Oakdale fence and gate on a crisp yellow house

Oakdale's north end is in Druid Hills. At Dekalb Avenue it becomes Whiteford Road finally terminating at Memorial Drive. Lot's to see along the way: the manor homes near Emory, Victorians grand and small, high style craftsman bungalows, and vernaculars. This one is just right - it makes a whole block look better.


While we're looking at fences, here is a repeat from Decatur


And this one in Scottdale, Georgia

Briarlake farmhouse vernacular beauty

FLASH March 14 2009. I've just learned that this is the John N. Gresham home place built Built in the 1880s(?) by Forrest P. Hudson another picture.

It's a farmhouse with out-buildings. It's inside I-285! You probably can't even see it in summer. Unless you live in the neighborhood or are an extreme architecture tourist, you'll never see it in any season. It's on a relatively huge property and is certainly doomed to be a tear-down. (update Spring 2015, maybe it's safe)



It's a southern version of a "connected-building vernacular" described in Katie Hutchison's House Enthusiast post. Ms. Hutchison's example is in Maine, where keeping warm is the thing. Down here, cooling off on the porch is the thing.


Well, I'm totally charmed. I regret that I'll never know how this home came to be and how it managed to stay around this long.

Georgian overlooking Oglethorpe University

This home delights every single day. All the individual elements are great: the lot, siting, out buildings, the architecture, the fence, the landscaping, the "yellow," the upkeep. It's impressive but not intimidating.


It gives me the impression of a grand county house. The scalloped picket fence is more cozy than off putting, don't you think?


It's one of 2 older houses on the block next to "The Park at Oglethope" development.



It has 2 driveways. One goes to a garage that's like a county house's out building.


The house next door is pretty good as well. The brick makes it a bit more of a city house.

Agnes Scott's new Julia Thompson Smith Chapel

This new beauty by Maurice Jennings architects of Fayetteville, Arkansas, was dedicated in April, 2008. You've probably seen other Jenning's chapels in the magazines, certainly the breathtaking Mildred B. Cooper Chapel Bella Vista, Arkansas. You wouldn't know about the Smith Chapel unless you cruise Chandler road south of Decatur. Architecture tourists need to find an event there so we can see the inside.


Find out more at the Agnes Scott website.






For Scotties who haven't been to campus for a while, the chapel replaced the Snodgrass Amphitheater.

The biggest pink building in Atlanta and 2 pink houses near Oakland Cemetary

Here is the big one


I prefer these two. The first is in Cabbage Town:


The second is just across Memorial Drive behind 6 feet under in north Grant Park:

A little house dominates Wieuca Road at Phipps Boulevard

Update: Check out James' Limestones and Boxwood 9-20-2010 blog post for some great pictures and info about this house.

n a 3-way face off between Phipps skyscrapers and Wieuca Road Baptist Church, this spectacular little house on the corner wins by a mile. Who designed and built this beauty? Who were the brick masons, the roofers, the metalworkers, the window builders?




It looks like it might have been there since the Revolution. I love the brick architrave / frieze.


Rustication, massive limestone lentils on the 2nd floor, pilasters, "X" themed windows and balcony, tile roof, stunning but elegant brickwork make an ordinary box into a landmark.


It's on a prominent corner in it's own little park. Go slowly and take it in.


A Girl Scout troop made a landscape guide.


It delights architecture tourists every time.


The competition:

Pink mirror wall on Oakview between downtown Oakhurst and downtown Kirkwood

It's the only pink mirror wall (with pennants) I know of. It's on Oakview Road, a delightful boulevard the on the city limits between Decatur and Atlanta, between Oakhurst and Kirkwood.


It's not on most folks way to anywhere. Architecture Tourists will find this at the midpoint of a great but unsung Atlanta drive: Winnona Park, Oakhurst, Kirkwood, Reynoldstown, Cabbagetown

Dogs and metal chairs improve street scenes and make stop lights tolerable.

Architecture tourists enjoy red lights if the street looks like this.


It's the old Fleemans, now Belly, at the corner of North Highland and St. Charles.

Let's go the the Castleberry Hill ArtStroll tonight

I think the technical name is 4^th Friday ArtStroll at Historic Castleberry Hill. It's just perfect for Architecture Tourists: Free, interesting architecture, galleries galore, an iron pour at 9pm, free snacks and wine at the galleries, and uh... free. What else are you going to do tonight?

I visit the wonderful Wigwam building and neighborhood in Atlanta's Old 4th Ward

Lucky day for me yesterday: Chad Mason, local musician and good guy, invited me to visit his Wigwam home. Built in 1940, it's an international style chunk of Miami Beach planted at the east end of the MLK historic district. Here is some more Wigwam info from another fan.

Here is the wonderful Indian Brave keeping watch over the Wigwam and neighborhood.


Architecture tourists will find more than a cool building. It's at a great but an unsung Atlanta 5-points corner: Old Wheat Street, Auburn Avenue, and Randolph Street. Where else can you find the Martin Luther Home, Ebenezer Baptist Church and this strawberry door?


A Greek revival townhouse


The fountain, the palm tree, the pastels:




The 4th ward tower:


A couple of churches:




We architecture tourists have a gold mine on Auburn Avenue which deserves many more blog entries. Get over there and enjoy!

There are more Wigwam neighborhood pictures in my Flickr slide show.

Hillyer Place, Decatur Georgia, a block of charm

Sycamore Street - "Old Sycamore" to some - is a few blocks of great old houses on the east side of town. (See "Old Decatur Historic District") It's rather out of the way if you are in a hurry, but Architecture Tourists need to slow a bit. One of my errand routes is Commerce Drive which takes me past the Cora Beck Hampton Schoolhouse and House. This is the view from Commerce.


My poor pictures don't do justice to the house, the setting, or it's neighbors. I'm delighted every time I see it. It's on the National Register of Historic Places so you don't need to rush. But you'll want to get over there as soon as you can.

Iron works at the Tomlinson Gardens on Peachtree in Brookhaven

Look at those shadows. Wow. I didn't notice until I got the picture on my computer. The Tomlinson Gardens has a French colonial look. It's on a huge lot for the area. It's GREEN. It has a bit of worn seediness that would go for charm in New Orleans. It's doomed as a tear-down.


On the very same day I found this entry: "RAILINGS & SHADOWS: The New York Stoop Paintings Of Andrew Jones" about paintings the focus on just such shadows. From now on I'm paying more attention.
Architecture tourists need to get there fast to enjoy 100's of feet of elaborate cast iron columns, cornices, and balconies amid huge leggy hollys.


It's will be a gold mine for the salvage yard.

Glenn Memorial UMC steeple looking good in the winter light

Glenn Church gives architecture tourists a buzz when they are fortunate enough to drive by. To me it's the most pleasing Philip Shutze public building. Have you been inside? The "Little Chapel" in the education building is certainly one the the great interiors in Atlanta.


My children went to kindergarten here. I had the occasional pleasure of slowly circling the buildings in the car pool line. Inside and out, this place makes you feel good. It makes the 5-points intersection of North Decatur, Oxford, and Dowman one of the best corners in Atlanta.


Glenn church is at the entrance to the Emory University which is a campus of light colored buildings, many of classic design. It's another architecture tourist favorite worthy of more posts.

3 great front yards in Atlanta

Want to live in a garden? These fit pattern 172. GARDEN GROWING WILD**

In Morningside a little lot can go a long way:


In Ansley Park a shallow front yard


In Brookwood Hills a corner with mysteries


**A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series) by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein