Asheville Architecture

Updated Historic Apartment Building

Detail - Former S&W Cafeteria

On the second day of our Asheville weekend, we went to downtown Asheville.  Asheville has done a great job of preserving the beautiful historic architecture in the downtown area.  We had a delicious brunch at a new restaurant and the manager allowed us to photograph the interior. 

This road trip deserves a do-over!

St. Augustine Churches

April 8, 2012. St. Augustine was founded in 1585 by the Spanish and the Spanish influence is still influential in the architecture in downtown St. Augustine.  Henry Flagler arrived in 1880 and went about making St. Augustine the premier winter resort for the likes of John D. Rockefeller and other wealthy Northerners.  Flagler also contributed to the building of several churches-one of which was Grace Methodist where I attended the wedding.  Grace Methodist is made of poured concrete with brick and terracotta accents.  Its hard to believe that the church is almost 125 years old.  The detailing on the arches and windows is beautiful and shows almost no wear.

Flagler also contributed to Memorial Presbyterian Church, the most ornate of the churches and the first Presbyterian church in Florida.  Memorial Presbyterian is also built of poured concrete with brick arches in the Venetian Renaissance style.  Rising high above St. Augustine, the copper dome has turned to a green patina and is beautifully lit to show the details in the evening.

Road Trip, April 2012

Road trip, April 5, 2012.  I started a 10 day trip to Florida and South Georgia by spending the first night in Cordele, GA.  Cordele was a good starting place since it was an easy jump over to Hwy. 41 which parallells I-75 to Tifton.  Hwy. 41 used to be the main road from Atlanta to Florida before I-75.  The two-lane road passes through small towns like Ashburn and farm land with remnants of cotton bolls lying on the Georgia red clay.  Along the way, I had to stop to photograph this decaying traditional house with details that told of a former grace.  I was curious about the story behind this beautiful example of Southern architecture-Who lived there?  Why was it in such a state of decay?  Was it part of a larger estate?  That mystery will have to wait for another day.  

Further South, I got back on I-75 and was bombarded with billboards-one after another on both sides of the freeway. I was glad I had started my trip that day on the backroads where my senses were not assaulted by this urban blight.  So I decided to take a side trip to a lake that I had seen on a Georgia map- the Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge.  There I found a pristine lake of cypress trees and water lilies and even though midday is not the best time for photos, its a great time for blue skies, white puffy clouds  and reflections.  This one is on my list for a return visit. 

Downtown Atlanta

If you love the architecture in Downtown Atlanta, then check out the March issue of Atlanta Magazine-either print or online version.  The magazine includes a contest for identifying 16 photos of architectural details of downtown buildings.  One of the photos is my shot of _________, whoops,  I can't tell until the contest is over!  The online version identifies all the photographers with a very brief bio of each.  The contest was sponsored by the American Institute of Architecture Atlanta Chapter.  Here are a couple of shots which didn't make the contest.  Can you identify them?
Here's the link to the online version: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/architecture/