Architecture On The Go

One of the reasons that buildings look different is that they serve different functions.  A house does not look like a church, and a church does not look like a shopping mall because they have different purposes.  We can usually tell what a building is simply by looking at it because we pick up visual clues.  We can "read" a building like a book.  There are many buildings which are associated with transportation including blacksmiths, wagon shops, gas stations, garages, and train depots.  In the following exercise, students will learn to "read" buildings that have something to do with transportation.

• Examine the photographs. Then have students answer the following questions or create your own.

Questions for Students:

1. What is this building?
   
   
2. What type of transportation is this building associated with? (Answers include: horses and wagons, automobiles, and trains.)  Can you see this form of transportation in the photographs?
   
   
3. Is this horse, wagon, train, or automobile intended to go inside the building? How can you tell?
   
   
4. What special features does this building have that help do its job?  (Answers may include: large doors/ramps to allow horses, wagons, and automobiles to enter and leave; gas pumps in front to dispense gas to automobiles; overhanging eaves to keep passengers dry when boarding a train; a large ticket window; bright lights or colors to attract people; etc...)
   
   
5. If you worked in this building, what would you do?  Would you like working there?  Why or why not?

Have students draw their own wagon shop, automobile repair shop, train station, or any other building associated with transportation.  What special features would it have?

Courtesy of the Warren County Historical Society