The Shining came back in big way last year, with the theatrical release and subsequent Netflix availability of Room 237, a documentary on some of the fan theories that have gathered around Stanley Kubrick's psychological horror classic since its 1980 release. According to the interviewees, The Shining could be anything from a retelling of the mythological tale of Theseus and the Minotaur to Kubrick's apology for having helped fake the moon landing, but what most of them have in common is an insistence that the decor of the fictional Overlook Hotel has a lot to do with what the director really means. No surprises there, given that the Overlook is iconic enough to inspire architecturally focused tributes.

Though the Overlook presented in The Shining is actually a set built at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England, it was inspired by a number of real-life hotels. Aerial shots of Oregon's Timberlane Lodge were used in the film's opening scene, as well as a few establishing shots that follow, but it was the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park (pictured above) that served as a template for much of the Overlook's interior.

Like any classic Alpine resort in America, the Ahwahnee incorporates plenty of designs inspired by Native American artwork; tapestries, carpets, and the like. When these made their way into the Overlookwith the addition of a large Navajo-style mural that Jack Nicholson's writer's block-tortured Jack Torrance likes to bounce a tennis ball off ofthey helped inspire journalist Bill Blakemore to write a 1987 article for the Washington Post entitled "Kubrick's Shining' Secret: Film's Hidden Horror Is The Murder of the Indian."

Image via IWDRM

How did Blakemorewho elaborates on his theory in Room 237jump to that conclusion, based on a few Mojave saddle blankets? The Shining incorporates a few other pieces of Native American iconography, including cans of Calumet baking powder embossed with the silhouette of a man in a feathered headdress, but it was a few lines of dialogue that got Blakemore connecting the dots. There's Jack's first conversation with Lloyd, his possibly ghostly, possibly nonexistent bartender: "You set 'em up and I'll knock 'em back Lloyd, one b'one. White man's burden, Lloyd my man. White man's burden." There's the horror story trope, inserted into two lines at the beginning of the film, about the Overlook being built on an Indian burial ground. But it's the decor that inspired the associative heavy lifting that turns a story about supernaturally induced cabin fever into one about the genocide of the Native Americans.

The geometric 70s-era carpet pattern in the upstairs hallway is easily the most iconic and theorized-upon decor element in The Shining. In Room 237 alone it's said to stand for a "beehive hexagon, but down the whole corridors of history" representing "the family of man," as well as the overhead shape of Launchpad 39A, the starting point of America's moon landing mission. (This, combined with the fact that Danny is wearing an Apollo 11 sweater in one scene, provides particularly juicy fodder for 237 subject Jay Weidner's moon landing theory.)

This hexagonal pattern is the backdrop for a turning point in the film, right before Danny enters the forbidden room 237, a moment that kicks off the family's downward spiral. Much is made in the documentary about an inconsistency between two shots, where the same tennis ball that Jack plays wall-ball with rolls to Danny, leading him to a room 237 whose door is mysteriously ajar. As laid out by Room 237 interviewee Juli Kearns on her website, a cut between two shots reveals a seeming continuity error, with the carpet flipping its orientation under Danny. If Kubrick threw this inconstancy in on purposewhich a few of Room 237's subjects pretty convincingly arguethe seeming suggestion is that, as Kearns, the proponent of the labyrinth-and-minotaur theory, puts it, now that "the hexagon is closed, it's almost like he's been closed in."

Photo via MoviefoneThe meaning behind the Overlook ballroom's abundance of gold is another point where the superfans diverge. Naturally, the color scheme lends itself nicely to Blakemore's theory, signifying the gold rush that drove the American settlers West. According Rob Ager, a Shining obsessive with a 21-chapter analysis up on his website and a personally produced six-volume DVD set called Kubrick Decoded, the inclusion of this room makes the film a polemic against the U.S. government's de-pegging of the dollar from the gold standard. All of that hinges somewhat precariously on the final shot, which shows Jack in an old picture taken at the hotel in 1921, which Ager asserts that he looks a good deal like Widrow Wilson in. Erm... yeah.

