Design Alabama: The Public Forum for Design in Alabama, Volume 3, Issue 2, 1991

              VOLUME Ill
ISSUE II
$2.50
THE PUBLIC FORUM FOR DESIGN IN ALABAMA
Cover:
VOLUME Ill, ISSUE II
Fro111 tlzc Director
To paraphrase Johnny Carson; ''I'm Jim Gadra, this is Design
Alabama and there's good news and bad news."
The good news: our ACD P pilot project in Florence is history,
reconnaissance visits to Scottsboro and Andalusia have been con­ducted,
and plans are being developed for our next two design
"charrettes." Several additional applications are pending.
DESIGN ALABAMA, INC. IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM:
THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
THE ALABAMA STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS
THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND
COMMUNITY AFFAIRS
Design Alabama, Inc.
Board of Directors:
Kenneth M. Penuei,PE, Chairman
Southern Company Services
Joseph Adam Lee, AICP, Vice Chairman
Alabama A&M University
Rebecca R. Mullen, Secretary
Arts Council of Montgomery
Lloyd Phllpo't, Treasurer
lntergraph Corporation
Anne Bedsole, Senator
34th District, Mobile
Joseph R. Donofro,AIA
Joseph L. Donofro & Associates
Charles W. Greiner,ASLA
Greiner, Vare & Partners
Nancy Mims Hartsfield
Auburn University·
Major L. Holland,/IIA
Major Holland Architecture
GariM. Hunt
Pinnacle Group
View of the living room taken three weeks after the
completion of the Rosenbaum house, Florence,
designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Further, we've published two issues of DesignAlabama this
year and the inaugural issue of DesignS ketches. Our publications
continue to garner the attention of the design arts community nation­wide.
(We had a call last week from the Wyoming State Arts Council!)
To date, we've visited more than fifty communities, meeting
with civic groups and government leaders to address design issues.
And there has been a dramatic, four-fold increase in applications for
funding under the ASCA Design Arts program.
Mark C. McDonald
Mobile Historic Development Commission
Philip A. Morris
Southern Progress Corporation
Photograph by G.E. Kidder Smith, Museum of
Modern Art, New York, September, 1940.
Dr. Sue M. Parker
University of Alabama
Charles W. Raine, AlA
David R. Jones & Associates
Michael Tillman, AlA, IBD
Editor: Jim Gadra
Art Director: Nancy Hartsfield
Associate Art Director: Ross Heck
Illustrator: John Morgan
Contributing Writers: AI Head,
The bad news? Simply stated, our "best" efforts continue to be
thwarted by unpredictability in funding!
K/P/S Group, Inc.
Anna G. Wright
Mobile Tree Commission
But with key additions to our staff, and our board now at full
strength, there is reason for optimism. Our "best" still lies ahead. In the
Jim Gadra, Executive Director
Susan O'Kelly, Project Manager
Nick Holmes, Louise Joyner, Mitch Mendelson,
Darrell Meyer, Susan O'Kelly, Ken Penuel,
Alvin Rosenbaum, Bill Scott, Jim Sheppard
• • meantime, your continued patience a d upport-moral and finan-cial-
is appreciated.
DesignAiabama is a publication of Design Alabama, Inc.
We v,:elcome your comments and encourage submission of
articles, ideas for future issues and especially items for our
departments. For complete information contact:
ARCHITECTURE
Architects
practice the art and
science of creating,
preserving and
remodeling buildings.
Ideally they work to
articulate an image of
the client who owns
the building, what
happens there, and
what it rneans to the
community. Once the
aesthetic and tunc·
tional aspects of a
design are conceived,
engineers and other
professionals are
consulted to make the
building work accord·
ing to the laws of
physics, safety and
access codes, and
necessities such as
electricity and
plumbing. Architects
are required to have a
working knowledge of
all these building
elements.
•
This issue of DesignA/abama was designe nd produced on a Macintosh SE utilizin~
PageMaker 4.0. Proofs were printed on a LaserWrHer II NT and final output on a
Compugraphic 9400.
Design Alabama, Inc •
Alabama State Council on the Arts
One Dexter Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
(205) 242-4076
FAX: (205) 240-3269
LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE
Landscape architects
specialize in exterior
environments. They
apply creative and
technical skills to
overall site plans,
landscape grading
and drainage, irriga·
tion, planting, and
construction details.
Their task is to
preserve and enhance
the environment and
define space between
and around buildings,
including entrances
and functional or
decorative areas.
Planning street·
scapes, gardens,
parks or gateways are
also examples of jobs
for the landscape
architect.
INTERIOR
DESIGN
Interior designers
organize spaces
inside buildings,
making them func­tional
and pleasing to
be in. The designer's
presentation to the
client usually in·
eludes floor plans,
color charts, photo·
graphs of furnishings,
samples of materials
for upholstery,
draperies and wall
coverings, and often
color renderings or
sketches. Every
aspect of the interior
is the concern of the
designer from the first
presentation to the
installation of the last
accessory.
URBAN
DESIGN
Urban designers and
planners are con·
cerned with the
functional and visual
relationships be·
tween people and
their physical
environment in the
broadest sense.
Among other things,
their work results in
unified plans and
proposals for trans­portation
systems,
industrial parks,
subdivisions, down·
town renewal
projects, and shop·
ping malls. They
formulate plans and
policies to meet the
social, economic, and
physical needs of
communities, and
they develop the
strategies to make
these plans work.
This involves identi·
fying urban problems
and opportunities,
analyzing and
implementing
options, and evaluat·
ing results.
INDUSTRIAL
DESIGN
Industrial designers
are responsible for
function and aesthet·
ics in the manufac­tured
products people
use every day. Tooth
brushes, toasters,
cars, computer
terminals and tele·
phones are examples
of items industrial
designers make
usable and desirable
for human beings.
Colors, textures,
smells and sounds are
some of the elements
they consider, and in
addition, any me­chanical
or electrical
components of a
product must work
properly, efficiently,
and safely.
GRAPHIC
DESIGN
Graphic designers
create effective
visual communica­tion.
"Graphic" refers
to the art that
communicates, and
"design" to the
aesthetic arrange·
ment of the elements,
including type,
illustration, and/or
photography. A
graphic designer
analyzes the client's
product and/or
message in relation to
a targeted audience,
and through concept
and art direction
produces an appropri·
ate advertisement, TV
commercial, magazine
format, brochure, or
any number of other
visual communication
projects.
FASHION
DESIGN
Fashion designers
are style arbiters who
interpret the mood of
a generation, intuit
popular taste, and
understand merchan·
dising and business
principles. They
attempt to resolve the
contradiction be·
tween art and industry
in order to construct a
collection of clothing
and accessories with
a unique sense of
style and taste,
enabling pe_,ple to
create a personal
statement about
themselves in the way
they dress.
Are these "soldiers" and "sailors"
among the survivors of Sherman's
March? p. 8
CONTENTS
A formidable foe in battle and powerful
presence in Mobile Bay is given a bold,
new graphic image. p. 10
Hospitals are embracing first-class
architectural design. It seems good
design is good medicine. p. 13
FEATURE
"FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT IN ALABAMA"
The "Usonian" masterpiece in Florence, designed by America's
premier architect, stemmed from some curious circumstances and a fascinating chain of events. 14
ARTICLES
"THE PARTNERSHIP FORGES AHEAD"
After the Legislature's smoke finally settles.
"AN ON-GOING CHALLENGE"
D.A.'s new board chairman rolls up his sleeves.
"BRICKBATS"
A freelance photographer focuses on brickwork's charm.
"SALUTE, MOBILE!"
The Battleship Commission unveils its plans for the state's
second most popular attraction-The USS Alabama Battleship
Memorial Park.
"THE FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT ROSENBAUM HOUSE"
Mildred Rosenbaum opens her Florence home to the public.
DEPARTMENTS
Project.A.News
Work of statewide significance.
PresseViews
"A JOURNAUST LOOKS AT HOSPITAL DESIGN"
4
4
8
10
18
5
Birmingham's Mitch Mendelson likes what he sees in the 90's. 13
Historicai~Perspective
"PAUADIO IN AlABAMA: AN ARCHITECTURAL LEGACY" 20
Design• Makes A Difference
"MOBILE'S NEW COUNTY/CITY COMPLEX" 24
Details+ Of Interest
Noteworthy observations. 26
Witness an historical transformation­from
the Italian Rennaissance to 19th
and 20th Century Alabama. p. 20
3 Volume Ill. No. II
DeslgiiAiabama 4
THE PARTNERSHIP FORGES AHEAD
by A( Head, Executive Director
Alabama State Council on the Arts
rn ow that the smoke has settled from the 1991 Legislative
Session, we are finally able to start looking toward·the next
fiscal year with at least some solid budget figures. · The net
result of the appropriation to the Council for next year is, for
all practical purposes, current level. The apparent increase
reflected in the budget document is misleading
since dollars were added in the dosing hours of
the session that would accommodate specific
needs of the Alabama Symphony. The most
accurate description of the session would be: It
might have been bett~r but it could have been
much worse. As for the arts program in the state,
we will be able to go forward without any drastic
surgery on programs or operations.
The ramifications of this situation for the continuation
of the Council's Design Arts Program and funding commit­ment
to Design Alabama are significant if continuation of on-
AN ON·GOING CHALLENGE
by Ken Penuel, Chairman
Design Alabama, Board of Directors
(]
he evolution of Design Alabama from an organization with
only a vision-to improve the quality of life for the citizens
of Alabama-to an organization with well conceived pro­grams
and objectives through which the vision might be
achieved, has been rewarding for those who have experi­enced
it.
