252 replies to this topic

[Hankster]

Here's my next picture of the day.  Standing next to each other in Chattanooga are two very fine examples of early 20th century highrise architecture.  On the left is the 12 story James Building built in 1907 and on the right is the 13 story McClellan Building built in 1924.

[Rural King]

^ Awesome pic! Definately perks my interest in trying to make it to Chattanooga this year.

[HABANERO7]

Alright, here is one of my contributions to the East Tennessee Picture of the Day

Cleveland



I'm sure I'll add a few more shots of the Cleveland and Polk areas of SE Tennessee soon

[Hankster]

HABANERO7, on Apr 20 2006, 12:59 PM, said:

I'm sure I'll add a few more shots of the Cleveland and Polk areas of SE Tennessee soon

Great to have you back posting again, Habanero!  What's the name of the building in Cleveland you posted?



Here's my next contribution.  It's a detail closeup of the James Building detail near the top.

[Rural King]

A pic of the two most prominent skyscrapers of Knoxville.

[HABANERO7]

The historic Craigmiles Opera House hosted John Philip Sousa and his band as they performed on January 30th, 1906.

Here is an little bit about John Philip Sousa:
To most Americans the name of John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) is synonymous with the Fourth of July. People throughout the world have been inspired by the rousing strains of the works of the "March King" and by performances of Sousa and His Band. In the 1890s his "Washington Post" march became the standard music to accompany the two-step, the dance craze that spread throughout Europe and the United States. More than a century later, in the 2000s, Sousa’s musical offerings are heard at concerts, sporting events, through electronic media, at military and civilian ceremonies, and are an integral component of the American experience.
If you lived in a small town 100 years ago, nothing short of a presidential whistle-stop could match the thrill of a Sousa Band concert.

Craigmiles Oprah House, now known simply as Craigmiles Hall currently houses offices on 3 levels, yet still retains some of the original architecture inside with exposed beams throughout.
The design of the front facade is currently part of the local organization MainStreet Cleveland’s Logo

Now for the pictures

[Hankster]

That is a wonderful looking structure....far and away my favorite from Cleveland!

[Hankster]

Here's today's picture of the day.  Here is the famous Tivoli Theater which today plays host to concerts and plays and such.  In the background is the 21 Story Republic Center, Chattanooga's tallest building.

[Nashvillain]

Hankster, on Apr 10 2006, 05:09 PM, said:

Here's today's installment from Chattanooga.  This is a shot of the Hunter Museum taken last Fall.  Note the $20 Million modern addition to the Museum next to the Classical Old Souther Mansion style of the original museum.  There is a '70s style part of the museum too (not seen in this picture).  The museum addition and artwork were all part of the $120 Million 21 Century Waterfront Project completed in 2005.

I love this thread, Hankster.  How about some more pictures of this museum?  Any pictures of the interior?  The Pickle Barrel?  Sounds tasty.  Those flat-iron style buildings are really cool.  Nashville has a couple of intersections that would be perfect for such structures as you well know, but we unfortunately have car dealerships and such instead.

Edited by Nashvillain, 22 April 2006 - 08:44 AM.

[Hankster]

Nashvillain, on Apr 22 2006, 10:39 AM, said:

I love this thread, Hankster.  How about some more pictures of this museum?  Any pictures of the interior?  The Pickle Barrel?  Sounds tasty.  Those flat-iron style buildings are really cool.  Nashville has a couple of intersections that would be perfect for such structures as you well know, but we unfortunately have car dealerships and such instead.

Thanks for the kind words.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from inside the museum.  I should try to get some.  The intersection of Broadway and West End in Nashville just begs for a flatiron type building.  I'd love to see about a 20 to 30 story monster right there, and the West End Summit rising to it's side.  Wouldn't that be cool?

[Nashvillain]

^ Um, yes.  Yes it would.   Perfect place for some ad agencies don't you think.

[Hankster]

For today's picture, I have a another view of the 21 story Republic center in Chattanooga.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Hankster, on Apr 22 2006, 12:00 PM, said:

For today's picture, I have a another view of the 21 story Republic center in Chattanooga.

Jiminy, take the cars out of the picture and that street scene looks like 1975.  

[Hankster]

fieldmarshaldj, on Apr 23 2006, 12:47 AM, said:

Jiminy, take the cars out of the picture and that street scene looks like 1975.  