Photo via Clockwork BrothersJack's second trip to the Gold Room leads him to the most out-of-place interior in the Overlook, a harshly modern bathroom done up in a startling shade of red (which has inspired more than a few tributes over the years). It's where Jack finds Grady, the old caretaker who suggests he "correct" his family. Taken as an instance of Kubrik using color to suggest the inner workings of his characters, this room is generally agreed upon as a kind of "direct projection of Jack's violent mind." That one's simple enough, but then again, it doesn't even touch on the school of thought based primarily on how Kubrick portrays bathrooms.

The Shining could mean a lot of things. One takeaway to add to the list: watch what you do with your interiors, because you can't always control what people read into them.

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Hotels Week 2014: Exploring the Fan Theories Inspired by The Shining's Decor

4 bedroom home for sale in Woodridge, IL 60517
Listing presented by Catherine Cahill Real People Realty, Inc. 1 Tower Lane - LWL 14 Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 630-234-5386 Property Website for more inform...

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4 bedroom home for sale in Woodridge, IL 60517 - Video

Strebig Construction, Fort Wayne, recently completed a three-phase complete interior renovation and addition at Pine Hills Learning Place on Coldwater Road. This project has now allowed Pine Hills Learning Place to use 100 percent of all the room available, including the facility's first infant day care facility. The company also installed a new vertical lift elevator access to the second-floor classrooms. All the classrooms have drinking fountains and hand wash stations, as well as a child-height restroom facility in every room.

Fort Financial Credit Union and ITT Employees' Federal Credit Union, Fort Wayne, are making plans to merge. The two nonprofit financial institutions have entered into an agreement with the merger expected to be completed this summer.

Fort Wayne Metals plans to expand its operations here, creating up to 106 jobs by 2017. The company currently employs more than 650 associates in Indiana and more than 700 around the world.

In addition, the company will begin an expansion of its headquarters facility on Ardmore Avenue just north of Fort Wayne International Airport immediately and projects to be completed in December.

Indiana Grand Casino and Indiana Downs, Shelbyville, will operate as one under the new Indiana Grand Racing & Casino name.

MKM architecture + design, Fort Wayne, has begun construction on the Waterloo-Grant Township Public Library. The library will receive a 3,900-square-foot addition and complete renovation of the existing facility. The expanded space includes a relocated Children's Department, a new public entrance, enlarged teen area and community room.

Felderman Design-Build, Fort Wayne, has been awarded the design build contract by Dupont Corner Investors LLC for a 9,000-square-foot multitenant retail building located at the corner of Dupont and Diebold roads.

The Bill Lewis Center for Children has been awarded reaccredidation by National Children's Alliance following an extensive application and site process.

Oliver Winery, Bloomington, has launched a line of wines produced from fruit grown at premium California vineyards.

Aspire Plastic Surgery and Medical Spa recently reopened a 5,080-square- foot office just east of Lutheran Hospital next to Women's Health Advantage in southwest Fort Wayne. For more information, go to http://www.AspirePlasticSurgery.com.

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Winners

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) March 23, 2014

The Seattle Hilton hotel has announced the completion of the first phase of upgrades in what is a multi-phase renovation project. The 239 guest room hotel has completed sleeping room and guest room corridor renovations, which include new bedding, furniture, lighting package, carpet, wall covering, window treatments, and dcor upgrades. The property also added two new guest rooms to its inventory and upgraded 10 rooms to include roll-in showers for guests with special mobility needs. In addition, the Downtown Seattle hotel has adapted automated technology in the parking garage.