Design Alabama is a people organization.
Our mission is to serve the people of Alabama,
yet it is the people who provide the support
which makes achievement possible.
For almost five years, a dedicated and
professional core of concerned individuals has
served as the Board of Directors of Design
Alabama. Individually and collectively, the
members of the board have provided leadership and direc­tion
as ideas became projects and publications. To the
members of the board who are now retiring-Ann Adams,
Nick Holmes, Janet Miller, Ed Pryce, and Mary Zoghby-we
say a special thank you for the time and effort you have
"The Council's
partnership with Design
Alabama is. expand.ing and·
the potential for cooperative
endeavors is greater than
ever before."
going support is considered an accomplishment. At this point
base-line funding for staff, design project grants, the Journal,
technical assistance to communities and data cqllection seem
secure. The Council's partnership with Design Alabama is
expanding and the potential for cooperative endeavors is
greater than ever before. After several years of
dialogue with communities, bridge building with
other state agencies, sharing ideas and model
projects, and generally raising the awareness
level for design statewide, some exciting break­throughs
are now possible.
The Alabama State Council on the Arts is
anxious to move on to the next level of
involvement and support with the design
art~ program. We hope the field will be as enthusiastic
and committed to progress and problem solving as has
been the case up to this point.
"Design Alabama
has a unique opportunity
to heighten awareness of the
benefits of design, to stimulate
economic vitality in our commu·
nities, and to improve the
quality of life for all
Alabamians."
contributed. You will be missed.
To the new members of the board-Ann Bedsole, Joe
Donofro, Major Holland, Carl Hunt, Mark McDonald and
Becky Mullen-we appreciate your acceptance of the call to
serve. We recognize your exceptional talent and welcome
your fresh ideas. And to the board members who
are continuing, we acknowledge the focus and
stability you provide. This combination of energy
and experience ensures that extraordinary
achievement lies ahead.
Design Alabama has a unique opportunity to
heighten awareness of the benefits of design, to
stimulate economic vitality in our communities,
and to improve the quality of life for all Alabam­ians.
We accept this enormous challenge willingly, with
enthusiasm and a sense of expectancy. We know the
achievement of this noble objective will provide an unbridled
source of pride for our citizens and limitless promise for the
future of Alabama.
ARCHITECTURE
An association of
Barganier/McKeel
Sims, Architects of
Montgomery and
Gresham, Smith and
Partners of Birmingham
is overseeing the construc­tion
of the new State of
Alabama Judicial
Building, 'Y on historic Dexter Avenue in Mont·
gomery. The 230,000 s/f structure, focused
around a central rotunda lobby, will house the Su­preme
Court and Court of Criminal Appeals, as well
as, Administrative Offices of the Courts and the
State Law Library. This $30 million-plus project
will also include underground parking for 200 cars.
Brasfield & Gorrie is the building contractor.
The projected completion date is June of 1993.
The completion of twin projects for the State
of Alabama has been announced by the proud
parents, PH&J, Architects, Inc, and Grover,
Hanlson & Harrison, landscape Archl·
tects. Brasfield & Gorrle, lnc.Js the contrac­tor
for both facilities which are scheduled for grand
opening later this year.
The Alabama Center for Commerce 'Y
in Montgomery will officially open to tenants in
the fall, according to spokesmen from the firm of
PH&J, Architects. The Center will be the hub of
business for those agencies of the State which work
to promote the commercial interests of the State,
plus offices which represent major portions of the
educational structure of Alabama.
Located on the highest block in Mont-
\
gomery, much space has been allocated to expos­ing
the skyline through the use of domed skylights
and balconies. With 300,000 gross s/f of tenant
space, the building features white, dark blue and
red granite pattern floors and wall panels. Coffered
plaster in lobby areas surround Federal style metal
ceiling panels finished in bronze and guilded.
Raised panel doors are hung in heavy casings of
Honduran mahogany with guilded brass embel­lishments.
Custom wall sconce lighting and sky­lights
are uniquely assembled in stainless steel,
brass and beveled glass.
The two-story Exhibition Hall, finished in
granite and mahogany, has a balcony surrounding
the perimeter from the second floor. The balcony
front has been faced in Alabama white marble re­trieved
from the Capitol renovation project and has
been reworked and installed as a backdrop for a
colorful30 nation flag display. Each flag will repre­sent
a country which has a commercial interest in
our state.
Other features include several reception/din­ing
rooms, one of which will feature fine china and
crystal with mahogany dining furniture and a full
kitchen for preparing gourmet meals. The lecture
hall has rear projection screens and fixed seating
for 116. There will also be international satellite
tele-conferencing links.
Jhe project impl~~ntors have also an­nou~'
a Fal~~~~dmpletion of the six-story
Retirement ~JSIBIIIS of Alabama Plaza
Building. 'Y The RSA Plaza, with over 150,000
gross s/f of corporate level office space, sits on a
six-foot high white granite base. The 150-foot wide
front entrance is formed with 60-foot high white
granite columns and two levels of parade balconies
enclosed with polished stainless steel railing.
The west side of the building features a land­scaped
fountain plaza with heavy planting and two
spectacular water cascades. An octagonal pyramid
fountain built with red and dark blue granite over­looks
a quiet sunken courtyard. A 45-foot long
French blue lanione granite fountain pool with 12
high performance jets can be programmed for any
number of settings and effects. The fountains pro­duce
water sound, helping to isolate the space from
street noise.
BarganierJMcKeeJSims, Architects of
Mqntgomery announced the completion of the
renovation "of the Montgomery Public Library.
'Y The project consisted of renovation of 18,000 s/
f of existing library space to provide more func­tional
and updated spaces for current use. En­trances
were relocated, facilitating safe and easy
access from the parking lot through a covered entry
directly to a centrally located lobby space.
The lobby provides space for the circulation
desk and will also serve as a disbursement area to
the library areas. All public spaces are zoned to the
left of the lobby; internal library functions to the
right. The children's area features computer
workstations, a reading pit for storytime and
activities. Archways in both the children's area and
adult fiction tie the outside architectural detailing
to the inside and create "gazebo-like" reading areas
for each.
Grand opening festivities were held in Flo­rence
on May 4 for the opening of the Renais­sance
Tower,'Y a 300-foot "space needle" which
overlooks Pickwick Lake near Wilson Dam. The
Tennessee Valley Exhibit Commission expects the
tower to become a major tourist attraction for the
Shoals area as well as a world-class exhibit center
and educational facility.
The idea for the $5 million tower was con­ceived
in 1984 as a way to display the resources of
the Shoals, especially the TVA and Wilson Dam.
The tower is the centerpiece of a complex designed
for meetings and for tourists. The TV A is complet­ing
a $500,000 exhibit in a building at the base of
the tower and the second floor of that building will
house an 8Q-seat theatre for educational films and
for meetings.
The TV A also plans to develop 50 acres of ad­jacent
woods into a park with nature trails,
benches, shelters and other recreational features.
Project News is a
regular feature of
DesignAiabama and
provides an
opportunity to keep
up-to-date on design projects
that have an impact on
our communities.
• Renaissance Tower, Florence.
• Montgomery Public Library.
• Retirement Systems of Alabama Plaza Building, Montgomery.
• Montgomery Public Library.
• The Alabama Center for Commerce, Montgomery.
5 Volume Ill, No. II
Retired TVA employees have volunteered to lead
tours of Wilson Dam and the TVA reservation.
Project implementers are the architectural firm of
SmlthJI(ranert/Tomblin & Associates of Flo­rence
and Dunn Construction Company.
Phase I of the Wlregrass Museum of
Art T in Dothan has been completed and re­cently
celebrated its grand opening. Project
implementers are Joseph L. Donofro and As·
soclates, Architects, Borden Engineers,
and Slingluff Construction Company. The
7,800 square-foot structure has undergone a
$365,000 restoration and renovation and will
house offices, art preparation, art education, main
gallery, storage, and sensory exhibits.
In an effort to gain additional space, the
six-foot clear basement was hulled out to provide
an 8-foot ceiling for the art prep and office areas.
An elevator was added for the convenience of dis­abled
visitors and a two-story skylight atrium was
carved out of the center of the building. Overlooks
and balances provide vantage points for viewing
works of art.
Extreme efforts were made to insure that the
historical integrity was preserved including replac­ing
metal windows with 6-over-6 wood single
hung windows and new stone heads and sills.
Fund raising for Phase II will begin in 1992
and the total cost of the completed four -phase fa­cility
is estimated at $2.75 million.
..&. Greenville City Hall.
..&. Greenville City Hall.
DeslgnAiabama 6
Once officials made the commitment to pre­serve
and modernize their municipal headquarters,
Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, Inc. of Montgom­ery,
was called in to oversee an extensive renova­tion
of the two-story brick colonial structure, built
in the late 1930's to serve as both the Greenville
c·lty Hall T and Fire Station.
The project included installation of central
heating and air conditioning systems, new plumb­ing
and wiring, and the replacement of all windows.
An elevator and security system were installed,
public facilities and council chambers were
refurnished, and the structural integrity of one of
the building's wings was reinforced.
Offices of the Mayor, City Council Members,
City Clerk, Police and Fire Departments received
new finishes and ceilings.
In addition to upgrading the structure, the
project presented the opportunity to restore several
features of City Hall to their original elegance.
Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood's design team took care
to showcase the lobby and its twin staircases, an
area of the facility used as a city gallery. Original
heart-pine floors were refurbished to a handsome
luster and wainscotting on the structure's second
floor was stripped and restored. The contractor was
Lovelady Construction Company, lnc.,of
Plantersville, Alabama.
