Videos: Drawing the Classical: The Mouldings and the Baluster

Henry Hope Reed and Classical America show the classic shapes, proportions, and techniques taught for the last couple of thousand years. Classic design is so familiar to us we often don't pay attention. But when we see classics done wrong it grates on the eye. This video shows it done the old timey, correct way.

The Mr. Reed starts drawing at about 4:45 if you want to see what the video is all about. At about 10:00 you'll learn the difference between a cyma recta and and cyma reversa.



The pioneers of modern architecture didn't abandon classic proportions although some of their imitators did. Your eye can tell.

You Atlantans may know that Georgia Tech has a Master of Science (major in architecture) with a concentration in Classical Design. Read about the founding of the classical design program in 2007 here. Atlanta architect Bill Harrison helped get it off the ground.

Hee is another video about the Doric Order. I'll post later.

Graduation Party

Houses look best when hosting happy people. It's where the memories come from.

Fresh blogging air

Hooked on Houses is hosting her "Hooked on Friday's" blog party: This Friday I'm hooked on The Skirted Roundtable.

Know why? It's a breath of fresh air. It's a little jolt to the community surrounding Megan from Beach Bungalow 8, Linda from ::Surroundings::, and Joni from Cote de Texas.

And I'm ready for some fresh air.

Why is it so fresh? Blog readers interact at glacial speeds via email and blog comments. Here we have actual human conversations. We're making personal connections.

I don't know about you but, all the design TV, magazine, and blogs have put me into design overload.

So when the Skirted Roundtable pops up out of nowhere; when The Blue Remembered Hills pops up in Atlanta on January 9 with the question: "Did the world need another interior design blog?" I get my second wind.

Has everything been done?

Quote from the GSO's (Great Skirted Ones) :

"...with all the design blogs today it gets harder and harder to find virgin topics."

This is how it feels. But if everything has been done, why can't I ever find what I want? Where are all the blogs about chia pet topiary?

(Pardon my flagrant use of Google bait. Let's see how soon Google ranks this page for "chia pet topiary" searches.)

To all you nice folks who commented on Jeff Shutters last week, thanks so much. We'll post again when something happens.)

Brilliant Regent, Inspiring King, Dixon and Pak

This weekend 2 great Atlanta bloggers posted 2 great posts about 2 great Atlanta homes by 2 great Atlanta architects. Bloggers, posts, homes, and architects are way, way above average even by Atlanta standards (where everything is naturally above average).

Blogger "Things That Inspire posted:
"New on the Market: a beautiful Atlanta Home."
That's an understatement. It's a new traditional home by Atlanta Architect D. Stanley Dixon, winner of multiple Shutze Awards.

Things That Inspire went above and beyond call of blogger duty, personally touring the house, taking pictures and getting it down for all to see.

Blogger Brilliant Asylum's posted:
"Sunday Shopping"
is about "...a Regents Park Condo for sale: "The 6,885 square foot home is on sale, currently marked down from $4.1 million to $2.85 million."

Yong Pak of Pak Heydt & Associates LLC. was the architect of this one. Youg is young and already has an amazing portfolio.

Brilliant Asylum's sharp eye for million dollar mark downs and her keen memory provide links to Regents Park as a decorator show house. You just have to go her post and drool for yourself.

Atlanta blogger, Style Court posted about Regents Park last May:
"Carithers and Wearstler in the Same Room."
Sneaking great Atlanta style past Style Court is like trying to sneak the sun past a rooster.

Your humble architecture tourist is grateful to bloggers, architects, and owners.

Memorial Day tribute to Jig and Mac

In 2001 I began helping publish the stories of two remarkable men, both veterans of WW 2, John D. Bridgers M.D. also known as Jig or Jigs. and Mackenzie J Gregory also known as Mac.

Jig, a U.S. Navy carrier pilot, is now gone but he left a remarkable family and remarkable memoirs. I had the great pleasure of several visits, BBQ meals, and a road trip with Jig toward the end of his life. His son, and my friend, Carl put Jig's family, war, and career stories on the web. He's in the lower left.


In High Point we know him as Dr. Bridgers, a pediatrician. If you are a High Pointer, in my age range, you may know him that way. If you had Dr. Geddie, as I did, you'll want to read Jig's "The Spaghetti Shaman - Dr. Kenneth Geddie" about another amazing High Pointer.

