Does anyone else remember "Block City"?  Before the days of Legos, this was
a plastic building block about 3/4 inch long with the shape and proportion
of a concrete block.  I remember going to Macy's in NYC and wanting the
biggest set they had (they came in 5 inch diameter round cardboard tubes
with screw-on metal tops.)  they were white, but there also were clear
plastic ones.  They had windows and doors but i don't remember what they did
about roofs.
Anyway, I always had them on my Christmas list, and always got some, and I
built with them until I discovered cars at the age of 14 (by the way
Pinheads, I owned an Austin Mini in college-but I only ever had two people
in it.)
Anybody got an old Block City set??
 Michael
-----Original Message-----
From: Lisa Sasser <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]>
Date: Saturday, January 09, 1999 9:40 AM
Subject: Early Influences


>Speaking of early influences that directed us toward this field . . .  In
>addition to the usual backyard excavation projects with the neighborhood
boys, I
>recall spending a lot of time crafting elaborate dry laid stone dwellings
with
>thatched roofs for Barbie and GI Joe.  Without thinking much about it, I
>progressed from wood lintels, to corbelled openings, and finally I think to
>arches.  Maybe it had something to do with Sir Bannister Fletcher's, A
History
>of Architecture on the Comparative Method being one of my favorite picture
books
>as a child!
>
>Lisa