Construction is continuing on the Chelsea
High SchooiT in Shelby County and the pro­jecte..
d date of completion is summer of 1992, ac-cording
to project architects Gresham, Smith
and Partners .. The 155,000 s/f structure features
a 700-seat auditorium (expandable to 1,000 seats)
with a working stage, a 450-seat cafeteria, and a
2,1 00-seat gymnasium. The anticipated opening
day student population is 900 and the facility will
accommodate 1 ,200 students without expansion of
the support facilities. The building contractor is
Sparks Construction of Jasper.
KPS Group, lnc.,formerly Kidd/Piosser/
Sprague/Architects, Inc., is completing design for
Southern Research Institute's Engineering
Research Facility T In Birmingham. To be
completed in 1992, this 7 4,000 s/f, $6.5 million
facility will house SRI's sophisticated materials
testing laboratories. Progressive building systems
will be highly flexible to accommodate the dynamic
nature of research.
The research faci I ity wi II be located near the
intersection of West Oxmoor Road and
Lakeshore Parkway, marking the gateway to
the high-tech research park being planned in
Oxmoor Valley. Envisioned as a catalyst that will
attract other research and development operations
to the park, the building is the first in a series being
planned by Southern Research Institute.
SRI is an independent, non-profit scientific
research corporation that attracts research dollars
from around the world.
A new Learning Resource Center is under
construction on the campus of Harry M. Ayers
State Technical College T in Anniston. This
..&. Southern Research Institute, Birmingham •
..&. Harry M. Ayers State Technical College, Anniston.
..&. Chelsea High School, Shelby County.
new facility was designed by Evan Terry Associ·
ates, Architects and Planners, of Birming­ham.
Other members of the design team are: Ball,
Marlin, Bridges & Associates, structural en­gineers;
Miller & Weaver, mechanical and
plumbing engineers; Jackson Renfro & Asso·
elates, electrical engineers; and Kirk Associ·
ates, General Contractors.
The 20,000 square foot facility was designed
to assist Ayers State in their plan to upgrade their
·accreditation status. Because of the prominent lo­cation
of the Resource Center at the entrance to the
campus, Ayers State President Pierce Cain specifi­cally
requested that designers bring a fresh new
look to the campus while integrating the facility
with the other buildings on campus. The result, a
blending of the traditional red brick accented with
white horizontal banding, a pyramid skylight and a
meeting room set at an angle, will give the new
Learning Resource Center visua~ interest and the
distinction requested. Completion is scheduled for
January, 1992
Brookwood Medical Center T in Bir­mingham
recently selected Evan Terry Associ·
ates, P.C., Architects and Plannerstor the
design of several alteration and renovation projects
at the hospital. Alterations to the Emergency De­partment,
the PharmaGy Department and the
Women's 0. R. Department, have been completed.
Alterations to the Labor and Delivery Depart­ment
are currently being designed. G.l. Laboratory
alterations and Surgery Department renovations
are being reviewed with hospital staff. Evan Terry
Associates has also conducted parking studies for
the Eye Institute and studies for the AMI
Brookwood Family Medical Centers at Calera and
Columbiana in Shelby County . ..&.
----t--------r-------+-------l
1111 I;L •
..&. Brookwood Medical Center, Birmingham .
'
LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE
This story ran in our
Spring Issue without the
intended photo.
Reprinting the article (with
photo) on this beautiful
project seems the best cor­rection.
Our apologies to
all concerned
Terry C. Plauche' & Associates has de­signed
the John Hargett Memorial for St.
Paul's Episcopal School in Mobile. The me­morial,
A Gathering Place,T is located di­rectly
across from the main entrance to the school
and is used by both students and faculty.
The design features a low, brick wall with in­tegral
seating which surrounds a semi-circular,
paved area, also of brick, where the school flagpole
and a memorial stone are located. All additions had
to be incorporated into the permanent flagpole and
stone.
Planting was kept simple. Crapemyrtle along
the outside of the wall reinforces its shape while
Azalea, Dwarf Yaupon Holly and Liriope fill there­maining
space. A Ginkgo tree serves as the main
focal point in the adjacent lawn area.
Getting around on foot in the heart of the Uni·
versity of Alabama at Birmingham Medical
Center T should ease considerably in coming
months, according to planners and landscape ar­chitects
working on a comprehensive landscaping
program. GSP/Pianning, a division of
Gresham, Smith and Partners is developing
designs for similar landscaping and pedestrian
features on pieces of a number of blocks in the
Medical Center. It is planned to have these seg-ments
completed as new buildings come into use
over the next several years, a GSP spokesman said.
The two key objectives of the ongoing pro­gram
are to make it easier for first-time visitors to
find their destinations, and to uniformly provide a
more comfortable and appropriate environment
throughout the Medical Center. The program will
give the entire area a finished, uniform. campus at­mosphere.
In addition to landscaping and pedes­trian
improvements, Birchfield Penuel & As·
sociates in conjunction with GSP/Pianning is
working to develop signage and architectural fea­tures
as part of the improvements.
The scope of the work involves "everything
from curb to building" in affected areas, including
sidewalk lighting, walkways and rest areas, land­scaping,
irrigation and drainage. As a result land­scaping,
sitework, and architectural and pedestrian
features will be consistent throughout the medical
district.
The Medical Center area will have its own
style and appearance, yet will be coordinated with
other improvements now under design or con­struction
both on aoo near the UAB campus. Those
projects include Urtiversity Boulevard from Inter­state
65 to 18th Street, and the Birmingham Green
.. A Gathering Place, Mobile.
Extension from Powell Avenue to 1Oth Avenue
South.
One of the most promising trends in public
education today is the development of partnerships
between the business and education community.
Our economic growth; the quality of tomorrow's
work force and the future of our youth are critical
concerns which an Adopt-A-School partner·
ship T can and should address.
The City of Birmingham is presently plan­ning
landscape improvements along Airport High­way
from 43rd to 48th Street North. Jane Reed
Ross and Chuck Kelly, landscape architects
with Reece, Hoopes & Fincher,thought their
work with the city on this project would provide an
excellent opportunity to participate in the Chamber
of Commerce "Adopt-A-School Program," espe­cially
since this particular roadway is adjacent to
several Birmingham schools.
Working closely with Dr. Sharon C. Bell of the
Birmingham School System and Jeanne Dorset, a
teacher with Hayes Middle School, the landscape
architects are developing a program where they will
work with an 8th grade class all year long.
In this program, the students will becollJe fa­miliar
with the design process for the landscape im­provements
and follow the work's progress during
installation this fall. Ross and Kelly will discuss
with the students all the issues landscape architects
take into consideration while working on projects.
Some of these considerations are vehicular and pe­destrian
traffic, spatial relationships, building rela­tionships,
utilities, parking, sun angles, plant mate­rials,
hardscapes, such as sidewalks and roadways,
bus stops, street furnishing and other environmen­tal
concerns
Once the project is completed, the landscape
architects plan to work with the students on a land­scape
plan of their own in the school yard. This
work will be generated through a fund raising
project of the students. The primary goal is for the
students to understand the design process, feel a
part of it and develop ownership of the new land­scape
improvements in their neighborhood.
Edah B. Grover, President of Grover
Harrison Harrison, P.C, a regional landscape
architectural firm located in Birmingham,
announced the selection of the firm by the City of
Birmingham for the urban design of Kelly
Ingram Park, T one of the three historical down­town
Birmingham Parks. The renovation of the park
will provide a suitable setting for the Civil Rights
Institute across 16th Street North from the park.
Several blocks of right-of-way in the vicinity of the
Park are also included in the design contract. ..
---- .. Main Street Mobile.
.A Adopt-A-School partnership, Birmingham.
URBAN PLANNING
Recently two programs
were initiated by Main
.._,..,.,... Street Mobile T and
the Mobile Historic De·
velopment Commis·
sion to encourage the res­toration
of historic build­ings
and revitalize down­town
Mobile.
The first such program was the Downtown
Matching Grant Fund made possible by the J. L.
Bedsole Foundation. In order to encourage the
renovation of facades, matching grants of up to
$6,000 can be awarded. The grants are awarded
only to properties located in the Lower Dauphin
Street Historic District, which was targeted as
a focus area for the encouragement of revitalization.
Another program offered to entice revitaliza­tion
is the availability of free architectural drawings
detailing proposed exteriors. After realizing that a
visual proposal would be a good way to attract the
interest of the property owners and others in the
community, local design professionals were con­tacted
and asked to donate their services. More
than five design firms or individuals have become
involved in the project.
With the Convention Center coming in
Spring, 1993, Main Street Mobile and the Mobile
Historic Development Commission are stepping up
their efforts to revitalize the downtown area. Focus­ing
on the Lower Dauphin Street Historic District,
these two agencies are combining the free architec­tural
drawings with the matching grant funds in or­der
to encourage the renovation and revitalization of
downtown Mobile ...
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
. ,(~; . ~··~.,~v!illl
. . . .
Industrial Design has
become increasingly influ­ential
in both the business
and media worlds over the
past decade. This influence
has dramatically changed
the profession. Whether '{~
.. subtle or dramatic. revolu­tionary
or evolutionary, so­cial,
technical and environmental factors are trans­forming
Industrial Design.
Recognizing all of this, the Industrial De·
sign Society of America (IDSA) National Con­ference
Committee selected "American Design
Revolution/Evolution" as the theme for the
19911DSA National Conference.T This mar­riage
of old and new-subtle and dramatic
change-was conveyed graphically in the logo
which was designed for the conference by Group
Four Design and printed by lntergraph Corpo­ration,
Huntsville ..
AMERICAN
.. Logo f~r 19911DSA National Conference.
