3.08.2006

L'elephant triomphal
























In 1758, French architect Charles Ribart proposed an elephant-shaped structure to be erected on the site where the Arc de Triomphe now stands. Equipped with a kind of air conditioning and furniture that would fold up into the walls, the three-level structure would've had a drainage system built into the elephant's trunk.

Update: in comments Joseph Barbaccia points out a more contemporary cousin of Ribart's elephant — Lucy, a 124-year-old structure in Margate, New Jersey, dubbed "the world's largest elephant."

3 comments:

Joseph Barbaccia said...

Check this out in Margate, NJ.

http://www.lucytheelephant.org/indexhi.html


And artwork of the same.

http://www.paradisestudio.com/lucy.html

Paul Schmelzer said...

Wow. Thanks for the links!

Anonymous said...

and the elephant building in bangkok athansius
(or older link via me! blanketfort (2nd to last))