Celebrate Halloween with Spooky Architecture

From 1999 to 2001, architectural photographer Albert Vecerka took photos of the decrepit Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. His haunting images depict the crumbling ruins of the structure that once held Al Capone. See more of Vecerka’s photography.
Photos © Albert Vecerka/Esto

In Montignac, France, Snøhetta designed Lascaux IV to recreate the mystical caves where prehistoric paintings depict scenes of ancient life. Read more about the museum.
Photo © Eric Solé

All alone in a dark, isolated valley near California’s Santa Rosa Mountains, the Orne/Hancock Residence is designed to minimize light pollution. Read more about the house and its dark sky–friendly illumination.

St. Patrick’s Island Park in Calgary is home to birds, bats, and other wildlife, thanks to Tillett Lighting Design’s delicate approach to illumination. The firm worked with Civitas and W Architecture & Landscape Architecture to create a nature-based park on a 31-acre island in the city’s Bow River. Read more about the project.
Photo © Colin Way Photography

Rising like a ghostly apparition in the night, the 1975 Pont de Sèvres Towers, designed by Badani and Roux-Dorlut, have been reimagined by French architect Dominique Perrault. Read more about Citylights.
Photo © Vincent Fillon

In London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, glowing orbs create an effect of dappled light, as if from a midnight sun. Read more about this project by Speirs + Major, Michael Grubb Studio, and James Corner Field Operations.
Photo © James Newton

Is circular chandelier the last thing you see before being abducted by aliens, or is it the 2016 installation Seed of Light at Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory? An integrated computer-controlled plumbing system releases synchronized water droplets onto glass trays, while pendant lights suspended above project ever-changing patterns and shadows on the floor below. Read more about the installation.
Photo © John Faier
Happy Halloween from Architectural Record! View the video below for a past year's roundup of spooky architecture.