.. University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center.
.. Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham.
7 Volume Ill, No. II
B R I B A s
Common as the mud from whence it comes
the ubiquitous brick has, for over five thousand years, remained the building
material most chosen by pharaohs, cotton kings, oil barons, and modern
entrepreneurs. Survivors of blitzkrieg and of Sherman's March are still today
fulfilling their assigned roles with a remarkable degree of competence. Members
of the Alabama brick family may be found as often in the company of executives
in high rise buildings as in that of suburbanites in residential areas. In spite of
the encroachment of glass and steel, the hardy spawn of the artistry of the
architect and the craftsmanship of the brick mason is still as much a part of today
. Article and photography by Jim Sheppard, an award winning aS faX maChIneS Or laptop COmputerS. photographer. A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mr. Sheppard now
calls Montgomery home.
I I I
DeslgnAiabama 8
.I
An arcaded (arched) corbel table
supported by a corbel table of the more
common, stepped-block form below.
Corbelling-bricks stepped out further
than the ones below them-creates visual
relief and dramatic shadows.
Repressing bricks with a repress machine
after the initial molding produces slightly
denser, more uniform units.
I
I
A molded brick cornice, dog-tooth course
and recessed stretcher course contribute
to an ambitious facade.
Bats (half or broken sections) and
rowlocks (laid on edge rather than bed)
form an elaborate series of steps.
I
I
A wall laid in the popular American or
common bond; also referred to as English
garden-wall or Liverpool bond.
Molded bricks, given a concave shape
before firing, form a decorative and
functional cap on this brickwork column.
Enameled bricks laid in Flemish Bond with
shaped bats, a soldier course and a
stacked course introduced for variety.
I
9 Volume Ill, No. II
Auburn University graduate
students in Community
Planning, under direction of
Professor Darrell Meyer,
prepared plans for the park
and strategies for plan
implementation, in a planning
and urban design studio
course. The studio included
graduates from architecture,
landscape architecture and
law. The ideas of this very
diverse group were far­reaching,
yet intensely
practical.
The key to the future
of both the battleship
and the memorial park
is sound finances.
The commission now
has an overall plan
to bring in the necessary
operating revenues
through maximum
appropriate use and
development of
its properties.
. ...,_ ... . ___ . ..:.. ..... ~. ··- ··· · · ··~--~ · ···· ""~- -~--- ~,..
by Darrell Meyer
The Battleship
Commission
unveils its plans
for the state's
second most :popular
attraction­-
The USS AlalJaina
Battleship
Memorial Park.
R ure for a momentthe "causeway" across Mobile Bay. Surely you
recall it: the old highway between Mobile and the Eastern Shore where the battleship sits beside that
enormous open space and parking lot next to the bay. The ship is the USS Alabama, moored there per­manently
as namesake and focal point of the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, as well as the
"causeway," which is really named Battleship Memorial Parkway. The problem is, very few people hon-estly
identify either of these places with the conventional definitions of either park or parkway. Fortu-nately,
the battleship and the adjacent property are owned and operated by a state commission whose
members real ize the nature of this image problem. They recently asked Auburn's School of Architecture
what might be done about it. The result is a master plan, which the USS Alabama Battleship Commission
adopted on November 9, 1990 to guide development of the memorial park and adjoining lands along
Battleship Parkway.
Auburn's report to the Battleship Commission is called Plans for Development of USS
Alabama Memorial Park. It is anything but a typical master plan, for it deals with a wide range of en­vironmental
planning and design issues. Urban design, architectural and landscape architectural con­cerns
are dealt with, to be sure. But the master plan also includes industrial and graphic. design (the Au­burn
University graduate students and faculty even provided a new logo and a sign system for the park).
Importantly, the plans also provide a strategy for public and private investment, and outline a variety of
projects and programs for both battleship and park.
Opened in 1965 with financial support from a very broad base of public and private inter­ests
that included most of the school children in Alabama, the park and ship are under authority of the
USS Alabama Battleship Commission, whose powers extend only to the boundaries of its 90 acres of
The US$ Alabama
was commissioned almost
50 years ago­on
August 16, 1942-
and was involved in key
naval activities in both the
Atlantic and Pacific fleets
during World War II.
Since 1965 the battleship
has been berthed at
Battleship Memorial Park in
Mobile, Alabama.
Now, as its third quarter
century approaches, plans
are in place to sustain both the
ship and the memorial park
in the manner intended:
as a memorial to
all Alabamians who
have engaged in
armed conflicts
of the United States.
land at the edge of Mobile Bay. That fact is the source of a dilemma they face: how to raise the image of ... ,;·.,
most popular tourist attraction and most visible object in South Alabama, even though much of yvha,l , <'" ''\&··q (' '" !r\"· ,
be done to raise that image is outside their control. " ,-0~ '·0'( ·;/ , ·~"~ ~~~>"(~. '-1_,) . ,
. . . . than respond only to the problems faced by the commission, the Auburn planning ,::~> '"' ,:..;::-::;· J;,):e>'f ,~:~· U ·s'";' · '.;o, ··,;v"
'lethe students found several significant strenQtb§'~nq,~~ak:~~~ ·. <. ' · ·' . --~~ ·; ·; }<}.·
ities that have yet to be seized upon. The p1?.~t~~Y ,,.~ ~::::>. · ,_"":,f \ ''-'
to provide a new park welcome «:enttt~,a~~"'"~:¢, (::~
~U''"''-~'.'.,ua.na•mernorlal\w,all t~t·n·""''b"!d"tt~. t< '"t both major artifacts and visitors durin~h)~me~r· .,::~ >-! , . :'·>';
"n'h~""'"'1'1" "rtrt•ti"''"' st[PfJ9d1~~:litt~~{or park visitors and . To help gener{it&4DDFe.. · ' · · ··~~· ·
., on's earmarked fQf. so'm'"e,'p "n'v'a ta~ :::: ~- .
as mall ' ar ecreation~fi~ehicl~~ . ' . ' ,...... .· . -·" ''"'·
id"'"nrrfr\·mri'"'"; activities - the aquariumlsoolt~n . · , ·· · · ·
'{\:: .... .,
-·J4 ....
interests al parkWay lncluq~
Mobile, the Mobile and Baldwin nty Commission, the.AiabamaStateHighway Departm~nt . .. . .
Lands Division of the Alabama State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. They all pro-
·· 'videdvaiuabie fntormati6n'dudrig.ffieplam]lilg process; each now must be Called upon forcobperation
~· .. ;_ -- wassure o~derlyplan implementation.
-~···-"" ·· "'"'·""""-:~.~·::. ~~and to share ·
Auburn's skills.
DeslgnAiabama 1 0
Planning and Urban Design for The
MemoriO:l Park and ParkWay
As they approached this master plan, the Battleship Commis­sion
did not fear change. Rather, they viewed change as both a challenge
and an opportunity. The Commission recognized that the USS Alabama
Battleship Memorial Park must continue to evolve for the better. If not, it will
begin to lose visitors-and revenue. In response, planners envision that the
park be developed over a period of years to have:
• Controlled access, with a clearly defined park entrance that
directs visitors toward the battleship and the memorial garden.
• The memorial core section of the park, to include a welcome
center and a memorial wall, protected within secure boundaries.
• The park's land and water resources developed in a dignified
manner, with portions designated for devel opment of support
activities to attract a variety of visitors and generate revenues
sufficient to support long term operation and development.
Memorial Park Development Concept
The primary purpose of the Alabama Battleship Memorial -Park
is to serve as a memorial to those from Alabama who have fought-and
perhaps died-in armed conflict to protect and preserve American ideals.
To clearly reflect that purpose in the park, only activities directly dependent
upon location within this particular memorial park are to be located here.
The development strategy allocates various activities accord­ing
to opportunities found in the park. These opportunities
Every person ~ho visits the
Banleship Memorial Park
must travel on Banleship
Memorial Parkway.
Both should reinforce
images of memorial,
pride, quality and fun.
The parkway is outside
the area of direct control
of the USS Alabama
Banleship Commission,
/
but it is not possible to
separate the two in the
minds of most park visitors.
Access ramps connecting the welcome center to the battleship
will appear to be retractable, thereby adding to the illusion that the ship is in
active service. The new building also helps the rest of the mem.orial core deal
with the massive scale of the battleship. This transition lessens the contrast
between the height and bulk of the battleship and the flatness of the rest of
the park.
The memorial gardens are placed immediately west of the new
welcome center. These formal gardens feature low level plantings except at
the edges, providing a major open area for large gatherings and activities, as
well as an outdoor area from which to view the ship. The memorial wall and
gateway of names commemorates those who have served and sacrificed.
This wall is combined with a gateway and overhead cover interconnecting
the welcome center to the new B-52 hangar. It serves as the primary entrance
to the core area, so that all visitors pass the names on the memorial wall and
gateway as they enter the memorial core area on the way to the welcome
center and battleship.
The west side of the memorial garden features a gently curved,
lightweight spaceframe or truss with a clear interior to shelter the B-52 and
other exhibits primarily from the Vietnam War era. The shape of the structure
responds to the natural setting for an aircraft as large as a B-52, and is in
keeping with the military theme and setting of the memorial core area. The
aircraft is placed under the structure along the axis of the centerline of the
battleship's conning tower to serve as a visual terminus for the west end of
the memorial core.
The southern portion of the memorial garden provides space
for display of artifacts and exhibits of the modern era. An overhead covered
space frame interconnects the welcome center and B-52 hangar structure.
This edge of the memorial garden is screened from the new commercial area
to the south by a major berm and plant materials.
include: the ship as primary focal point, the site as an abun- ,...--------------------, Memorial Park Access
dant and valuable amount of water accessible land, the gen­erous
quantity and varied types of water edges and priceless
views from the site and ship.
