Mini Review and Mini Panorama - Atlanta's New International Terminal

On Saturday I dropped off a loved one at the new $1.4B terminal. I visited the road, the parking lot, and the departures level. I'll have to buy a ticket to see the International Atrium.

It's like a small city airport with BIG design. The domestic side of the airport is huge, busy, important, lived-in. The new terminal is tiny and so easy to manage. It's a world apart.

As you approach by car, flanked by giant hangers you see the dead end ahead and wonder, is that it? Is that all?

It's so easy that you should consider a visit just for architecture tourist fun. You can take it in less than an hour and parking will cost you about 2 bucks.

This is as far as I got, the departures area, where you check you bags and go through security. See the reflections on the floor?

It's a mighty big room, about 2/3's as long and a bit wider than Delta's south terminal check-in and baggage claim in the old airport. Floor to ceiling windows north and south and the high swooping ceilings, make it a big feeling room, big like an airplane hanger with windows.

It's hard to get lost or out of visual contact here: You can see everything. Kids and parents seemed comfortable.


It seemed "democratic" to me. I felt important there. The place had an equalizing effect. Everyone is free to go everywhere, no corridors or passageways, no upper level. Everyone and everything is in an atrium.

Visually it's borderline migraine for me. It's simple but visually busy. The blue neon and pencil thin florescents in the swooping ceiling, and the window frame grid reflect on the polished diagonal gridded floor. The diagonal check-in desks have filigree cornices. I felt good there but it could cause me trouble on migraine prone days.

The best thing is the view of the planes. The planes are right there, RIGHT THERE. As you'll see in the video below.

Here a a little panorama.



Here is the floor-plan and map.

Candler Mansion repurposed - St.John Chrysostom Melkite Church Atlanta

This is Asa Candler's 1916 Mansion on Ponce. It's been a church since 1957 - the St.John Chrysostom Melkite Church.

This is my 6th of 23 in my project to visit and blog all the churches on Ponce de Leon.


This was the home of one of the most important men in Atlanta. In 1887 Asa Candler bought the formula for Coca Cola from its inventor John Pemberton. Mr. Candler did well with it. This was his home from 1916 until his death in 1929.


Today it works very well as church. It's one of the "church-mansions" on Ponce de Leon.


I toured it last Sunday during their annual Middle East Food Festival. I suggest you put it on your calendar for next May. One visit is not enough. I'll be there.


The Druid Hill section of Ponce de Leon is lined with mansions but this one stands out, less because of size, more because of its style and siting on a 2 acre hill top.


I enjoyed the view from the portico.


The church installed the stained glass and there is plenty of it.


Not over the top.


But not modest.


Important.


Between the portico and porte-cochere I was a happy architecture tourist.

I can only give hints at the inside.


This is the porte-cochere foyer ceiling.


The ceiling of the foyer now the narthex.


This door leads from the narthex to the nave.


The ceiling of the music room. "This music room is now a 'Para Ecclesia' or Chapel." It's a knock-out.


The ceiling of the library, now a heritage room and gift shop.


I don't have words for the nave...


...or the ceiling.


This grand sunken party room is now a church steeped in iconography, the damaged marble now covered in new wood floors and pews, the wall hung with iconographic paintings and stained glass. I'd seen pictures but...


The Holy Alter is in the former dining room.


I think these are drawings are for restoration.

I've shown you almost nothing.

All 96 years from home to abandonment to boarding house to church are still in here. I hope I've encouraged a few of you to have a look.


This is just one of the churches on Ponce.


Drive carefully while you are touring.

Stained Glass in a 1912'er on Ponce

The house was recently redone, immaculate, fresh, and staged - beautiful. But it was this single stained glass window seemed most alive to me.


This etching in the middle panel caught my eye. See the lush Atlanta foliage is the background?

On Tuesdays I try to see a caravan house if one is on my errand route. This one is at 1965 Ponce De Leon. Note to Atlantans: It's up the hill on the south side of Ponce just west of East Lake.

Does this happen to you? I get so overwhelmed sometimes that my brain goes on macro mode, focusing on a single detail.


Was it there in 1912? Is the window from 1912? Is this in a particular style, a particular studio? Did it come out of a catalog? Was there always a fan light? Was the fan originally stained glass?