Mac was sent to sea in 1939 as a 17 year old midshipman in the Royal Australian Navy. Many Americans don't realize that Great Britain was at war for 2 years before Pearl Harbor. After his naval service and career in private business Mac became a naval historian and continues to this day.


I've never met Mac but we have talked twice on the phone. We got together by fortunate chance over the web in 2001. Since then, he's written and I've published more than a million words.

Mac's and Jig's stories have touched folks around the world. So many WW 2 vets are passing on. Families are hungry for information. These stories will be resources for generations to come.

John D. Bridgers M.D., Memoirs and personal remembrances

Ahoy - Mac's Web Log, Naval, Maritime, Australian History and more Mackenzie J Gregory

I salute Jigs and Mac. They've certainly taught me much. The honor has been all mine.

Pictures from the Castleberry Art Stroll, May 2009

We did it again, KK, DB and me. A Perfect Atlanta night started with a tiny sprinkle. The art is in the 62 slides of the slide show below. Check out these giant heads by Anthony Palliser at Besharat Gallery.



Marolake Odeleye showed at Diamond Lounge Creative.


Allen Cooley showed at Gallery Stokes.


Grant Spafford, Grease Monkey Metal Works, was at Niche Gallery. Grant planned on some "performance welding" later in the evening.


C.A. Coleman was set up at Swagg House Studios and a hat tip to Swagg proprietor, Tiger, for making us so welcome.


John Tindel (center) showed at Marcia Wood and Mad Man Studios - shown below. Chris Kowalski, on the right is the Mad Man himself, but mad in the nicest way.

To find Mad Man during the stroll, follow the Mad Man hand bills in the right hand hall of Krause Gallery. So now you know.

Stacy Shafritz was at the Granite Room.


I hope you'll watch slide show in full screen.



We'll finish off with another Anthony Palliser at Besharat Gallery. All these eyes follow you around the room.

Jeff's Shutters

Hooked on Houses is hosting her "Hooked on Friday's" blog party: I'm hooked on a helping Jeff and family. Please tell Jeff and me what you think. Jeff's doing new shutters as part of a general exterior spiff up.

He's done one window (lower right) for the whole neighborhood to see. The opinions are rolling it. I PhotoShopped the rest of the windows.



Opinions are divided about colors but not about Gordon's design of the new beefy shutters. They are in scale with the windows, unique in the neighborhood, and show up the puny old black ones. Here is the Photoshopped version. What do you think?



What about the side?



I'm not sure all the side windows need shutters. Or, maybe the middle windows need flower boxes - a decisions best left to the design scientists?



Jeff is building the shutters and the hardware himself. Here he is with Copper and a project he did for us - a base with legs for what we call our "thing." Jeff is the one standing on his hind legs.



The "thing" with legs. Thanks Jeff.



Here is more of the "thing" story and a couple more pictures. But that's another story.



Thanks so much,
Terry

Pictures from the Duck Pond Garden Tour 2009

Katherine and I did Atlanta's Peachtree Heights East Duck Pond Garden Tour today. We toured from about 11 until 2 in a light rain. It was wonderful. The sun would have been nice. But the clouds and rain intensified the green hues I think. At the bottom of the post is my slide show with nearly 80 pictures. They turned out "real good" as we say down here. For fans of French, don't miss the slide show.

The duckpond is a jewel one block from Peachtree Street. People get married on this lawn.


Here is Katherine with designer John Delong. He does insides and outsides. Email me: terry at surf303.com and I'll put you in touch.


There was plenty to make me happy, including these little blue flowers


This is a great composition but I just took the picture:


We'll come back on a warm Atlanta evening for dinner.


This side yard is perfect for a potting locker and table.


Nothing like some orange pop.


Do watch the slide show full screen. These are some of my best pictures.



Thanks so much,
Terry

pb&j gallery on a rainy Kirkwood Day

It's my birthday so the Architecture Tourist Auxiliary invited me to the Kirkwood Spring Fling. By the time I got there it was raining pretty hard so I rescued them and we headed to downtown Kirkwood to see if the shower would blow over.