The master plan for development envisions
new, yet compatible ways to draw more visitors to a more
inviting, diverse and enjoyable attraction. The memorial
aspect ofthe park will remain the center of attention in a
mixed use development designed to generate sufficient
income to support continuing park operation, maintenance
and development.
Everything in the park is focused toward the
battleship and situated to take advantage of the views to the
surrounding waters of Mobile Bay. There is a new park en­trance
on an axis with the battleship. The new entrance pro­vides
better views of the ship and park from the west and
emphasizes arrival at the battleship. The existing entrance
remains in place, redesigned and scaled down to provide
access to the park's new commercial, recr~tional and retail
areas.
The new visitor entrance to the park is on axis
with the bow of the battleship. Thus, every vehicle turning
into the park from Battleship Memorial Parkway will directly
face the most powerful view in the park, which is the bow of
the USS Alabama-featured in silhouette in the park's new
logo designed by one of the graduate students. Every visitor
will thus share in the sense of wonder and awe created by the
presence of the battleship. The memorial drive aligns with
the bow of the battleship, and then veers to align in turn with
other artifacts located in the memorial core. The progression
of travel into the parking lotthus provides a preview of the
park to increase curiosity and anticipation.
The organization and placement of the
plantings, and especially of the trees, reflects and thereby
enhances the curve of the entrance and exit drives. The
plantings located within the median strip of the entrance drive
are used to capture some attention from the highway, then
lead on!J's eye from the new sign into the park. A mix of
wildflowers and grass is used in the highway median and
along the right of way in front of the park. The transition from
wildflowers to shrubs to trees helps to lightly screen the
proposed park structures located behind them and reduce
Pedestrian circulation is maintained along the
shoreline, making the water at least visually accessible at all
times. Picnicking and public spaces are modified, but re­main
located along the shoreline just north of the battleship.
Sites for the proposed aquarium and other potential com­mercial
recreation development and associated dock facili­L..-----------------....
J theirapparentsize.
ties are located by the entrance from the parkway in a manner that keeps the
entrance view of the ship unobstructed. To the stern of the ship, commercial
recreation uses give way to moderate and low intensity development, which
BaHleship Memorial Parkway
finally terminates at recreational vehicle and camping sites along the park's Battleship Memorial Parkway is ~!Jlajor thoroughfare that links
western boundary. Boardwalks continue ped · access out over the wet- two portions of an urb'ffilfzegiarea- Mobile~e Eastern Shore- that are
lands along th~ southern edges of the site. a] or v1 · , _§ip~d delta vr ii~jacent totne.Mobi~elfflt ls importantfu remember that for many vi~i-create
the focus for all development on the site. The intent is to enn~~ce the ·-'->,,. '" tors the most me~~ra~·imag&:~~~~ r~lates to cr~~J£!_g ~~~
battleship as the primary focus of attention along the parkway. A cleat view T/]q'GQn,cept of Delta. After all, th1s 1s the most d1stmct1ve enwonment for mafT9 m1les along
area from the battleship's conning tower to portions of the parkway i~ tore- c;.~ "·:::v location.denr;x~fJlherwise similar stretch~~ of ~!ghway both east and w_est. Most people trav-main
open and undeveloped with structures. It is to contain only lo~ l /~· ··~;. ;.,.,·~ ·'"'""'/ elling Interstate Highway 10 paS's through Alabama QUICkly, and see no more
plantings and large areas of lawn and wildflowers. Its appropriate usd in; '·81{end~/Qn/y;lo JhantDevi~ from tflelrimtt:'"Tn~nd parkway togeth~~~.a .·"~
cl~playing fields and the relocated model aircraft runway and flyin{Lafea~~ ..• ·~--~· - -"" .... un~uerblefo . .. . . relations as the'SlategrDWS, improves,
··~·"·-· 10;::· .... -~:::·.. and
. . . item sym
memoriaLcore of11ie park as the
ship Memorial Parkway.
Immediately west of battleship is the park welcome centeL=---=·,~···-* ·- ~::·,..·. ·
It houses the orientation exhi gift shop, restaurant, and elevator ·-r ii ·-· ,_ -·.-: ·""::
ramps to the battleship · The center also provides apr . ·..
place in which to display artifacts from the eras of World War·n, the KOfF
Conflict and the Cold.War.
..,./~\'-w;··"'\.,1''')-~/"._w~
__ %_;·:::.~ed·araTfiea" .· ·· · · ".. ·t ·lnan ... c-a mrP.ns:rveJ.Imeltel
' thepastJiftYyeafs. As#siJCh,
11 Volume Ill, No. II
use, including even public. recreation or a wildlife refuge. Commercial and Plan development ous building and development projects envisioned in their new plans for
recreational development-and certainly the issue of public access-are development and enhancement of the park and parkway. They have agreed
important along the entire parkway. However, every precaution should be was based on the work the first physical project is to be a new park entrance from Battleship Park-taken
to avoid disturbing the wildlife that also shares the water's edge. Areas of two planning way. It will be aligned with the powerful view of the ship featured in the new
that have not yet been intensively developed should be left alone so they and design studios logo, and that will strengthen the vision of the park and the battleship it sug-may
return to their natural state insofar as possible. Wetlands and indig- gests. Be sure to look for changes at the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial
enous plants should be encouraged to grow and develop along unused por- in the School of Architecture Park in the near future. And be on the lookout for the new battleship logo
ti , s of the parkway. Plantings should generally reflect the. natural plants of at Auburn University. that soon will grace virtually everything having to do with the battleship, the " "ea: Planting and other landscape work should be used to screen.un- . park and the parkway.
sigM\Iy'properti~s-.tR~t may cause an inappropriate. di~!ractioo from the · T!Je first group of Views to the ship should be accentuated with plantings or mi-
Y,~~~~·~lfeJ~}~~~;::~~~~r ,, . ~:;. . ,;,;;:::=:m:;;::;ng :~j;;r~~g~:,~~~~msfd~~~~:';~~~~~~~~~~~~~e::~:~~~'
Implementatioh:''~Convertihgt:8ans tO ,:t~_, ,.~~s~~!rDnder··· '"'"=<.• { Just before entering the site, traffic lanes and proper informa-
ReCdity ·' ' 1
'' ~' ' · direction ot>. · ould be clear and distinctive. There should be no chance of missing
· ·•· · '' · · · • ,: ",, <.·~ ' '·. the-entrance due to traffic patterns. inappropriate speeds. inadequate or con-
Carrying out the new ptan§ for Battleshfp:Memorial Par~.imd ,.. Professors Anne H,en.decsofi: . • · fusing signs or poor lighting. · ·
Parkway will require an overall, comprehensive approach, puttogethe·r in and Brian Lahaie. · · · ~·':'';;;!\(~ ./
such a way that everything ')YOrks together. The USS Alabama Battleship ·' " ·" ·>•Jv£>
Commission simply does not have all the money-nor all the power- ·.Their prop~~~~~ tor park us_& .j·~~?~:;:;;;~d ·~ :Cmd Development
needed to accomplish everything outlined in this new plan. That simply and developmen.twere , <5: [ , \r:; y,, . · ': "· .. ,1
, , •
means that every power, every dollar must be used to best advantage. How- designedlo stretch · .· ··.·. ;:',~ \ : "7 ~attle'SQ.!P·~~'3l.?rial Parkway is~ major thoroughfare that . ·
ever, people are likely to object to anything they do not understand, regard- · ·11nks twoport1on~of an urbaojf,yd area~.Mob1le and the Eastern Shore---:. . .·
less of its merits. To overcome this resistance, the plan must become con- the im~ginations of that are adjacenttotheMobil~ Dett~L' ·· ~qrity of the land area adjacent
ventional wisdom-for local residents. government officials, public and the members of the commission. to the parkway has beencleared; d~a.i ·:~ ·.~ . it~~f\'fl~~-inte~~iv~_IY;de-private
employees, and investors alike. To help accomplish this, the Battle- veloped 111 some manner at some llmem .. 11 ... ·.· ... ®Yea~:&::A.ssuch, 1t 1s
ship Commission wil~present its plans tb every affected agency and official, unrealistic to earmark use of this area entirely far~ny slngJ.e Us~';;lnqludi~g
and request their actions be carried out in harmony with the concepts in the public recreation or as a wildlife refuge. " : >~;.
new plans for the park and parkway. At the same time, it is important for there to be a sense ofa~-
Every power and resource of local and state government tivity and interest along the parkway, with a mix of both natwal and man~ \
should be used creatively-perhaps even used as incentives and induce- made activities and uses of land that are mutually compatible with on~ an~
ments-to help convince people to act in ways that will bring about plan other. This mix should include both public and private ownership, and both
implementation. The exact means may not yet be crear, nor is it clear just non-commercial and commercial use of parkway land areas. It should also
who may eventually become involved, but everyone should continue to extend to include a wide range of uses, from canepole day fishing to pic-think
and act creatively toward achieving the vision presented in the Plans The second studio, under nicking and jogging, to expensive, commercial recreation. People engaging
for Development of USS Alabama Memorial Park. direction of Professor in any of these uses or activities should be made to feel welcome along the
Postscript
The USS Alabama Battleship Commission was able to explore
and test a wide range of solutions through Auburn University's School of
Architecture. It would have been very time consuming and expensive for a
private planning and design firm to test a number of development options
for a project as complex as a master plan for battleship park and the parkway
corridor. However, it should be noted that the first beneficiary of Auburn
planning and design assistance projects such as this is often the private
sector, for a firm must be retained to provide the detailed design services ·
needed for project implementation.
