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

Briarlake Elementary 2007.09.29

While taking images of the DOCOMOMO Home Tour I also took some snaps of the local elementary school: Briarlake Elementary (these were taken on 9/29 so the decorations are all "fall" and "Halloween" influenced - great fun!).

I've long had a facination of public buildings such as schools, churches, post offices and retail spaces, that were build post-war and show elements of mid-century modern styling. I'm putting together a catalog of local structures - enjoy!






-- John

Montgomery Central High School

Continuing my exploration of Modernism in Tennessee, I present Montgomery Central High School!

First a little background - I did not know about this wonderful modernist construction before stumbling upon it while returning to Clarksville from Memphis - my brothers step-daughter married in Memphis last fall (2006) and it was while driving back to Clarksville to visit with my mother that this amazing set of buildings appeared - it was one of those near-mystical experiences. For some reason we decided to go a back road instead of driving all interstate (the state roads would swing us west of Nashville and almost due north to Clarksville). The drive was rather uneventful - overcast with little traffic and most public buildings were closed due to it being a weekend. It was rather amazing to suddenly see the school below - we basically turned a corner and there it was!

Like giant manta rays leaping from the water, or even better, Martian tripods ala "War of the Worlds" - the construction is quite breathtaking. Swinging around the back are some wonderful mushroom posts reminiscent of "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers." The entire original structure is truly spectacular.

This was built around the same time as the public schools in Clarksville - Clarksville High School has round structures with dome tops, New Providence Jr. High School has hexagonal pods interconnected, also Springfield High School is supposed to look similar to Montgomery Central only it's not constructed above water - I'll try to get images the next time I'm in the area.

-- John