Florida Hospital Orlando - Ginsburg Tower

Clouds - Florida Hospital Orlando - Ginsburg Tower

May 20, 2015. Clouds - Florida Hospital Orlando - Ginsburg Tower.

I've been giving a lot of thought lately to architecture in Orlando, particularly hospital architecture.

There are few places so deeply tied to life - and death - in our minds, yet so few hospitals in the world designed with a sense of place and dignity befitting coming into and going out of the world. The city of Orlando has incredible hospital architecture, including one of my favorites, Orlando Health's Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, designed by Jonathan Bailey Associates.

Florida Hospital's 15-story Ginsburg Tower, designed by Hunton Brady and completed in 2008, is less striking from the outside than the orbs and cylinders of Winnie Palmer. Most photographs that you will see of Ginsburg do not do it justice. They are from the distance, but the building was designed to be viewed from below and within.  The angle shown above, taken from the banks of Lake Estelle in the College Park community, shows its beautiful, embracing curves.

The real beauty of this tower is in its patient rooms, though, which are elegant, dignified, and spacious. Windows that reflect clouds from the outside let in a gorgeous view of Lake Estelle from the patient rooms on the inside. The rooms have dedicated family areas so that patients, loved ones, and clinical staff all have the room that they need.

This past year marked the passing of designer and architect Michael Graves, known in Orlando for his Swan and Dolphin hotels at Walt Disney World. Confined to a wheelchair later in life, Graves switched his attention to patient-centric healthcare design. How fitting that the hospital facilities in the Orlando area are among the standard-setters in thoughtful design.

iPhone 6 Plus. 4.15mm.

Orb

Orb 

June 22, 2012. "Orb." Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, Orlando, Florida.

It always surprises me when discussions of "great" Florida architecture fail to include the Winnie Palmer Hospital, instead cataloging out a list of inferior, uninspired, sentimental inclusions because tourists may know their names.

Then there's relatively unrecognized Winnie Palmer Hospital. The fact is, when you go to a hospital, you're stressed. The Winnie Palmer building centers around the patient and the anxious family in a very literal, circular way, making them feel protected and drawn together. Patient rooms in the towers feed out like spokes on a wheel and feel more like nice hotel rooms than institutional cubes for an endless night of beeping and needle sticking.

The orb in the front is a huge waiting room, bringing in showers of tranquil natural light and eliminating that "trapped" feeling that sets in after an hour or ten.

When visiting photographers express a desire to take unusual photos of the Orlando not seen, I always include Winnie Palmer building. A few weeks later, I enjoy seeing their overly processed pictures of Disney as if they were uniquely blessed that year among Orlando's 51 million annual tourists to catch that prefabricated moment in the Magic Kingdom. Orlando area photographers tend to feed into the perception that there's nothing worth shooting in Orlando outside the theme parks, and it is a shame.


Years ago, guidebook author and PBS nerd extraordinaire Rick Steeves was asked, "What is the one place that you would never go back to?" His answer, "I was recently in Orlando and couldn’t stop thinking how miserable I’d be if I had to write a guidebook chapter on that city."

Rick Steeves writes the best tour books on European cities for budget travelers. His books are about exploring the non-touristy side of cities while still taking in the popular sites, and I wouldn't get on a plane crossing the Atlantic without his current version.

Mr. Steeves, like most Orlando tourists and convention delegates, forgets this as soon as tires touch down at Orlando International Airport.

Every place has its beauty. Go find it where you live, in your own backyard.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/30. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.

Mirror Mirror - Color

Mirror Mirror - Color

June 1, 2012. Mirror Mirror - Color. Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista (near Orlando) Florida.

Color version of yesterday's Monochrome Monday post of Cinderella's Castle, taken from the bridge at Frontierland.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/4. f/2.8. ISO 400. LR 2.

Mirror Mirror - Monochrome

Mirror Mirror - Monochrome

June 1, 2012. Mirror Mirror - Monochrome. Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Lake Buena Vista (near Orlando) Florida.

For #MonochromeMonday on Google+, a shot of Cinderella's Castle reflected in the waters from the Frontierland bridge, shot at 1/4 second handheld, using the bridge to help stabilize the shot.

Check back tomorrow to see the color version!

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/4. f/2.8. ISO 400. LR 2.

Crisscross - Toronto, Canada

Crisscross - Toronto, Canada

May 25, 2012. Crisscross. Toronto, Canada.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/8. ISO 100. LR 2.

In Stride - CN Tower, Toronto, Canada

In Stride - CN Tower, Toronto, Canada

May 25, 2012. "In Stride - CN Tower." Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

A commuter walks across the Bathurst Street bridge in Toronto. The CN Tower featured in the shot is the "tallest freestanding structure in North America" and an architectural icon for the city of Toronto and one of the highlights of its ultra-modern skyline.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/8.0. ISO 100. LR 2.

Orlando Skyline from I-4, Monochrome

Orlando Skyline from I-4, Monochrome

May 20, 2012. Orlando Skyline from I-4, Monochrome.

A color version of this skyline shot was posted last week. While I love the blue tones in it, I prefer the monochrome version.

This shot was taken from the passenger's seat driving down I-4 through downtown Orlando. The best views of the city are from the south (west) approach.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/60. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.

Orlando Skyline from I-4, 2012 Color

Orlando Skyline from I-4, 2012 Color

May 20, 2012. Orlando Skyline from I-4, 2012 Color.

I realized the other day that the only skyline picture that I have up is from 2006, and there have been a number of changes since then.

This shot of the Sun Trust building and the 55 West residence building was taken while moving down I-4 right after sunset. A black and white version (which I prefer) will be posted next Monday, but I thought it was worth posting the color version as well.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/60. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.

1926 Orlando Train Station

1926 Orlando Train Station

March 30, 2012. 1926 Orlando Train Station.

Orlando's historical Spanish Mission Style train station built in 1926 still welcomes passengers to the City Beautiful.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/60. f/16. ISO 200. LR 2.

Colony Theater

Colony Theater

February 3, 2012. Colony Theater. Winter Park, Florida.

From 1939 to 1975, the Art Deco Colony Theater was an active theater and one of the hot entertainment spots for Orlando area residents.

Now, it's Pottery Barn #431, just a short walk from The Gap.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/60. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.

Orlando Skyline 2006

Orlando Skyline 2006

October 24, 2006. Orlando Skyline. As sun set, this picture was snapped from a patient room in the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Orlando, Florida.

At the time of this photo, there was very little residential space in Downtown Orlando, making it something of a ghost town after dark when businesses were closed.

I will try to do an updated skyline picture soon, reflecting additions in high-rise residential condominiums such as 55 West, which was under construction on the left side of this photo back in 2006.

Canon EOS D60. 94.0 mm. 1/45. f/5.6. ISO 400. LR 2.