The USS Alabama Battleship Commission is hiring a compre­hensive
architecture/engineering firm to handle implementation of the vari-r\.,
/-- _s ,.,
J Jt-1 .,, .... _~"'- - -~_,_ - ·'V ,......___ 1 _ - ..... J · . . "-- ~
--~-/--------
. ( ( ( \
Meyer's evaluation to
develop the plans and
design concepts
that were adopted by
the USS Alabama
parkway, which is maintained at public expense as a way to link Mobile and
Baldwin Counties across the lower Mobile Delta. Each user should be able
to find identifiable places that are inviting to a variety of people. The critical
issue of use will be maintenance or creation of public access to water for
uses appropriate to the environmental conditions present.
There should be no other use or activity along the parkway -
larger in height, scale, bulk or massing than the ship itself. Activities and
uses along and adjacent to the parkway that are dependent upon specific at­Banteship
Commission at tributes and qualities to be found in no other type of location will provide the
their meeting on
November 9, 1990.
parkway and its environs with a clear sense of purpose related to the charac­ter
and natural environment of the Mobile Delta and Bay system. At the
same time, no use or development along the parkway should be so planned,
Professor Meyer was designed or consiructed as to prevent public access to the water's edge in
overall project director each property. •
and editor of Plans for
Development of the
USSAiabama
Memorial Park.
Susan Dye, Peter Cranton,
Thaddeus Yonke and
Whitfield Fancher
were contributing
authors. Peter Cranton,
Thaddeus Yonke and
. . Whitfield Fancher
prepared the maps
and graphics.
Darrell Meyer is Alumni Professor of Architecture
and Director of the Graduate Program in Community
Planning at Auburn University. He holds a Bachelor
of Arts from California State University, Long Beach,
and a Master of of Regional Planning degree from
the University of Pennsylvania .
E D I T 0 R' S N 0 T E :
DeslgnAiabama 12
On May 15, 1991, Captain William J. Diffley, Executive
Director of the USS Alabama BaHieship for the past 15 years, died a Her
a lengthy illness. Captain Diffley was also the Chairman of the State
Bureau of Tourism and Travel Advisory Board for more than eight years
and a staunch promoter of his beloved baHieship. No one beHer
understood the enormous impact this plan will have on both the park
itself but also on those hundreds of thousands of current and potential
tourists traveling the 1-10/1-65 channel through the base of the state of
Alabama. This article is dedicated to his memory.
PresseViews
(Birmingham is known throughout the world for its excellence in both health care and medical research. In fact most of the residents of the state
have been or will be directly affected by the health care facilities in Jefferson County at some point. Though the following article was
written specifically for Birmingham readers, the issues are important to every community.
Thanks to the Birmingham Post-Herald for permission to reprint.)
A Journalist Looks
At Hospital Design.
Birmingham·s Mitch
Mendelson Likes What He
Sees In The 901s.
THE Cllll.DREI'S HOSPITAL OF AlABAMA IS - OF FIVE BIRMMIAM HOSPITAlS SITED AS
SIGIFICAIIT EXAMPlB OF TIE NEW TRBIJS .IEALTIH:ARE DESIGN.
Hospital buBdings weren't always as unimaginably ugly as they_ became in the last half century or so. One need look no
. .
further than the old Hillman Hospital building at Sixth Avenue and 20th Street South to realize that, at one time, health-care
structures had the same design quality and sense of..ae~thetics as ma~y other institutional buildings.
But then times changed, in architecture and in health care, and hospitals everywhere became huge sprawling gray clots
that consumed whole neighborhoods as they expanded. It seemed thaf no hospital anywhere was ever finished; they were all in
.a p erpetual state of formless enlargement. And once inside a. hospita.l- assumingone.could find the doo.r.- av isitor could stay. . . . . . . -· . . . . ' . - . ~ .
lost for days.
AS the multitude of scaffolds and cranes and construction workers around many local hospitals make.clear,·health care
institutions still are devouring the cityscape. Butthe notion that good architecture is somehow irrelevantto-hospitals is changing
radically. Hospitals nationwide are embracing-and paying for-first-class architectural design.
In general tenMf there are four good rea­sons
for this health sea change In heahh care
design: pragmatics, marketability, community re­lations
and the humanizing of medical care.
• Pragmatics: Hospitals finally have discovered
thattheir customers and employees waste tremendous amounts
of time and effort wandering in corridors that lead to nowhere.
Better designed hospitals are often more efficient for workers
and users alike.
• Marketability: Health care has become one of
the most competitive..consumer industries in America. Good
design attracts busilless.
• Community relations: The industry is con­cerned
about its public image. Sensitive buildings designs
make it easier to get along with irate neighborhood associa­tions
and others who object to sprawling medical structures.
And a building's design makes a statement about the people
inside it.
• Good medicine: People heal more quickly and
completely in attractive surroundings. Their visitors tend to 13e
more cheerful when they have a nice waiting room, with
comfortable seating and big windows.
People are scared when they come to the hospital;
forcing them to wander in a labyrinth of gloomy corridors
makes them more frightened. Administrators finally have
realized that people are at least as important as the machines
and facilities that serve them, and people respond to humane
architectural design.
These factors have inspired what might be called the
commercialization of hospital design. Atriums, glassed-in
elevators, grand port-cochere entrances, medical malls that
resemble shopping malls, food courts, skylights and many
other popular aesthetic treatments are becoming common.
Yet the technical requirements of health care design
are as demanding as ever. Hospitals are the most complex and
costly structures to design and build; aesthetics often are
slighted because most of the budget goes for infrastructural
necessities. But now clients are biting the bullet and demand­ing
at least a nice lobby and better access to the building and
circulation within it.
With the notable exception of the outpatient clinic
now being built by the University of Alabama Health Services
Foundation on Sixth Avenue South, most construction of local
health care buildings involves additions and renovations. Five
such projects are significant examples of the new trends in
health care design:
• The Eye Foundation Hospital and Professional
Office Building, Seventh Avenue and 18th Street
South. Architect: The Ritchie Organization, Bir-mingham
Office. .
This project added about 80,000 square feet of space to the
existing hospital and clinic, greatly improved interior circula­tion
and aesthetics, and created one of the most striking
exterior faces in the UAB Medical Center area.
• The Children's Hospital of Alabama, Seventh
Avenue and 16th Street South. Architect: GiaHina
Fisher & Company Architects Inc of Birmingham.
This 190,000 square-foot addition, still under con­struction,
will be an ambulatory care facility for the hospital,
which reflects an increasing interest in outpatient care
throughout the industry. Architecturally, it helps form a grand
entrance plaza for the hospital, makes full use of a tight site and
pulls the hospital campus out to Seventh Avenue.
• Baptist Medical Center-Princeton, Professional
Office Building Ill, Lomb and Princeton Avenue.
Architect: GreSham, Smith and Partners, Birming­ham
office.
This 160,000 square-foot office structure uses the
medical mall concept-A central atrium, with a skylight and Art
Deco decor, organizes circulation and provides a familiar and
comforting ambience.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Cen­ter
Birmingham, University Boulevard and 19th Street
South. Architect: Sherlock, Smith and Adams, Inc.
of Montgomery.
This massive, 12-year overhaul transformed a
dreadfully drab institutional structure Entrances were given a
sense of presence, the exterior was unified into a coherent
structure, outpatient and waiting facilities were upgraded, and
interior circulation was improved.
• HealthSouth Medical Center Inc., 11th Avenue
and 12th Street South. Architect: Gould Turner
Group P. C. of Nashville.
This project, sti II under construction, expresses
in architectural terms the radical change from the old
neighborhood-based South Highlands Hospital to one
of the city's major medical centers. The structure is
being reoriented to face the UAB campus with an atrium
entrance; the current project will triple the size of the
hospital, yet the design is intended to fit comfortably
into a low-rise urban neighborhood.
13 Volume Ill, No. II
IN THE REALM OF AMERICAN D'ESIGN, THE ROSEN
AN -ARCHITECTURAL LANDMARK. IT IS ARGUABLY 'A
DeslgnAiabama 14
HIS UNIQUE SOLUTION TO BUILDING PROl
PHOTO BY LOUISVIllE COURIER JOURNAL, 1948. BY ALVIN ROSENBAUM AND WILLIAM B. SCOTT, JR . IIThe house is the purest •
��� right the architect was without peer; however, much of his inspiration
came from others. Wright was loathe to acknowledge any contribution to . his
genius but his work did, in fact, reflect the leading lights of his time. Naturalist
Henry Thoreau, poet Walt Whitman, landscapist Frederick Law Olmsted, conser­vationist
Gifford Pinchotand others contributed to Wright's design philosophy and
his Usonian concepts.
There is evidence to suggest that the character and ideas behind the
Rosenbaum house in florence were first prompted by a vision of the auto-maker,
Henry Ford. Along with his close friend Thomas Edison, Ford arrived in Muscle
Shoals in 1921 with a grand scheme - a seventy-five mile long city of low-rise,
single family houses, small factories, neighborhood shops and schools. The plan
seized Ameri-ca's imagination.
Ford's inexpensive Model Thad already transformed America. The automo­bile
freed workers from the grime of city life to a clean countryside. Conversely,
farmers were provided easy access to markets and the bright lights of Main Street
on Saturday night. At the crossroads where town and country met, American
concepts for the development of suburbia and small cities were being shaped by
planners in government and industry. While some bemoaned the loss of focus from
the city, the trend to decentralization was irreversible.