In any case it makes the stair special.


I didn't look at the details until I got home.


The more I look, the more I like.

Hydrangeas - at OUR house it takes a little longer

They never even perspire on This Old House.

Syd gave JoAnn a blue hydrangea for her birthday. It's a total doll, an "Endless Summer," the kind they have at Pikes, Home Depot, and Intown Ace. You can probably buy them on Amazon.


It's just a little puppy which is OK because we have a little puppy house.

We tried it all over the yard and decided it needed a sister, one for over here and another for over there.


So I had to drive to Pikes, Home Depot, AND Intown Ace on Highland and On Scott Boulevard to find a mate.

On "Ask this Old House" this is barely a 15 minute job.

At OUR house it takes a little longer.

1. Gentle husband/wife design discussion and location trials. At THIS point I started sweating if you know what I mean.
2. Dig out the nandinas.
3. Dig out the vinca minor
4. Heavily prune the other nandinas.
5. Plant the left hydrangea.
6. Repeat steps 2, 3, 5 for the right hydrangea
7. Prepare soil and relocate vinca minors.
8. Prepare soil and relocate nandinas.
9. Do some balance pruning.
10. Gentle spousal discussion about what to do with the "holes" I left behind.

It all seems better in this 71 second time-lapse with ambient music.


Now, how to fill up the holes.

Birthday, textile mills, Astolfi, coffee, whitespace, Emily Amy, Seth Thompson

Pretty good week! Far more happening than I can keep up with. And as usual not a single profound thought crossed my brain. I did have a birthday and haircut, "So I got that goin' for me, which is nice." - Carl


That was Wednesday.


This is just the sort of thing that I do on my birthday. Notice the curly "do?" Why didn't the loved ones tell me?


Thanks to guests (and honorary family members) Michelle and Nina


You had to be present to win. We didn't save any for you; I think we even licked the candles.

Thursday was haircut and textile mill, and gallery day.



As a product of a Piedmont mill town, High Point, I'm excited that folks are interested in my heritage. This was part of the Georgia Trust's 2012 Preservation Month Lecture Series.


Thanks to Dr. Keith S. Hebert, Andy Carter, Keri Adams, Dr. Ann McCleary from the University of West Georgia's Center for Public History.

Ever been to Rhodes Hall? I've fallen in love with it. Now is the time. Join me:
Thursday, May 24, 6:30 p.m. What Georgia’s Classical Architects Taught us about Renovation
Thursday, May 31, 6:30 p.m. Georgia Historic Preservation Handbook – A who, what, where and why of preservation in Georgia

I rushed from the Georgia Trust to Astolfi Art. They moved 100 yards and threw a party.


The moved across from Yeah Burger, next door to {Poem88} gallery. That's a large work by Kevin Archer.


You can do a gallery drive by.


Tracy Sharp shows there.

I'm not an early riser but I headed to the Grant Park Octane on Friday morning.

I joined a monthly Atlanta "LikeMind" discussion. It was my first time and hey - free coffee!


The idea is to chat it up on the way to work once a month.


Brandon Barr is the co-host (with Chris Wojda) who buys the coffee, writer photographer, Maigh Houlihan, everywhere guy Carl Black and I were left after everyone else went to work. What a pleasure.

Friday night was gallery reception overload. I went to Emily Amy and whitespace.


This show - by Bernd Haussmann - was one of my "favoritist" ever at Emily Amy. The longer I stayed, the more I enjoyed the painting.


My camera didn't capture it.You'll have to go.


This is Bernd. He helped everyone else have fun.


And there was some us-serious cutting up. Bernd would not let them pose. Recognize 3 of Atlanta's young cultural V.I.P's?

I headed to whitespace gallery.


Teresa Cole, Professor and Chair, Printmaking at Tulane, opened "Between Origin and Present."


Teresa hung a cloud of prints each backed by a sari.


You could get lost in there.


Extraordinary prints.

On Saturday I went to Seth Thompson's MFA thesis show.


Seth's reception was in Solomon Projects space.


He came in peace.


His work was of the highest quality, museum quality. Seth said they were expensive to produce but fun. Stands to reason, he's Curatorial Assistant, Modern and Contemporary Art at High Museum Of Art


Folks dressed up.

What a week.