Shutter Mike Photography

For these libraries in the Phoenix metro area you will want to bring more than your library card. It has been tradition of sorts to make civic buildings such as public libraries and municipal complexes both functional and true architecture in the artistic sense of the word.  As municipal budgets are continually cut I wonder if we will see the designed aspect of civic buildings decline and they will fade into the strip mall-esque cookie cutter sameness.  I hope not.  But for now, the Phoenix area offers a bounty of well designed and beautiful public libraries.  Library architecture can be very photogenic so here are 10 14 of my favorite libraries in the Phoenix metro area worth photographing.  Check back from time to time (or everyday if you are so inclined) as I will be adding posts featuring architectural photographs from each of these photographic Phoenix libraries.

For a map of these libraries click here.

1) Burton Barr Central Library – Central Ave., Phoenix

2) Cesar Chavez Library – 35th Ave and Baseline, Phoenix

3) Palo Verde Library – 51st Ave., Maryvale

4)  Scottsdale Civic Center Library – Scottsdale

5) Southeast Regional Library – Guadalupe and Greenfield, Gilbert

6) Desert Broom – Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix

7) Agave Library – 36th Ave., Phoenix

8) Harmon Library – 5th Ave., Phoenix

9) Glendale Foothills Library

10) Mesquite Library – Paradise Valley

11) Juniper Library – Union Hills Rd., Phoenix

12) Sam Garcia Western Avenue Library – Avondale

13) Sunrise Mountain Library – 98th Ave., Peoria

14) Cholla Library- Metrocenter, Phoenix

Museum number four on my list of the top 5 museums worth photographing in Phoenix is the Heard Museum in Central Phoenix.  Whereas the museums I featured so far, the ASU Museum of Art, The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Phoenix Art Museum, are much more modern in their architectural styles, the Heard is more what I would call traditional Southwest or Spanish style.

The Heard houses a vast collection of American Indian art and cultural artifacts and has a history in Phoenix since the 1920s.   For photographers the Heard has a lot to offer and it is worth taking some time exploring the museum grounds.  They are dotted with several sculptures by prominent American Indian artists in addition to the architecture and  landscaping.

This is the final post of photographs from the AIA Phoenix 2010 Home Tour.  These last two homes are similar in that they both share very modern designs with clean lines and hard surfaces as the celebrate the materials used.  Concrete, steel, block and glass are not covered up with drywall and stucco but left exposed as significant structural and design elements.  Homes in the previous posts can be found here:  AIA 2010 Phoenix Home tour Part I, AIA 2010 Phoenix Home tour Part II, AIA 2010 Phoenix Home tour Part III.

This is the third of four posts featuring the homes on the 2010 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Home Tour in Phoenix.  Part I features photographs from a home that blended with its desert site almost seamlessly.  Part II had three homes of varying styles.  This post features two homes that were remodels of mid 20th century homes.  The resulting residences are a blending of the original structures and modern needs.  Each used diverse and rich materials to some very beautiful architecture.

This is part II of my architecture photography from the AIA 2010 Home Tour in Phoenix.  Images from part one and more details on the tour can be found here.

The three photographs below are from one of my favorite houses on the tour.  The attention to detail was amazing.  Everything from the materials used to the placement of windows to the entire layout of the home was obviously done with an incredible amount of thought and planning.  The end result was a truly spectacular home.

The Arizona chapter of the American Institute of Architects holds an annual home tour in the Phoenix area.  The tour features some beautifully designed homes that respect their desert environment through their use of materials and relationship to their sites.  Each home on this year’s tour maintains a modern aesthetic as well as the uniqueness of Arizona.

These images are from a home in Northeast Scottsdale that epitomizes the blending of the built and natural environments.  As you can see form the first photograph the house is only slightly visible against its desert mountain site.  The rock from the desert is incorporated through out the home as is a desert color pallet.

Check back for parts II, III, and IV of my AIA Home Tour Photographs.

The Phoenix Art Museum is number 3 in my list of the top 5 museums worth photographing in Phoenix.  The museum is located in the heart of Phoenix at McDowell Rd and Central Ave.  It is one of the largest museums on my list and has quite a bit to see and photograph on the grounds.  Aside from the architecture of the museum there is a sculpture garden, theaters, a cafe and thousands of square feet of exhibit space on several levels of awesome architecture.  The architecture of the museum is very modern for the most part.  Concrete, glass, and steel predominate the building which was built in 1959 and expanded on several times since.

The Phoenix Art Museum also encourages photography, as I think any organization dedicated to art should.  There are, of course, some limitations and you should review their photography policy before you head over to take some shots to be sure you are not violating anything.