Heading north up the Des Plaines River Trail (DPRT), we spent the day running to flags throughout Vernon Hills, Illinois. The Larry Laschen Community Center, across from the village hall has an interesting story. You can tell these two public buildings, while sharing a parking lot, do not share design. You can see this in the flagpoles.
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| 313 Bronze Anodized Flagpole |
Across from the once known as Tally Ho Country Club Golf Course, these building have very unique and disparate characteristics. It may be an architect's choice, or it may be a part of their function. Each building flies the same flags, but the village hall has satin aluminum flagpoles and the community center has 313 Bronze Anodized.
Anodizing is a process by which the flagpole shaft is dipped into an electrically charged paint which reacts with the aluminum so that the pigment of the aluminum changes color. For darker colors, the shaft is submerged several times. This process adds a scratch and stain resistant coating to the flagpole. It costs more money, but anodized flagpoles tend to keep their brilliant luster longer than standard 80-grit satin aluminum flagpoles. Once that luster is gone, there is not really much you can do to bring it back.
So what do I mean when I say these buildings may be simply an architect's choice or a matter of function? Lets start with the village halls. The village hall is a corner lot with lots of space. The building is set in a place of prominence at the highest point of the lot. The building itself extrudes from the core building. Stylized elements give a depth and a presence to the facility. The city hall acts as the hub of the community. It is not just a place where parking tickets can be paid. Many of the local community decisions which forecast a growing community are made here. It is a place of prominence.
The Larry Laschen Community center is quite the opposite. It is a space designed by the park district to offer affordable venues for community theater, shows, and gatherings. This building is almost hidden, built into the hill. It is a nice, quiet, serene-looking place, almost as if you were in the middle of the woods. The bronze trim adds to the "woods" feeling. People in the community drive the semi-circle, drop off their family and friends, to an entertaining tucked-away night where they can leave their life behind for a few hours at a time.
Everything about a building reveals something to the community it represents. That is why there are so many different types of commercial flagpoles. If you are an architect or a home owner, we implore you to spend some time at FlagDesk.com, understand your options and take advantage of what a beautiful custom flag display can do for you.