The remaining property improvements are scheduled to be completed by early summer and include; a new restaurant specializing in contemporary American Cuisine with a Pacific Northwest flair, the addition of a new Executive Lounge on the top floor featuring fantastic Seattle views, upgrades to the street level hotel entrance, and complete renovations to the lobby, front desk, Lobby Lounge, and function space. The most notable renovation will be to the Top of the Hilton, which is being converted into a top floor meeting and banquet space and features breathtaking views of Elliott Bay, Seattle skyline, and the iconic Space Needle.

To schedule a tour of the newly renovated guestrooms or to be one of the first guests holding their special event on Top of the Hilton, please contact the Sales Department at (206) 695-6036.

The downtown Seattle Hilton hotel is the perfect destination for leisure and business travelers alike. Guests enjoy a central location with close proximity to Pike Place Market, the Washington State Convention Center, 5th Avenue Theatre, and many great Downtown Seattle dining and shopping options. The guest rooms provide incredible views of the citys skyline, Olympic Mountains and partial views of Elliot Bay. Amenities include a fitness center, room service, business center, concierge services, on-site parking, over 6,000 sq. ft. of versatile meeting space, multi-lingual staff, in-room mini-refrigerators, flat-screen LCD televisions and much more. Guests can dine on-site at the hotels scenic Top of the Hilton Restaurant & Bar for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Downtown Seattle Hilton hotel is proudly managed by Stonebridge Companies in Denver, CO.

Founded in 1991 by Navin C. Dimond, Stonebridge Companies is a privately owned, innovative hotel owner, operator and developer headquartered near Denver, Colorado. The companys current portfolio entails 45 hotels with over 7,000 rooms nationwide. This diverse listing of properties includes select-service, extended-stay, mid-scale and full-service hotels in markets throughout the U.S. For detailed information, visit our website at http://www.SBCOS.com.

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Stonebridge Companies Hilton Seattle Hotel Completes First Stage of Renovations

Thursday, March 20, 2014, 6:11 pm

By Dan Verel, Business Journal Staff Reporter

NAPA The Meritage Resort & Spa on Thursday said it just completed about $8 million in renovations to the 157 original rooms in the hotel.

Combined with a $40 million expansion that was completed in May 2012, the resort now has 322 up-to-date rooms, in addition to the two largest ballrooms in Napa County.

First built in 2007, the 157 rooms in its main building were updated with new, modern design, including new carpeting, bedding, desks, chairs and tables at a cost of nearly $51,000 a room. In addition to revitalizing the rooms and suites, three were converted into Bella Suites with a studio setup designed for brides and bridal parties.

The recent renovations and upgrades were completed in early March. The hotel now has dining options, including Siena Restaurant, The Commons: A Wine Bar plus an adults-only pool with private cabanas, hillside vineyards and Estate Cave with a spa, tasting room and event space.

The upgrades come just 18 months after the resort opened the expansion, which included 165 new rooms, Crush Ultra Lounge, Blend Caf and additional meeting and event space. All told, an additional 131,300 square feet was added. Meeting space was increased by 12,500 square feet, totaling about 22,000 square feet indoors and another 28,000 square feet outdoors.

The Meritage teamed with two local charities to donate items from its hotel rooms that would otherwise end up in landfills and recycling facilities.

We were looking for ways to help the community and reduce the amount of building supplies going to local landfills, said Michael Palmer, general manager of The Meritage, which his owned by Irvine-based Pacific Hospitality Group. Working with the Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity chapter and St. Johns to donate items from the 157 rooms we are renovating was a perfect solution for us, the community and the environment.

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Meritage Resort spends $8M on room upgrades

LIMESTONE COUNTY, AL (WAFF) -

For years, Limestone County Sheriff's officials said they need more room to isolate inmates who could pose a danger to others. It looks like that extra jail space will come soon.

According to the jail administrator, they knew when they first moved into the jail in 2005 that they would need more maximum security, single-bed cells.

The Limestone County Commission awarded the project bid on Monday. There is no set date to start construction yet, but once the bid is accepted it usually takes about three or four weeks to get through the contact process and get started.

