Shutze's Peachtree Manor Apartments (1923)

Update from Atlanta Time Machine March 14, 2010: El Morocco Club and ad posters for clubs that operated in the Peachtree Manor.




I first laid eyes on it in 1969. It was a seedy looking hotel, a flophouse. It deteriorated from there, abandoned for more than a decade.

I lived 3 blocks away. I could see the Manor from the dental chair while got my wisdom teeth pulled, not a happy memory let me you tell you. The Academy of Medicine is 2 blocks away, the Dwoskin Office and Buck Crooks' Crum & Forster Building a few blocks south are all on the downside from their heyday. Some of these may share the happy fate of the Manor.

It's address in now 826 Peachtree but "696" is carved into the stone. I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation.


In the late 60's and 70's there were rumors of organized crime. You could buy liquor on Sunday here so the street people said. There was dive of an eatery next door but we never ate there, thinking it was too sleazy even for us. The building just south was a data center where I spent quite a few over-nights early career testing accounting programs old mainframes.


Even at the bottom, the Manor kept its dignity. It's looking great now, part of our resurgent Midtown.


The pictures above show the East facade, the one facing Peachtree. I like the North facade fronting 6th street just as much. You can see the "H" shape that guarantees a lot of corners. It on a slope. You can see the rustication better from this side. It looks like two modest bookend buildings rather than one big one.


The curvy gate encloses a cozy courtyard. It feels a little like getting a hug, a little refuge just below street level.


Here is the view to west on 6th street toward Ga Tech's Technology Square. It feels good now. It hasn't been very nice there for a long, long time.


Inside the "H" it's not a square corner. And there's a pediment up there with a circular vent. Nothing behind it, it's a parapet, just for looks, only showing on the north side. The chunky cornice is anything but quiet.


The South facade below the west facade aren't meant to show.


I went to the 2010 Philip Trammell Shutze Awards last night and just WOW. I'll have more to say about it later. In the run up to the awards I've done a batch of posts about Shutze in my neighborhood. I have a few more yet to go.

Thanks,
Terry
terry @ surf303.com
No pro photography or pro architecture was committed in this post.

Best Shutze in small package: The Villa (ca 1920)

The Villa Apartments - now condos - have been on my errand, short cut, and pleasure routes forever. It's a terrace level plus+2, U-shaped little building on a sharp corner amid big pines. Even in winter it doesn't poke out of the trees, so I don't really see it until I'm smack in front - a zen view.


I imagine it's a 400 year old Roman building teleported to Atlanta just before I drive by.


The wings are straightforward and elegant. This is the sunny side with bleached patina.


The side doors and stairs are wonderful but don't shout. Different curves on either side funnel us in and out.


The main entrance? I don't know what to say...


...except that it's clearly a job for professionals.


If my Shutze posts have taught me anything, it's an appreciation for his entrances. They elevate. This door is important because the people who use it are important.


You can see through to the courtyard.


And what do you know: iron. The reflections make it look busier than it really is. I must learn some photography.


I feel fortunate every time I drive by.

No pro photography or pro architecture was committed in this post. Please see all my Shutze Posts if you like.

Map:


View Larger Map

P.S. Here is the Villa Condominium website.

P.P.S. Here are a few more pictures. They look great in full screen.