Frank Lloyd Wright's Auldbrass

I posted about my visit to Auldbrass in my ModusModern blog:
http://modusmodern.blogspot.com/2007/11/visit-to-frank-lloyd-wrights-auldbrass.html

-- John

Ellijay Elementary School

Since I'm on the subject of cantilevered rooflines/covers, I thought I'd share these photos. I took them up at Ellijay during their annual Apple Festival. The school was probably build in the 60's - the front was in shadow so I couldn't get a good photo but there's one on the official school site here: http://www.gilmerschools.com/education/school/school.php?sectionid=16 The front leans towards the post-modern with a semi-circular front with vertical pilasters between windows. I was "wowed" by the back - many of the schools built in Georgia during the 50s-70s were basic box affairs, frequently from red brick with some window detailing - the designers would go nuts on the entryways and in this case, the bus loading/unloading area. I love the streamline effect of the cantilevered supports - very aeronautic, not to mention efficient.

-- John

Highway Rest Area I16 taken 2007.11.02

I used to work for a record label which involved a lot of travel - so I'm more than familiar with Highway rest stops - one thing that often gets overlooked is the architecture - often these rest areas were built post war and fit right into the mid-century modern period. Alas many of the classic stops have been bulldozed and replaced with post-modern ugliness or pasted over with yucco, but there are still a few gems around. I've always liked these cantilevered, butterfly concrete picnic areas shade-providers (can't really call them umbrellas - there's probably a good term for them but at least mine describes their function pretty well).

I spotted these on the way to Beaufort SC for the Auldbrass tour (more on that in another post). These were at about the half-way point between Macon and Savannah. At one time these were very ubiquitous, now only about a third of the rest stops in the south still have them - they're probably too expensive to upkeep once the weather starts tearing down the concrete. The building itself was probably built late-70's-ish and has a mansard roof, with ceilings in the bathrooms that go to the high-roofline (windows up there but blocked off with blinds, probably due to the intense heat of the summer son). The building was rather unspectacular so I passed at taking some snaps.

There are still some rather wonderful structures on I24 from Chattanooga to Nashville (right at Nickajack Lake) that I hope to shoot during my next visit northward - besides the interesting structures, the setting on the lake is simply gorgeous.


-- John