B.AUM .HOUSE BY FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT STANDS .AS
rRIGHT'S FINEST USONIAN HOUSE AND REPRESENTS
~LEMS CREATED BY THE GREAT DEPRESSION.
xample of the Usonian. Its exterior has an almost overpowering horizontality."
The catchword was "decentralization," a reaction, in part, to post-war
European socialism. Ford 's model city scattered homes among factories,
schools, shops and recreational areas on a horizontal grid where only small units
of cooperating activity were encouraged. Factory workers would also have time
to till the soil on their own acre or two of land.
Henry Ford's philosophy of decentralization was, initia lly, part of his
ambition to put America on wheels, and later, tied to his desire to become
President of the United States. This Iotter pursuit passed quickly from public favor
with the stock market crash at the close of the decade.
As Ford faded from view, Wright emerged. With few commissions, and
little money to keep his office open, Wright took up the cause for decentralization
and crisscrossed the country promoting his plan called Broadacre City.
Broadacre was a synthesis of other schemes, "a genera/ decentraliza­tion
and architecturd reintegration of all units into one fabric," according to Wright.
In 1935, he directed his apprentices in building a model of the plan illustrating
John Sergent, Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Houses, 197 6
his arrangement of small farms and factories, laboratories and schools. From the
fog of Wright's dense prose emerged the design idears for Broadacre based
on "the motor car, electric intercommunication, and standardized, machine-shop
production." At the center of Wright's scheme was the individual. Now free from
the evils of land speculation and pollution, he would be part of a friendly and
prosperous American community run on public power, equality and the
principles of Wright's "orga nic" architecture.
The simi larities between the tw~ concepts-Ford's Seventy-Five Mile City
and Wright's Broadacre City-were significant. These were noted by George
Collins at a symposium held at the School of Architecture at Columbia University
in 1961. "Wright's brand of linear planning derived from Henry Ford whom he
admired and resembled in many ways." Some of these ideas were realized in the
actual development of Muscle Shoals during the era of the TVA
The architects of the TV A were more interested in the progressive
symbolism of massive concrete and generators than in the ethereal notions of
THE ROSENBAUM'S BUILDING LOT OVERLOOKING THE TENNESSEE RIVER IN FLORENCE. ROSENBAUM FAMILY ARCHIVE.
15 Volume Ill. No. II
PHOTOS LEFTTO RIGHT: FILM FOOTAGE
OF FIRST DAY OF CONSTRUCTION ON
RIVERVIEW DRIVE, JANUARY 8, 1940 .•
CONSTRUCTION, SPRING 1940 .•
CONSTRL:ICTION, .SPRING 1940 .•
NEAR COMPLETION, AUGUST 1940 .•
CANTILEVERED CARPORT. • INTERIOR
SHOT, SHORTLY AFTER MOVING IN,
AUGUST 15, 1940 .• ALL PHOTOS FROM
THE ROSEMBAUM FAMILY ARCHIVES.
. - ./
.• .•
11The Rosenbaums were what Mr. Wright used.to refer to as
.,..--.
. '
,t· )
. )
''-- -···-'
DesignAiabama 16
utopian planners. According to Walter Creese in TVA Public Planning, "the dams were the TVA's most
articulate statement. "\Vhile the ideas of Ford and Wright were never fully translated into reality on the TV A
reservqtion, there are some intriguing connections. Swiss architect Rudolph Mock, for example, worked on
the model for Broad acre City as a Wright apprentice at T aliesin and later became the chief architect for
the TVA
The designs for Broadacre-the first "low-cost" housing designed by Wright-were revolutionary
and became the dqminant influence in American domestic architecture after World War II. For Wright, the
physical realization of his scheme, repeating the same designs for house, factory, or school, was a
contradiction between his asse.rtion that each building have its own individuality, and the need for
. standardiZ:dtio·n to-keep costs to������ a minimum .
· One prototype for the· Broadacre model designed in l 9 3 2 was the single-story, "little farm unit
house," a substantial departure from Wright's usual two-story layouts. These houses were designed on a
modular grid with parts that could be prefabricated f"r economy, but interchanged in differing layouts to
blend into the building site, thus avoiding what he affectionately referred to as "cookie-cutter" architecture.
In the January, 193 8 issue of Architectural Forum, devoted entirely to his work, Wright presented
his concept for the "Usonian" house for the first time through the Jacobs' house, in Madison, Wisconsin.
This house differed radically from the earlier Broad acre model. In it, he replaced concrete block construction
with wooden sandwich walls, which, as Wright suggested, "would be ideal to complete in one operation
as it goes along, inside and outside." Further, he proclaimed that: "Visible roofs are expensive and unnec­essary.
A garage is no longer needed as a carport (Wright's invention) will do." He also did away with a
basement and radiators, replacing them with radiant heating in a floor constructed of four inches of concrete
(another Wright invention), and eliminated paint, plaster, gutters and interior trim.
Shortly after the completion of the Jacobs' house, Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum were married
in Cincinnati, Ohio, midway between Stanley's home in Florence and Mildred's in New York City. Louis
Rosenbaum, Stanley's father, was the proprietor of motion picture theaters in Florence,, Sheffield and
Tuscumbia. The newlyweds received from Stanley's parents a spacious lot across the street from their home
on Riverview Drive in Florence and a check for $7,500. to pay for design fe~s and construction. The
Rosenbaums engaged Aaron Green, a friend of Stanley's who also grew up in Florence and who was
studying architecture at the Cooper Union Institute in New York at the time. After struggling with the problems
of designing his fi rst house, Green suggested that they abandon his design and engage Frank Lloyd Wright.
In a subsequent letter to Wright, Green explained: "Bids for a house which I have designed were
excessive. Rather than begin again, or destroy the unity of the house by the usual methods of cutting, I suggested
to the client, optimistically, that you be asked to design the house. Because, as well as clients, the ·people are
my friends, and because your solution would be far superior to another's attempt in applying your ideas and
philosophy, I would very much prefer your personal solution."
~--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
•
.. .
I . ... .._,._..._ ... ·-- - - --· .-.-·....--------· - •
' I ... , ... ~ .. ..A. • • •, •· • _,. ~ •
..._ • .\ ../... . T)·\ ..,.:.. ,....,... :. .. '1. ~~ .· -- ---
..
l.
'ideal clients~ ' They lived appropriately and beautifully in ·their house."
Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, Archivist, The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
"The couple are recently married, the young man a Harvard graduate, writer, and poet Both should
be capable of bearing children deserving of your 'Usonian' house. Acquainted with your Jacobs ' house, l ·am
well aware of your ability to cope with a sim ilar situation. The existing obstacle is a maximum of$ 7,500.00.
The client is willing that you do the ;ob 'cost plus.' The family requires a three bedroom house with study. The plot,
I 2 4 x I 40 feet, slopes to the south, and Faces a broad, uninterrupted view of the Tennessee River. "
Perhaps the most te llmg remarks in Green's letter were in the final paragraph: "This section of the
country, without a doubt, presents as backward an architectural expression· as con be possible. This despite
the Fact th at it is immediately in the midst of the TVA engineering developments, and C? part of the Muscle Shoals
district We need a local orchitectur~. I realize that the amount involved is very small, but the idea presented
itself partly because I thought this section of the country would interest you."
In July of 1939, Wright accepted the commission.
By fits and starts, and despite cost overruns, bad weather and a series of minor disasters, the house
that Wright designed for the Rosenbaums was built. Burt Goodrich, Frank Lloyd Wright's apprentice, and
Aaron Green practica lly lived on the site from January to August. In mid-July, Stanley Rosenbaum wrote to
a college friend, "Strange as it seems, we 're not yet living in the Frank Lloyd Wright house, though we hope
to be doing so by August first We've had lots of trouble. The difficulty in building a revolutionary house is that
every detail becomes a special problem, since all hardware, etc, is made to fit traditional houses. It has cost
me more than I figured, too, and it looks like I 'II be in debt for years Nevertheless the house itself is extremely
satisfactory and we are very much sold on Wright. "
Rosenbaum continued, "The house has made a sensation in Florence. I believe every one in town has
been to see it at least three times. We hove had not less than I 00 visitors a day on week-days for the post few
months, and the number runs as high as 500 on Saturdays ." The Rosenbaums moved in to their home on August
15, 1940.
The housG Frank Lloyd Wright designed for Stanley and Mildred has been praised by'architects,
historians and pla nners around the world almost since its completion as much for its place in the evolution
of twentieth century residential architecture as for its elegant design. The Rosenbaum house was listed on
the National Register of Historic Plrxes in 1978 when the house was only 3 8 years old, an exception to
the normal 50 year requirement. Stan ley died in 1983, but Mildred continues to live in her home. •
Alvin Ros~nbaum, the Rosenbaums' third son, is a writer and graphic designer now living in
Chevy Chase, Maryland.
William B. Scoff, Jr., architectural historian, is president of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation,
Inc., Florence, Alabama.
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT WITH STUDENTS,
TALIE$1N EAST, SPRING GREEN, WISCONSIN,
1937. PHOTO BY 31LL HEDRICH.
17 Volume Ill, No. II
DesignAiabarna 18
"WE HAVE BEEN PLANNING FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE HOUSE SINCE IT
THE
FRANK
LLOYD
WRIGHT
ROSENBAUM
HOUSE
STANLEY AND MILDRED
ROSENBAUM, 1940.
ROSENBAUM FAMILY ARCHIVES.
TOURS-WHICH FINALLY BEGAN IN APRIL-SINCE THE 50TH
THE ROSENBAUM HOUSE, FLORENCE, ALABAMA, 1940. THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART SENT PHOTOGRAPHER G. E.