The jail currently has twelve single-bed cells in the jail right now. Single-bed cells are for inmates who need to be separated from the general population that could have a violent history. Some may need protection from other inmates. Some are put in punitive isolation cells for inmates who have broken the rules. Other single-person cells are also used for inmates who have medical issues.

The administrator says there may be violent offenders in general population who would be in one if there was room. The pods will also be useful for inmates who need medical care.

"I may never go to jail, but someone I love may. And I would expect them to be protected from violent inmates. If I have a family member with medical problems that they would be in a situation where they would be safe," said Limestone County Jail Administrator Captain Vanessa Rich.

Rich said inmates with more violent tendencies tend to get in more fights, so the single-bed cells would make the environment safer for deputies.

Premier Structures Incorporated won the bid to build the 24-single bed jail pod. The estimated cost is $3.2 million. The plans allow for a future expansion for another 24 pods.

The Athens City Planning Board will vote Tuesday night on whether to approve the architect's plans.

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New addition planned for Limestone Co. Jail

LIBERTY TWP.

Developers of the mega retail project Liberty Center announced Tuesday they signed the AC Hotels by Marriott brand for the sites planned hotel.

The 130-room hotel will be built, owned and operated by Middleton, Wis.-based Raymond Management Co., a hotel developer partnering with Steiner + Associates on the project.

Plans for a hotel were previously announced by Steiner for Liberty Center. Tuesdays news revealed which hotel brand was franchised.

Our tagline for AC Hotels is feel the city. Its very design-oriented and targeted very much towards the millennial traveler, said Nina Herrera-Davila, a spokeswoman for Marriott.

Liberty Center, in the early stages of construction in Liberty Twp., is the name of the approximately 1.4 million-square-foot mixed-use shopping, office and residential complex planned for the intersection of Ohio 129, Interstate 75 and Liberty Way. Its scheduled to open in September 2015, according to Columbus-based Steiner + Associates.

Steiner is the same developer of Easton Town Center in the Columbus-area and The Greene in Beavercreek. The Butler County projects first phase is expected to be a more than $300 million investment encompassing 64 acres.

AC Hotels by Marriott is a new brand in the U.S., Herrera-Davila said.

Marriott International announced in 2013 it would introduce the AC Hotels brand to the U.S. in a joint venture with Spains AC Hotels. About 30 AC Hotels are in the development pipeline across the country, with the first opening later this year in New Orleans, La., Herrera-Davila said.

Currently there are about 79 AC Hotels open in Europe, she said.

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130-room hotel announced for mega retail project Liberty Center

MIFFLINTOWN - Efficiency and functionality are themes that inspired a design proposed for the industrial arts addition scheduled at East Juniata High School.

Architect Jay Darkey presented the design Tuesday evening during a workshop held by the Juniata County School District Board of Directors. Darkey said the design was developed through recommendations and collaboration between district administration, teachers and professionals. The addition is part of district-wide updates and renovations approved by the school board in recent months.

The proposed addition is 12,150 square feet in size, expanding the current industrial arts building by 7,150 square feet.

The addition - which includes two classrooms, an agriculture education room, building trades shop and wood shop - is separated from the main school building by fire resistant barriers. Darkey said the protective construction saves the district added expense of installing a sprinkler system throughout the whole building due to current building requirements.

Darkey recommended a pitched roof on the building, which he said will last longer than the flat roof design on the rest of the school. The outer perimeter of the building features windows on all sides, set into a split-face block wall. The upper part of the building will be constructed of brick, and the lower portion of the wall will be a textured material to match the brick inlay, he said.

Two regular classrooms, 950 square feet each, will be included in the addition. Each classroom has a countertop to fit four to five computer work stations. Cabinets and storage space are included in the perimeter of each classroom.

All three shops included in the addition - agriculture, building trades and wood shop - have 14-by-14-foot overhead doors to allow for easy access and entry of equipment or construction of pieces for building projects. There is an overhead cover and concrete pad outside each garage door to extend work space for students. The agriculture shop also includes a concrete pad as a foundation for a greenhouse.

