Following up on Paul’s post celebrating iconic architectural elements on older buildings, I thought I would drop in another couple cents. Ornate prominent elements such as towers and cupolas are common on older buildings. Often they served a specific function; the cupola on RHS almost certainly housed a school bell at one time. Old fire stations often included ornate towers in which hoses were dried, such as this one in Brooklyn:

    

     Sometimes an iconic element is used to mark a prominent crossroads. This sort of thing only works if the neighbors exercise some restraint. Imagine how the impact of this tower, at the corner of Ridgewood Avenue and Broad Street, would be diminished if there were three or four other towers on nearby buildings. 

 

      

     Likewise, a college campus wouldn't be nearly as well served if all the buildings sported fancy clock or bell towers. Better to have one that gives a specific identity, or as we fancy designers say, "a sense of place." At Clemson, it's Tillman Hall, which sports a statue, flag pole, grand stair, brick arch, and combination clock and bell tower, all on the same axis: 

       Indeed, the confusion that spreading out too many such elements can cause is demonstrated in this picture of RHS. As graduates, Paul and I both know that the main entry is under the bell tower. But I wonder how many first time visitors are drawn to the clock tower instead, only to find themselves in a stairwell? 

 

     All that being said, Ridgewood High School certainly is a beautiful building. It sits there, perched on a hill, almost majestic in its dominance, and symbolic of the value Ridgewood places on education.