This is the south facade of the Emily Winship Woodruff Maternity Center at Crawford Long Hospital by Philip Trammell Shutze et al 1945. It's big, beautiful, nearly invisible, almost completely walled in by hospital expansions. I don't know if it's still the maternity ward.
Unless you are in the new hospital tower, or on the top floor of the parking deck, you'll never see it. Unless it's raining I always park on top. Even from there the Maternity Center barely pokes its pretty head up, a zen view.
The parking deck elevator doesn't go to the top. But it's worth taking the stairs to get a close look. From the Architecture Tourist-mobile you can see the roof-top loggia, balustrade, urns, square towers with half-moon (not the proper term I'm sure) vents.
Here is a closer look at a squatty urn, the wavy decoration, the window entablature.
This boxy tower is like the one on the Academy of Medicine.
I have a personal connection to all the Shutze buildings I'm blogging about. A lot of business has been done to me at Crawford Long. I've been probed, scoped, cut, stitched and cured in there. But my very best visit was to the loggia itself.
See the picnic tables? I've been there. At the time the security department's office was up there. I went up to recover a lost ID and found that the security officers took their break on rocking chairs up there. Looks like they added a fence since I was there.
I hope all your Crawford Long visits are happy. And I hope Architecture Tourists park on top of the deck and look East toward this interesting block of Peachtree Street and the art deco Orr Doctors Building by Pringle & Smith...
More about this funky building another time.
and a look downtown.
I'm going to the 2010 Philip Trammell Shutze Awards on February 20th in Atlanta You should too. In the run up to the awards I'm doing a batch of posts about Shutze in my "neighborhood." No pro photography or pro architecture was committed in this post.
Thanks,
Terry
terry @ surf303.com
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Baltimore Row is right by there on the other side - off West Peachtree; did you see it?
ReplyDeleteYes Baltimore row is over there, built up but a shadow of it's former self. When I was at Ga Tech, I knew students who lived there. There was at least one moderately sleazy bar there. You know, it was kind of genuine then. I worked 3 blocks away for a long time. I don't pay attention anymore.
ReplyDeleteTruly a gem swallowed up by progression. Do hope the chained-link fence is not there to stay? Always such fun and a learning experience to visit your blog Terry. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIf only they still used limestone when constructing new commercial buildings....
ReplyDeleteYou're much more on top of the commercial stuff than I am. I do follow the Atlanta thread over on the forums at Skyscraperpage.com though.
Skyscraper page folks are definitely our fellow travelers. It's just that I went to school in town, worked in town, and live close in, and my business errands are close in too. So the older building are part of my life. At least we can actually go inside many of the commercial buildings and churches. We'll never get close to the homes, certainly not inside.
ReplyDeleteThe top of the parking deck is also a good place to wave to your daughter while she's working in a skyscraper!
ReplyDeletemy brother lived in the Baltimore building in 1958 59 it was ratty and run down but he instinctively knew it was a gem i will be at Crawford Long on Monday and will park on the top...ginger
ReplyDeleteI was born at Crawford Long in the Emily Winship Woodruff Maternity Center. These photos and the information above are too cool! Thank you sir!
ReplyDeleteI Was born there too May 1966 would love to seemore images of this building!
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ReplyDelete