We headed to the pb&j gallery where we met artists and owners Bob Burkhardt and Jack Simonetta. pb&j is presenting "Endless Summer" until July 3.

Here is Bob Burkhardt with a few of his coastal themed photographs. There is a size, color, contrast, and saturation for everybody. Many are very reasonably priced.


Here is Jack Simonetta with his coastal watercolors. Obviously, Jack and Bob have a healthy case of beach lust. Your blog hosts decided then and there to have shrimp for dinner.


Endless Summer also featured beachy photographs by Peggy Dana, many available unframed.


These chairs look inviting. Heck, every picture looked inviting.


On the right, Tracy Murrell's still life seemed to glow.


David Zecca's abstracts could fill an entire room


Thanks to Bob and Jack for the best possible shelter from the rain.

But we needed to move on, and it was still raining so we headed around the corner to The Mission Motif, featuring craftsman home furnishings - very appropriate for Kirkwood. You should certainly drop in.

It's a handsome store filled with practical eye candy, lighting included:


and fans and much more.


I doubt many of my Atlanta readers have been to Kirkwood. It's not on the way to anywhere. It's beyond the urban pioneer stage now but still home to many orginal residents as well as many young newcomers.

Plan to visit Kirkwood's quiet streets filled with attractive bungalows.

Don't miss Howard Street and Kirkwood Road which run between College Avenue and Hosea Williams. You turn a corner and find amazing homes and churches big and small. I wonder how they came to be here and what were they like in their prime. You'll wonder too.

Thanks,
Terry

Duckpond Garden Tour and Modern Atlanta Home Tour this weekend

2009 Duck Pond Garden Tour we've got our tickets already.
Peachtree Heights East Centennial Celebration
May 17, 2009
11am - 5pm
Rain or Shine
Advance Tickets: $20.00

We've got our tickets already. See you there.

and

2009 Modern Atlanta Home Tour
Saturday and Sunday 16 - 17 May 2009 10:30 am – 4:30 pm
$35 For Both Saturday & Sunday map

You may not be a fan of modern. But this tour features some important Atlanta homes that are sure to take your breath away and maybe start a few heated discussions.

They are even showing 46B of The Mansion on Peachtree. Believe me, the Architecture Tourist will never be invited to The Mansion.

Starter Home $368/square foot

Hooked on Houses is hosting her "Hooked on Friday's" blog party: today I'm hooked on a harmonious little house for sale in Morningside, Atlanta. Here is related post.

Here is the deal:
Built in 1940, asking: $439,900 for 1,194 square feet, a bit more than 1/10 acre. Here is the listing. This 2br, 2 ba, is smaller than average with above average design.



My suburban friends can't imagine living in these relatively small homes with un-small prices. If you weren't raised in a place like this, I think you need to move here when you are young. This is a reminder to look at the listing. Check out the kitchen ceiling.



This is a handsome, well proportioned house that pleases the eye every time. We have all seen mansions with these proportions and details. It's a bit Greek revival with columns, shallow roof pitch, emphasized but simplified cornices. Tiny dentals above the entry porch. Beefy returns. These are serious details that didn't happen by accident. It might have come from a pattern book.



It looks nice in it's "for sale" trim. Nice urns, window boxes, informal, low-rise foundation plantings. We'll down grade it for the stick-on shutters but they look good.

What isn't so obvious are the oversize windows. I thing we can call it fenestration: windows sized and placed for aesthetics. The facade's elements are in harmony.

There is another thing.

We modern, design sophisticates think natural light was invented in 1985. If you look at the listing, you'll notice that the house is filled with natural light.



See all these windows on the side? Way more window than brick.

The cornice is continuous across the gable. The little window in the gable, deep overhang, and returns please the eye. There are many ways to do this wrong.

Do you notice the depth of the windows? I guess that's known as a deep reveal. From A Pattern Language No. 223: "...Make the window frame a deep, splayed edge..."

Here is a look across the next door neighbors yard, very lush and attractive and a bit more modern.



The Walk Score is 60 but my personal rating is higher. See Atlanta's neighborhood walk score rankings. With #8 Virginia-Highland about 4 blocks away, This is as good as it gets in a safe, low rise Atlanta neighborhood.

