Moses & Watkins architects. This elegant building stands prominently on the southern corner of Vulcan Lane and Queen Street, and has design influences principally from Neoclassical architecture, but also the English Arts and Crafts movement. A defining feature is the cupola on the top of the building. The building also marks a significant change in built form of Central Auckland, as the city was being transformed from the low-rise buildings of the 19th century to the high-rise buildings of the 20th century.
 * Landmark House, formerly Auckland Electric Power Board Building 1927. Wade & Bartley architects. Cnr Queen St and Durham St east. This is an example of the early Art Deco – gothic skyscraper style. The design emphasises the vertical, drawing on references from Chicago and New York skyscrapers of the period. The Auckland Electric Power Board used the building as a form of advertising by flood lighting the exterior.
 * Queen Victoria Building, Auckland, formerly John Courts Building. Designed by John Currie in 1899 for the Direct Supply Company. Cnr Queen St and Victoria St East. The first three stories are in the Victorian Italianate style. Internally the building retains its timber columns and floor structure. In 1910 John Court opened his department store in the building and in 1916 added three stories in the same style.
 * AMP Building – 220 Queen Street. 1962 Modernist New York Style Skyscraper. This building is an example of a Glass curtain wall and is distinguished by crisp metal detailing. Designed by Jack Manning for Thorp Cutter Pickmere & Douglas Architects.
 * Strand Arcade 233–237 Queen St. Commissioned by local businessman Arthur Myers, built in 1900 with the latest in lifts, ventilation and lighting (the basement restaurant could seat 700). The architect was Arthur Pollard Wilson (who also designed Naval and Family Hotel, Arthur H Nathan Warehouse, Northern Steam Ship Company Building and Isaacs’ Bonded Stores) Renovated in 1970 this Edwardian shopping arcade has remained largely unaltered.
 * Auckland Savings Bank Building, 1884. Edward Bartley architect. 260 Queen St. This is an example of the mid Victorian italianate style. The facade displays columns and panels of coloured marble and granite. In 1977 this building became a McDonald's restaurant, although the facade and interior remain largely intact due to a sensitive renovation.

Beyond the Wellesley Street intersection lies the midtown district, with its entertainment and civic focus, centred on Aotea Square. Here are located most of the important civic buildings, including the:
 * Auckland Civic Theatre, 1929. Bohringer, Taylor & Johnson architects. 269 Queen St. This is one of the best remaining examples of an atmospheric theatre. The monumental Art Deco stripped-classical facade hides a lavish Hollywood inspired interior. The lobby is a reproduction of an Indian rock temple decorated with 500 elephants. The auditorium is decorated as an open courtyard in ancient Baghdad, the ceiling imitating the night sky with hundreds of electric stars placed as they appear in the southern sky. Extensively renovated in 1994 it is now part of a larger entertainment and retail complex. The renovation fixed several problems including the undersized stage and inadequate backstage facilities.
 * St. James Theatre – 316 Queen Street. 1927 theatre building in the 1920s Hollywood/Spanish style designed for vaudeville but wired for talking pictures in 1929. The stage capacity, acoustics and seating sightlines meant this theatre was superior to the other venues of the period (His Majesty's, King's Theatre, and the Auckland Opera House); even after the appearance of the Civic it still stood out as the best venue for traditional live theatre. The landmark turret above the Queen street entrance is possibly still concealed behind modernist cladding.
 * Bledisloe House, 1959. A modernist glass facade office block designed for Central Government services as part of the proposed Civic Centre. Designed by Gordon Wilson with Jack Beere and named after Lord Bledisloe (Governor-General of New Zealand from 1930 to 1935). This was the only one of a complex of six identical buildings planned for the environs of what is now Aotea Square. The other five buildings were to be the new Town Hall, a City Administration block, a new Public Library, public Art Gallery and a final office block to be rented out as commercial office space. In the middle of this complex was to be the Auckland Centennial Theatre and a public square. The Admin Bldg was eventually built in 1966 in a different form and the theatre appeared in 1989 as the Aotea Centre. The other four buildings would have required the demolition of all the other buildings on this city block including the 1911 Town Hall and the Civic Theatre. The Bledisloe Building was renovated in 2014 by Auckland Council.
 * Aotea Centre, 1990. Ewen Wainscott architect. Initially proposed in 1949 as the Auckland Centennial Hall, construction of this building was delayed for several decades. Intended to supplant the town hall, when it opened it was found to have acoustical problems resulting in a costly refit. Complaints from performers over many years resulted in the renovation of the Town Hall. The lobby of the Aotea Centre contains many art works by New Zealand artists.
 * Council Administration Block, 1966. Tibor K.Donner architect. Considered a positive example of 1950s modernism, which contrasts with the 1911 Town Hall on the far side of Aotea Square. Is considered to be Auckland's first 'skyscraper'.
 * Auckland Town Hall, 1911. J. Clark & Sons architects. 303 Queen St. A Melbourne firm designed this building in the English Baroque style. It is built of Melbourne Bluestone and Oamaru stone with art nouveau leadlight windows. The main auditorium has excellent acoustics being based upon the famous Gewandhaus Concert Hall in Leipzig, Germany. The large pipe organ was donated by Sir Henry Brett, a former mayor of Auckland. This building was renovated in the late 1990s and continues to be widely considered as Auckland's premier concert venue.

Further up Queen Street beyond Mayoral Drive is the uptown district, centred on Myers Park. This is often referred to as Upper Queen Street, although that name actually refers to a separate continuation of Queen Street on the other side of the K'Road ridge. The most significant buildings in this area are the:
 * 'Queen Street Shops' – 456–488 Queen Street. Range of Edwardian retail buildings from 1909 onwards. Designed by two Auckland architects, T W May and Alexander Wiseman. These form a harmonious ensemble facing Myers Park but also retain many original features often removed from other structures; the curved corrugated iron verandahs are intact and held up by vertical posts, and virtually all the shops' fronts are intact including the glazed tile work surrounds.
 * Theosophical Society Building, 1923. Henry Robinson architect. Located at the Queen St entrance to Myers Park, this is a fine example of interwar neo-classical architecture for the Theosophical Society replacing an earlier structure from 1912 located further down Queen Street. Recently renovated as a 'gentlemen's club' called 'The White House'.
 * Myers Free Kindergarten 1916 B.Chilwell & R.Trevithick architects. Designed as a large homely cottage this brick and stucco building is located in the middle of the 1914 Myers Park. An example of Arts & Crafts architecture which still operates as a kindergarten.
 * Auckland Baptist Tabernacle 1884 Edmund Bell architect. Near the corner of Queen St & Karangahape Road. Large Imperial Roman temple. The interior has decorative ceiling stencilwork in the neo-classical style by Samuel and Charles Blomfield.

Beyond the Karangahape Road ridge the southernmost 500 metres of the street is called Upper Queen Street, and it crosses the eastern part of the Central Motorway Junction, the largest interchange on the New Zealand state highway network.

title: Queen Street, Auckland


text: Category:Lincoln County, Nebraska

title: Category:Lincoln County, Nebraska


text: Category:Russian Navy

title: Category:Russian Navy