Trinity Avenue Mural - and random

Exploring with the new camera:


Click here to see it big.

The white building is Atlanta's Richard B. Russell Federal Building. I prefer the mural.


Civic minded in the Capital View neighborhood, slightly censored by the Architecture Tourist:


Dappled reflection on the Hurt Building through the Chick-fil-A Scholarship Arch behind the Flat Iron Building - actually the English - American Building.


I used to work here, makes you proud


While I'm testing the zoom on high cornices, how about this lion guy on the Candler Building:


In context:


The old Salvation Army building on Ellis Street


This bit looks a bit modern


Thanks,
Terry

Chirstmas pics (& juggling)

Three of the cousins with balls in the air.


Cousins work on the 1st puzzle. It's a classic Christmas scene at our house:


A calm, colorful scene, looks like home to me:


Our Christmas lunch: BBQ, slaw, hush puppies over-nighted from Kepley's in High Point.


Scanning a Christmas present:


Beard trimmer test:


Went to the Michael C. Carlos Museum




If you like ancient tubs - and who doesn't - the Carlos has one:


Made Russian Tea


"Bananagrams" was amazingly popular, Scrabble, Boggle, anagrams with no math.


A precious memory of Rachel from Christmas, 1985, when hats and drool were the coolest things.


The Christmas juggling video


We'll post a few more.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year,
Terry

Atlanta's best drive-through view?

This is the view from the Bank of America drive-window at the Emory University.


It's Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church. To me it's the most pleasing Philip Shutze public building. It also serves as Emory's largest auditorium and it contains Shutze's "Little Chapel" (more in post script).

I don't mind the teller line when I can peruse the proportions and details.


When the leaves fall I get a better view.




It's been home to many graduations, church services, concerts, weddings, and funerals. I think it's the centerpiece of Druid Hills and the standout building at Emory.


What a pleasure to see this uplifting and humane building while waiting for the teller or for the light to change, or eating pizza at Everybody's.

Thanks,
Terry

P.S. Folks just don't know about the little chapel. From the Glenn website:

"The chapel is almost an exact replica, on a smaller scale, of the interior of St. Stephen Walbrook, an Anglican church in London that is considered to be one of Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpieces."

White and Pointy - 80 years apart

I'm participating in Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch. Thanks to Susan! Not a nice metamorphosis now, but let's hope these come back.

This new house - a teardown - by Atlanta architect Bradley E. Heppner - takes my breath away. It's a 2009 Morningside interpretation of something older. But isn't everything? In any case I love the pointy shapes, the simplicity, the interesting roof, the straightforward windows. I think it will be on magazine covers.



So here is a 1929'er in Druid Hills. I've been driving by it forever, always enjoying the simple white shapes. Would you keep the white windows or go for a more metal look?


The new one is a bit stark in the picture, it hasn't weathered in yet, the driveway too new. In person, it's striking but not so stark. Can you imagine white windows?


My field guide to American homes says that English houses have a door emphasis, French ones a roof emphasis. I include the door surround for Things That Inspire's post about a "carved" doorway.


Compare to the neighboring house. I've been watching it since before the teardown. Every day has been interesting. Exterior walls are concrete block with hard coat stucco.


The more I look, the more I learn, the deeper I look, the more I like.

Thanks,
Terry

P.S. What I particularly appreciate about architects and builders: Their work is forever in public and can't come in out of the rain.


That can mean gutter rocket science.

Thanks to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.

Teardown gets it's rafters

Lot's more to go before this is pretty: wood shingles, clapboard, stone, curvy porch roof, arches, columns, balconies, chimneys, eyebrow, dovecote...

We've been waiting to see the roof line. It defines the outlines, massing, the height, and the relationship with neighboring houses. (see a "wall of dread" picture in the P.S.)


There is no getting around the bigness...


...but I think the final shape moderates the bigness. This is a well designed house. Great detailing will emerge as the house nears completion. I believe it will make its neighbors look better.





Here it is in context with it's neighbors, pictures you don't see in real estate listings which always show houses as if they are the only one on the block.


The new house is making the houses on either side look different but surprisingly they don't look smaller. That's not ironclad 100% yummy goodness - I mean- those houses would look better with a garden between them.

It's a skill we don't appreciate: Architect Bob DeFiore can't make today's house look like it's neighbors. Nobody builds houses like it's neighbors any more. But within the constraints and tradeoffs between, owners requirements, costs, loans, and zoning, he controls the masses and roof lines, the details and finishes.


There is a pleasant framing / backdrop effect for the existing houses. Rather than being somewhat indistinguishable from their neighbors. Now they stand alone, framed by bigger houses in different styles, now unique rather than a pea in a pod.

Now the small houses have the deep front yards. It's part illusion, but still a luxury in our neighborhood.

Lot's more to go before this is pretty: wood shingles, clapboard, stone, curvy roofs, arches, columns, balconies, chimneys...

Here is the whole slide show


Thanks,
Terry

P.S. This is a big wall of dread in Ashford Park...


I'm sure they expected to tear down all the existing houses but I'm not crazy about the new ones.

Artists: 2009 Telephone Factory Art Show Atlanta

I'm participating in Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch. Thanks to Susan! This used to be a telephone factory and it was built to last. Now it's an art, design, and coolness factory. Once a year we get a look inside. Design fans, you'll want to see the a few pictures of a French style collection in the postscript.

Fun art...


In this beautiful industrial building:


In lofts like this:


I did the Telephone Factory Art Show on Sunday. (I did the Fulton Cotton and Bag Mill tour on Saturday). Mark your calendar for next year: First weekend in December, great loft buildings, great lofts, great art, great people, great time.

Demone Phelps


Bradley Wade




By Matthew Mayes: end of hall Zen View


Matthew Mayes:


Artist / photographer Susan Poindexter showed photographs printed on a variety of fabrics. Recognize Rhodes Hall?


by Susan Poindexter:


By Mary Klein, a founder of the Telephone Factory Art Show


Alex Leopold


by Alex Leopold


Clay artist Gwen Fryar


by Gwen Fryar


Clay artist Lori Buff


Sir Fred Gear and his polar bear band


Jennifer Henley


by Jennifer Henley


Thanks so much.
Terry

P.S. A few design pix from Caryn Grossman - cg creative interiors to compliment Claire Watkins Interior Design's High Gloss Blue post. You need to click the pictures and make them bigger so you can see the details.











Thanks to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.