Close.  The Republic Center, according to Emporis was built in 1977.  The 16 story Chestnut Tower behind Republic Center was probably built about the same time.  Is that bad?  There's plenty of streets in Nashville with a preponderence of 70's structures on them.

Here's my picture for today.  It's a downtown view taken from the steps of the Chattanooga City Hall.  In the foreground is the 20 story Sun Trust Bank building.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Hankster, on Apr 23 2006, 08:58 AM, said:

Close.  The Republic Center, according to Emporis was built in 1977.  The 16 story Chestnut Tower behind Republic Center was probably built about the same time.  Is that bad?  There's plenty of streets in Nashville with a preponderence of 70's structures on them.

Here's my picture for today.  It's a downtown view taken from the steps of the Chattanooga City Hall.  In the foreground is the 20 story Sun Trust Bank building.

No, I was just commenting that the bulk of the scene, right down to the weird Mayan-looking parking garage (which screams mid '70s to me) looks like it could be indistinguishable from a pic taken 30 years ago in the exact same spot (and I tend to consider that time to be the absolute nadir in urban architecture). I tend to be hard-pressed to think of any particular major street scene in downtown Nashville that would look almost unchanged for 30 years (in the case of that picture, meaning virtually all of the buildings being constructed in that time period -- obviously you could find some streets with far older architecture).

Today's pic is interesting to me, since many years ago when I stayed in downtown Chattanooga, I took a photo in almost your exact same spot (and the view 12 years hence is virtually unchanged). Chattanooga's SunTrust building is breathtakingly hideous in a way Nashville's Parkway Towers can only dream about (imagine taking the lower parking floors of "Parkway" and extending it all the way up to the top floor, and that is a similar comparison), and another one of those '70s monstrosities (I'd confirm the year, but at the moment, Emporis is down).

[ATLBrain]

fieldmarshaldj, on Apr 23 2006, 11:57 AM, said:

Chattanooga's SunTrust building is breathtakingly hideous in a way Nashville's Parkway Towers can only dream about ...

What's really sad about the Suntrust tower in that (I think I heard) it was built in the 1920s with a lot of classical ornamentation.  Then it underwent its really ugly recladding in the 1960s to "update" it.  Is that correct, Hankster?

[Hankster]

ATLBrain, on Apr 23 2006, 01:36 PM, said:

What's really sad about the Suntrust tower in that (I think I heard) it was built in the 1920s with a lot of classical ornamentation.  Then it underwent its really ugly recladding in the 1960s to "update" it.  Is that correct, Hankster?

Actually that one is the First Tennessee Bank Bldg.  It was originally built in 1911 and reclad in 1966.  Here's a link to Emporis so you can see how it turned out...They turned a beautiful an old art deco treasure into a pretty standard 60's box.

First Tennessee Bank Bdlg

Edited by Hankster, 23 April 2006 - 03:10 PM.

[ATLBrain]

Hankster, on Apr 23 2006, 02:55 PM, said:

Actually that one is the First Tennessee Bank Bldg.  It was origianny built in 1911 and reclad in 1966.  Here's a link to Emporis so you can see how it turned out...They turned a beautiful an old art deco treasure into a pretty standard 60's box.

First Tennessee Bank Bdlg

Such a shame.  I bet there were more than a few idiots back in 1966 who thought the re-do was a great idea too.  

Thanks for the correction.

[fieldmarshaldj]

ATLBrain, on Apr 23 2006, 02:56 PM, said:

Such a shame.  I bet there were more than a few idiots back in 1966 who thought the re-do was a great idea too.  

Thanks for the correction.

As you can see in Hankster's above photo, the newer SunTrust on the left with First Tennessee on the right (by the tree). Personally, I hope SunTrust gets demolished and replaced with something far nicer. The question remains for First TN, if it is even possible to remove the "modern" panels and restore its original beaux-arts façade to its grandeur, they might've shaved it clean underneath.  

[PHofKS]

Hankster, on Apr 23 2006, 01:55 PM, said:

Actually that one is the First Tennessee Bank Bldg.  It was originally built in 1911 and reclad in 1966.  Here's a link to Emporis so you can see how it turned out...They turned a beautiful an old art deco treasure into a pretty standard 60's box.

First Tennessee Bank Bdlg

And this is the original building. The one on the far right.