Thursday, July 2, 2009

Palácio do Egipto

Once upon a time there was a beautiful farm; it was called 'Our Lady of Egypt'. The farm no longer exists but the manor, known as the 'Palace of Egypt', survived for almost three centuries. It has now been restored and given a modern look becoming Oeiras new Cultural Center.

30 comments:

brattcat said...

These are amazing shots of an amazing building.

Olivier said...

très moderne comme architecture, on dirait une maquette, c'est vraiment surprenant

very modern architecture, it looks like a model, it is really surprising

Dina said...

Oh it's gorgeous!
So you say the core of this beautiful building is almost 300 years old?! What a face-lift.

Tanya Breese said...

3 centuries? It's amazing looking! I'm completely impressed!

Anonymous said...

Great place you have here! SO many of these places are close to my heart, even more so since I live (only physically) away from our beautiful Portugal for many years now.

Tess Kincaid said...

I love the clean white lines and the mix of the old and new. Wow!

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

This is a great preservation and re-use.

Lois said...

It's hard to believe it is that old! It's beautiful.

henny said...

Is the tile 300 years old, too? Wow...

Lowell said...

My goodness! What terrific photos, JM!

Love this building or collection of buildings. The architecture is magnificent...soaring, clean, delicious!

Great work!

Sharon said...

Wow, they've done a good job o mixing the old with the new. It's a gorgeous building.

Hilda said...

Fantastic!
Makes me wonder just how much restoration was done — looks absolutely modern outside. But the third photo, the floor, tiles and archways are part of the original farm? It's gorgeous.

Prospero said...

Great choice as a Cultural Center. It's hard to imagine a building with more character and charm.

Judy said...

They did a beautiful job of restoration. I'm amazed at the age of this structure.

gogouci said...

Interesting facelift. I'd like one of those when I'm 300 yrs old too.

crocrodyl said...

Beautiful! I like also the the tiles on the last photo - they are wonderful!

Cezar and Léia said...

Remarkable restoration work, specially considering this is a 300-year-old building!
God bless you!
Cezar

joo said...

The last photo is outstanding!great place.

Prospero said...

Hi JM. Did you scarify your Heliconia seed? I've grown many Lobster Claws from seed but they require some pre-treatment.

Babzy.B said...

surprising and beautiful !

Anonymous said...

Excellent work of Oeiras city planners.

Petrea Burchard said...

And you have such beautiful light there, too.

Joan Elizabeth said...

Wow, so different from the usual shots of historic buildings. I love it as a modern building. I was really surprised to read that it's a redo of an old one.

Virginia said...

Loved the crisp white walls etc. and then BAM, the GORGEOUS blue tiles and flooring. JM , you bring us such wonderful sites. Thanks.
V

Buenos Aires Photoblog said...

Wonderful felicitous architecture! I love the idea of mixing old parts with new elements.

Mo said...

I so love the Portuguese blue tiles

humanobserver said...

What a beautiful place !

marley said...

I really like the striking design.

Kate said...

The restoration is amazing because it looks modern and contemporary. Great facelift!

slim said...

I have to agree with Buenos Aires PB the design of the new elements with the old pulls everyone in . . . makes us curious and respectful at the same time. Your photos are superb . . .