Within the addition is a shared welding area with five individual stations. The separate stations allow for specified ventilation, which will improve the efficiency of the work space. The shops also include shared dust collection, sinks and eye wash system.

The pitched roof allows for a mechanical platform above the classrooms and shops to store equipment. A stairway and entrance will be constructed from within an existing family and consumer science classroom.

Representatives from Reynolds Construction said the proposed design exceeds the school board's original budget for the project of $2,526,300. The addition is now estimated at $3,010,508, but representatives said there are some cost-cutting measures the board can use to reduce the estimate to $2,812,108. This includes the use of economy-size brick, the split-face wall design on the outside of the building, elimination of paint on indoor ceiling structures and shared equipment among classrooms.

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Construction on EJHS addition may start in June

Which Room is Best? Any comfortable room can be made into a safe-room, such as a den or extra bedroom. Most of us dont have extra rooms in our homes, so an asthmatics bedroom might be the best option.

How to Set Up an Asthma-Safe Room A safe-room needs to be prepared in advance and should be kept clean at all times. An asthma-safe room must be free of allergens and other asthma triggers, including dust, cockroaches, second-hand smoke, etc. Here are some steps you can take to prepare your asthma-safe room:

1). Remove any dust catchers, such as knick knacks, book shelves, heavy draperies, carpet, and bed hangings. Keep upholstered and stuffed furniture, pillows, and stuffed animals, etc. to a minimum in the safe-room. Bedding should be simple and not include tucks, swags and other embellishments that can catch dust. Window blinds are a great option to replace heavy drapery and curtains.

2). All bedding should be washed once a week in the hottest water safe for each piece of bedding. A wash temperature higher than 130 F is necessary to kill dust mites.

3). Mattresses and pillows (in a bedroom) should be encased in dust mite-proof covers.

4). The asthma safe-room should be free of carpet if at all possible, as it can harbor dust mites, mold, pollen and dirt. Flooring such as tile, concrete, and wood is easier to keep clean. Throw rugs can be used, but should be washed once a week in order to keep them allergen-free.

5). Keep pets out of the asthma-safe room at all times.

6). You might consider the addition of a HEPA air cleaner in order to keep the air free of allergens and other triggers. These do work well; however, avoid air cleaners that work use ionization. Ionization creates ozone, a known asthma trigger.

7). Do not include wood burning stoves or fireplaces in the safe room, as these put off particulates that can cause indoor air pollution, another known asthma trigger.

8). Keep humidity at about 50%, as this will keep the air comfortable to breathe, while keeping dust mites to a minimum. Dust mites thrive when humidity goes over 50%.

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Create an Asthma Safe-Room

Battling: Stephen Larkham

Following the news that Henry Speight will be the latest addition to treatment room, Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham remains composed.

A morale-boosting win over the Waratahs on Saturday gave last year's finalists something to cheer after suffering from injuries in recent weeks.

Speight is expected to be out for six weeks with a fractured jaw, joining David Pocock, Christian Lealiifano, Fotu Auelua and Leon Power on the sidelines.

A tough run now awaits Larkham and fellow coach Laurie Fisher as they face a tough run against the Stormers, Rebels, Blues and Reds.

"We have a tough stretch ahead. We've been battered around, we've done a fair bit of travel, but we've found some confidence and cohesion," Larkham told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"The guys played some superb rugby against NSW. But we have to be careful with how we manage our squad because of injuries.

"The win against the Waratahs shows we can stand up through pressure ... find a way to solve problems. It allows you to have a belief that you can get through anything no matter what they throw at you.

"We have to get through this period ... we've had our fair share of injuries early but guys who were on the fringe at the start of the season now have an opportunity to play."

Some welcome news for the Brumbies after losing Speight is that Joe Tomane is back in contention after recovering from a foot injury.

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Brumbies battered as Speight falls