Skateboarders and dancers shared the Historic Old 4th Ward Skatepark last weekend. I was there for rehearsal and two performances but I'm at a loss to explain it. The ArtsATL.com review might help.
I'd call gloAT a dance troup that dances off stage. They say "gloATLis a collaborative platform of exceptional contemporary physical experience...Part choreography and part interactive art installation..." and I think that's right.
This is the event. The park remained open for skaters throughout the rehearsals and performances.
That was a very good thing.
Hundreds of folks showed up.
Did you know about the brand new skatepark on the Beltline?
The fans didn't always know what was going on.
They probably still don't know.
Dancers wore '60's outfits and wigs.
They danced solos and septets. They danced everywhere. They danced in front of, in, and behind the audience. They danced to music, to words, and to crowd noise. I chased them about but if you stayed in one place, they eventually came to you.
It's hard to miss First Baptist. It's a big Gibbs style church on a suburban-sized parcel on the north edge of downtown Decatur Georgia. It's big right down to its super chunky quoins and dentils
Everybody "knows" that Ivey & Crook, Architects designed the current building.
I drive by twice a week but it's become so familiar I don't pay much attention.
Ugh.
Ugh.
This corner's not looking too hot.
I used Photoshop to give us X-Ray vision.
This is so complex. Where will the water go?.
What about those black corners? All 4 corners of the tower are black. The tower is the bottom section of the steeple.The level above is the belfry, see Steeple Anatomy.
#1: I love soffits more than sofas, stairways more than settees, bricks more than banquettes. I love sofas, settees, and banquettes too. But I think great buildings are great even when they are empty. When designers start with great structure, it's irresistible.
(If you are a brick expert, please stick with me 'til the end.)
#2: I want our best buildings to be public or open to the public once in a while. Above: A great house is great even in hard rain.
I mean it, I'm taking names and this WILL go on your permanent record. The house is great, the decor is great. This will probably our only opportunity to see it.
I went yesterday as a blogger courtesy of Atlanta Symphony Associates. Thanks to Allison Ford for thinking of me.
"One of his earliest fully developed American works is the W. H. Kriser house of 1929 known as Knollwood. Shutze developed this house from his study of Chatham in Stratford County, Virginia (1765). He translated the orginal stucco house into a brick Georgian mass with a one-story portico that spans the curving arrival drive."
Comfortable? I think that's exactly right. It impresses, but rather than intimidate, it comforts. It's uncanny. It's why you'll be glad you went.
The original shutters probably rotted away many years ago but the shutter dogs and layered paint show graceful aging.
Here the south side, the "front" that faced Paces Ferry before the property was parceled out.
I could barely absorb a single room. I had my tiny camera in my pocket but my photography skills were no match for the interiors.
I just wanted to look. I kept bumping into other lookers, I did years worth of "pardon me" in a couple of hours. The hosts wore red sashes and politely kept their eye on me.
My favorite interior place was the north enfilade. Go to the atrium and look back into the house through the north door all the way back to the stairs. I walked back and forth between the stairs and atrium. Don't doubt me out this.
The lady's master bath was like the inside of a diamond. Attention men: take a few deep breaths before entering.
Back outside the brick turns out to be architecture rocket science.
I took a picture of an inside/outside corner. It's straightforward, sturdy, and solid Flemish bond. But Shutze designed brick requires an even a closer look.
What are those Rowlocks (or Bull Headers) doing in Flemish Bond? I tried to look it up.
And what is the story with the mortar and pointing? Trompe l'Oeil?
One visit was not enough but my little brain was quite full.
I lingered on the street to admire the cobblestones, beautiful but challenging for ladies in heels.
It's a good look so I used my business card to get the scale.
When your grandchildren ask if you've ever been to Knollwood, you'll want to say yes.
I like 'em like this. I'll bet you have your favorites too.
When I'm in East Lake or Decatur or Peachtree Heights or Peachtree Battle, I'll drive by if I can.
They delight me every time. What is it about them?
I've only been inside this one.
This is the drive-by view. I'd call it a vernacular; they call it low country planter style, what do I know?
It looks like it belongs. It could be 150 years old. But it isn't.
It's actually 156 years old.
Here is another:
It could be 100 years old but it's 120.
It's irresistible to me. I drive by twice a week and I don't have to go out of my way.
Porches, gables, not too big, gravel, close to the ground...
Here's another, hard to see, it's always a zen view.
I've driven by 100's of time but only "looked" at it in the last 6 months.
It's a low-rise rambler with gravel and hints of Greek Revival, only 81 years old.
Here is the 4th one.
It's another "woody" with shutters. Property records say it's 129 years old, built in 1883. It's unlike any of it's neighbors. But it's like the ones I like.
A low-rise rambler with just one gable but no gravel, it still passes my test.
Are there any like these your neck of the woods? I'd sure enjoy seeing them.
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