Modernism in Albuquerque 2011

It's been a while since I've posted to this blog and I need to get back into the habit. I recently took a trip out to Albuquerque and will be posting images of the various buildings I encountered along Route 66 - wait til you see the KiMo theater! Next post soon!

-- John

Southgate Shopping Center - Right Side

Southgate Shopping Center - Right Side
Originally uploaded by johnnyapollo

Visited some friends down in Florida. We did a flyby to the Lakeland Southgate Shopping Center - if this looks familiar it was restored as part of the location shoot for Edward Sissorhands - I got quite lucky with the lighting as it was right after dusk and the sky had some incredible colors going on. This image is of the right side - there are two additional photos as part of the flickr set.

Cherokee North Carolina Photos 2006.07.01

I took these photos over a year ago - went to Cherokee North Carolina for a Native American Powwow. Cherokee is a beautiful place - a mix of 50's nostalgia and 90's casino. At one time the town was on a commonly traveled state road, since replaced by Interstate Highways. Because of this, the town is in a state of suspended animation - basically many small motels were built in the 50's and 60's to house travellers coming across the Appalachian Mountains. Once the Interstates were built the travel slowed to the point where the town was still self-sustaining, but did not prosper to the point where new buildings replaced old. Thus many of the themed motels are still standing virtually untouched.

The windy roads through the mountains attract many travellers on motor bikes and classic car clubs. There aren't many places like this left in the US - I hope Cherokee remains pristine (even with the influence of the nearby Indian Casino). A great blend of mid-century modern and classic googie, I look forward to the next visit.

-- John

Clarksville Tennessee MCM and Googie

Clarksville Tennessee MCM and Googie

I split this part of my narrative out because it is a bit more personal - I grew up in Clarksville from the time I was in grade school though 2 years of college (I attended Austin Peay as a Computer Science major). I was able to experience a lot of change in the city through the 60's, 70's and 80's. We first moved to Clarksville in 1968 (I was 5) - Clarksville is primarily a military support town, being the closest city to Fort Campbell Kentucky - many of the businesses and the primary economy centers around supporting the army troops stationed at Fort Campbell. We ended up there while my father completed his military service and retired (he was a 21 year man). Because of the town's dependence on the military, the economy has fluctuated with our governments war (aka "peacekeeping") efforts. Through the Vietnam era, Clarksville prospered - thus quite a bit of construction occurred during the 60's - prime time for MCM and Googie. Another aspect more related to architecture in general for Clarksville, is the cheap and abundant access to brick and concrete - much of it being processed locally (Clarksville is riddled with limestone - not good for an unprocessed building material, but great for the creating of brick and the like). Between Clarksville proper and the northern end (where most of the military ended up - closer to the base), there is a strip that catered to the military - mostly cheap motels and the like - there were many Googie and MCM buildings here - many of the buildings of my childhood are still standing. Here are a few I thought might be of interest:

First American Bank of Tennessee:
This building originally held a bank (First American Bank of Tennessee if my memory hasn't failed me) - it was one of the first banks in Clarksville that featured drive-through service. The roofline forms a 4-sided diamond pattern to the rectangular building, with points jutting to the front, back and sides. The side "wings" formed the drive-through section to the left and a covered entry to the right. In now houses a motorcycle retail business.

The Mart:
Slightly further North of the bank, is "The Mart" - one of my favorite shopping strip malls (it housed a "Houchen's" store that had a great model and toy selection) - the sign is still standing (even though much of the neon is gone):


Vacation Motor Hotel and Cumberland Motel:
South of the bank are two "Motor Inns" - The Vacation Motor Hotel and the Cumberland


[Update 2007.10.28]: Since I took this image the Cumberland Motel has fallen victim to a bulldozer - seems there's some perceived "need" for additional retail space in New Providence (what the area is called). From the general disrepair, I'd say there was little hope for any restoration, but it's still a shame to see another 50's roadside remnant bite the dust).

Morgan Building Supply:
Traveling further South, you'll come across the Morgan Building Supply offices (they made concrete and concrete formed blocks, etc):







APSU Student Housing:
Finally, there are a group of APSU (Austin Peay State University) Student Housing buildings that I thought were interesting:


I hope to take more pics, including some interesting MCM homes in the future.

-- Best, John

John Eaton (Originally published 2005.03.27 in the thread: "Clarksville Tennessee MCM and Googie" on the Lotta Living forums) .

Nashville Modern

I put together the following and posted the information on the Lotta Living Forums - the thread was about some interesting buildings I encountered while traveling in Nashville, Tennessee:

Nashville Tennessee MCM and Googie

I recently went to Nashvile Tennessee to visit my 82 year-old mother (she was being hospitalized for a mild stroke, so the circumstances weren't the best - however bringing my camera and "focusing" some of my attention on the localized scenery provided some much needed distraction). Here are some snaps I took that I thought you all might find of some interest:

Nashville:
The area I visited was on Nashville's West End in the Belle Meade neighborhood - this was a rather upper-crust area that borders Vanderbuilt University and many private prep schools. The architecture is very diverse, with Craftsman bungalows siding next to MCM synogogues and wildly angular churches. My mother was admitted to St Johns Hospital - one of the best heart facilities in the state (some might argue in the Southeast). There were two nearby buildings that captured my interest. One was the old Belle Meade theater (now housing some retail business) and the Imperial House (I'm not sure of the original intent of this building - I believe it held condos or appartments).

Belle Meade Theater:
This theater is a rather interesing survivor of the art deco period with all the usual bits: stone and glass tile, stainless steel, and an amazing tower (remarkably still standing).





Imperial House:
I'm not sure why I love the design of this building so much. It could be the wing-shaped motif, reiterated throughout the degisn, or the gigantic decorative block - you be the judge.









John Eaton(Originally published 2005.03.27 in the thread: "Nashville Tennessee MCM and Googie" on the Lotta Living forums)