For you savvy Atlantans, it's a level 2 block walk to Alons, Providence Antiques, and Movies Worth Seeing.

Ready to call the agent?

Dignity on Peachtree

This may be the most dignified address on Peachtree Street, the H.M. Patterson & Son-Oglethorpe Hill Chapel, a funeral home. It's the Greek Revival sister of Philip Shutze's Spring Hill at 1oth and Spring Street. Both are wonderful. I prefer Oglethorpe Hill.



It's human scaled and approachable, formal and reverent.



The 3 separate masses that front Peachtree Street conceal how big it is. See the chapel's arched windows (below)?

It sits on a large, level immaculate lot just north of Oglethorpe University. There are 2 gardens featured in Gardenwalks in the Southeast By Marina Harrison, Lucy D. Rosenfeld. You can see one in the foreground.



The lantern.


Who was the architect?



I've been to one funeral here, for Mike Pinkerton, a good friend who died too young. The chapel and other interiors are even more dignified than the exteriors, fit for their solemn purpose.

Architecture tourists will never tire of Oglethorpe Hill and can enjoy the pink Granite Collegiate Gothic architecture at Oglethorpe University and the Brookhaven Historic District, Silver Lake (a hidden jewel if you can find it), the beautiful setting of Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, and the more modern but elegant Saint Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church in the same trip.

Mary Mac's - Barometer of Intown Health?

Eaten at Mary Mac's Tea Room lately? We've been eating there, on and off, since 1969. Quite a place that's had it's ups and downs.

My family takes me to Mary Mac's for my birthday dinners. Last Friday we headed to the corner of Ponce and Myrtle Streets for the celebration. We arrived about dark, 7:45 or so, and I dropped the family off. I couldn't find a parking place for 3 blocks!

I finally found a parking place but before I could get out of the car my phone rang. There was an hour and a half wait! Mary Mac's was hosting 2 rehearsal dinners and a Bar Mitzvah party.

This is a very good sign for the health for intown Atlanta and, of course, for folks who enjoy Mary Mac's.

We will reschedule my Mary Mac's birthday meal. I hope I'll have to time to tell you why I enjoy it so much.

Hint: it's not just the food, it's the location, the building, the setting, the decor, the service, the comfort, and the memories. Quite a place, quite a place.

Lora Groton Rust - Ceramic Designs Studio Show

Ceramic artist Lora Groton Rust has a show this weekend on Zonolite Road, near Emory and Morningside, home of Floataway Cafe. You need to be there:

May 8, 9, & 10, 2009, 10AM-6PM
1198 Zonolite Rd., Atlanta, GA 30306, LoraRust@yahoo.com, 404-805-0979


Salt-Fired 9" Bowl by Lora Groton Rust
My 3 children got this bowl for me for Father's day and my birthday.

This weekend is Victoria Greenhood's spring studio show. Victoria is is a jewelry designer in Atlanta who sells out of Nantucket during the summers. Very clever of Vickie to have a jewelry sail on Mothers' Day weekend.


Amber Shell Plate by Lora Groton Rust

For the family girls Victoria's show is a must see and only a mile away on Zonolite Road. I tag along but this jewelry business it a bit too girly for me. I can only take it for a few minutes at a time. Fortunately, Victoria's new tenant, Lora Groton Rust is showing her ceramics this weekend too.

Lora Gorton Rust's Studio is right next door. Victoria personally escorted me over, explaining that Ms. Rust's ceramics were selling fast. Within 5 minutes Victoria had bought a bowl!

There there I was in Lora Groton Rust's new studio with a collection of amazing ceramics. (Translation for Terry: stuff made out of clay.) I don't know much about how it's done. What I do know is that I love sculpture, clay stuff is sculpture, and ceramic artists have no limits.

Lora's work knocked me out. I ran back to tell my girls and waited patiently until they picked out their jewelry, and Mother's Day jewelry for mom and grandma. It took 3 days.

There is a secret: The backs / bottoms of most of her pieces have beautiful designs too.

Detail - Latte Bowl by Lora Groton Rust

Finally they made to Ms. Rust's show. They loved it as much a I did. As you notice above, they got a bow!

Here is Lora Groton Rust's Flickr portfolio. There is much more at her show. But you'd better get there soon.