KIDDER SMITH FROM NEW YORK TO PHOTOGRAPH THE HOUSE WITHIN A FEW WEEKS AFTER THE ROSENBAUMS
MOVED IN. LIVING ROOM, WEST VIEW.
he Rosenbaum house, the only structure in Alabama designed by Frank Uoyd
Wright, was completed in 1940andanaddition,alsobyWright, was completed in 1948.
Recognized as one of the finest examples of Wright's Usonian style, it is the oldest Wright
house still occupied by its original client and owner. In 1978, the house was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places and is now undergoing the process required for
designation as a National Historic Landmark. After more than Rfty years as the private
residence of the Rosenbaum family, preparations are now underway for its preservation
and transition to a public property.
Efforts to preserve the Rosenbaum house began in earnest on April 24, 1 991 , with the founding of the Frank
Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House Foundation, Inc. At a subsequent meeting of the Foundation, convened on June 1 0
and attended by more than 20 preservationists from across the state, organizers briefed the gathering on their efforts
to date and outlined future plans.
Deborah Ashe, a local attorney and an officer of the Foundation, explained that the organization was
chartered to ensure the long term preservation of the Rosenbaum house as a significant work of architecture having
historic, cultural and artistic value.
The Foundation's first task had been to apply to the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt status. Ashe
explained that, according to its application, the Foundation will be engaged in the development and implementation
of preservation/ conservation plans and will provide interpretation of the house for the education and enjoyment of
the public. Further, it will conduct tours and provide docent training, assist in the preparation of a guidebook and
promotional materials, and arrange for access to the house by civic and cultural organizations for their events and
programs.
Charged with the propagation of the ideas and works of Wright, Ashe indicated the Foundation will also
participate in nationwide programs, conferences and outreach efforts relating to the preservation and conservation
of the architect's collective works.
Eventually, the Foundation hopes to acquire and manage the property, or to assist in public acquisition.
Endowments for the purchase, restoration and interpretation of other properties designed by Wright have invariably
been partnerships between the public and private sectors.
WAS PLACED ON THE NATIONAL HISTORIC REGISTER IN 1978 AND FOR PUBLIC
ANNIVERSARY OF THE HOUSE IN NOVEMBER OF 1989. "
MILDRED ROSENBAUM
SOUTHERN EXPOSURE OF THE ROSENBAUM HOUSE, 1940. G. E. KIDDER SMITH PHOTOGRAPH.
TERRACE VIEW, SEPTEMBER, 1940. G. E. KIDDER SMITH PHOTOGRAPH. • SOUTHERN EXPOSURE OF THE ROSENBAUM HOUSE, 1990. ROSENBAUM FAMILY ARCHIIVES .
Architectural historian William Scott, currently in the process of moving to
Alabama from his hometown of Frankfort, Kentucky, is president of the Foundation and
responsible for developing the master plan for the restoration and management of the
property. He explained the significant advantage of having the Rosenbaum house
located next door to a public property-the building housing the Florence Department
of Education. The facility provides a large parking lot for cars and tour buses, but also
space for viewing a film or video prior to a tour. "A need exists," explained Scoff, "For the
story oF the house and its importance to the history oF American domestic architecture to
gradually unFold For the visitor "
Scott also pointed out that the site includes an adequate, undeveloped lot of
perhaps slightly less than an acre. He envisions the eventual development of a reception
and interpretive center, possibly housing a caretaker's apartment, restrooms and a gih
shop.
A master restoration plan will also include the preparation of necessary
appraisals, analysis and documentation for the establishment of an easement program
to protect the house. Included would be the exterior and possibly significant interior
components.
A most important consideration is the selection of the interpretive period for the
house's restoration. All information relating to the house including plans, records,
correspondence, photographs, books, articles, ephemera and the roll of distinguished
visitors must be assembled, catalogued and analyzed. According to Scott, substantial
thought must precede any decision regarding interpretation. Only then can fabrics,
cabinetry and furniture be brought back to a specific point when the house served its
highest purpose. 'The best period," suggested Scott, "maybe in the late 40s but beFore
1951 when all Four oF the Rosenbaum children were under ten years old It's when the
house underwent its true test."
Robert W. Whitten, AlA, is a local architect who has known the Rosenbaum
House for more than twenty years, ever since he wrote a report on Frank Lloyd Wright
as a high school student in Florence. Now he cares for the home when Mildred
Rosenbaum is out of town and lends his expertise to the house's maintenance and
preservation.
Whitten will assist Scott in the development of a restoration master plan for
the house. The plan will provide for the restoration of structural components,
cantilevered carport, the roof, and exterior finishes of wood and brick; as well as,
interior cabinetry, furniture, wall finishes and floor coverings. Additionally, a site plan
will address landscaping, signage, parking and any future development.
Whitten described the generol condition of the house paying particular
attention to those parts requiring varying degrees of attention. "With the exception oF a
signiFicant port oF the rooF sub-structure, the house is in quite good condition." According
to Whitten, "The rooF on the 1948 addition will need to be completely removed and
replaced With modern materials, we can make it better than ever"
"It is extremely important that we preserve this house," asserted Larry Oaks, di­rector
of the State Historical Commission, "Alabamians appreciate the early resi-dential
architecture oF the state, but the Rosenbaum house stands out among the antebellum
dwellings." According to Oaks, the Rosenbaum house is an ideal complement to the
Belmont house, a JeFFersonian-Palladian dwelling in Colbert County acquired by the
Commission and recently opened to the public.
When questioned about the Foundation's mission-a non-profit organization
created to manage and preserve a privately-owned dwelling, Jim Gadra, executive
director of Design Alabama, responed, "I was skeptical, at First. But the more I got to know
the house and the Rosenbaums, the more convinced Ib ecame oFth e appropriateness oF the
action taken to date." In Gadra 's view, the uniqueness of the house and its circumstances­with
the original Wright client still in place a her more than fihy years - should be the incentive
to do precisely what is planned.
Noting the substantial benefits that will accrue to Florence, the Muscl~ Shoals
area and to Alabama, Ashe explained," As a vehicle to expand tourism in the Shoals area,
eFForts are underway to publicize the Rosenbaum House throughout the region The
Foundation hopes that its eFForts will contribute to the cultural liFe oF the Shoals community and
will provide a stimulus to eFForts to expand tourism as a vehicle For continued economic
development." •
HOW OTHER WRIGHT PROPERTIES FARE
The most popular is Fallingwater in rural Pennsylvania. It has been open to the public for 25 years
and received 125,000 visitors in 1990.
The Dana-Thomas House in Springfield, Illinois, which was purchased and restored by the State
of 11/inois, has had over 100,000 visitors in its first year.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, 11/inois, had 61,000 admissions in 1990.
The Zimmerman House in Manchester, New Hampshire, far less well-known than the Rosenbaum
house, is located in an area even more remote than Florence, Alabama. It received more than 8,000 visitors
in its first six months and 15-20,000 admissions are projected in its first year.
19 Volume Ill, .N o. II / ,. .
Historicai~Perspective
DeslgnAiabama 20
ra Legacy
by Louise Joyner
Louise Joyner is guest curator for Palladia in Alabama:
An Architectural Legac)0 a statewide exhibit which pre­mieres
at the Montgomety Museum of Fine Arts. The
exhibit is co-spons0red by Schloss and Kahn, Inc. and
Sherlock, Smith and Adams, Inc.
~~11:1 n 1540 the Spanish expedition led by Hernando de Soto explored the
wilderness of Alabama. At the same moment on theothersideoftheworld
where a high point in the cultural history of western civilization had been
an
Mus
Alabama:
which are to be fi
of Palladianism:
November 7 to
history in this n
he, ' d•r eai2alladio~.was:-tr+,pQ r<;o?. in<:a5. au.~ "a,..r" .:., ,,< ,;hitecturaLcar:Ie er in Ita/1'J1 .
'= ,.,. ' : .•· . "lzml!s .· (JiJl"iJi}t'rif·P'ifil .• enaissance
·lt<l"' r .,_ .~J.~ .~ ~
·=· · · · rly 19th
· nof
II alladio was the ftrSt great architect in
history born in the Veneto, an area
·in northern Italy centering around
. . the cities of Venice and Vicenza.
When one hears the word "Palladian," it is often in
reference to the villas, or country estates, which
Palladia designed for the 16th-century aristocracy
of the Venetian mainland. Although Palladia's
other important architectural achievements in­clude
palaces, churches, bridges, a town hall, a
theater and a convent, the most intriguing and
numerous examples for visual comparisons with
Alabama buildings are his villas. By looking at
three buildings in our state which relate to
Palladia's villas, one can begin to understand the
legacy which Alabama has inherited and to per­haps
view architecture on our doorstep in ·an en­tirely
new way. The statewide traveling exlhibmc•rttt
Palladia in Alabama compares twenty-five build- ,
ings with a host of
photographs, scale
phenomenon
only architect having
chitectural "ism" or
it is correct to use this 'l!~~~~~·u~~~~~~~~?'{3t~lt'mt
the vogues for his style in Georgian-period En­gland
and America, indiscriminate use of the term
can easily lead to inaccurate interpretations of the
Palladian style in American architecture. ':Palladi­anism"
is commonly thought of in terms of indi­vidual
elements rather than as the sum of its parts.
The application of recognizable Palladian cliches,
such as the familiar three-part Palladian window,
rather than attempts to embrace the fundamental
design principles of his work has become com­monplace
in modem building. It is therefore im­portant
to distinguish between architecture reflect­ing
Palladia's principles of planning, and instances
where simplistic applications of separate elements
do not deserve to be credited as "Palladianism."
Palladia's far-reaching influence-has come
about mainly as a result of a book entitled I
Quattro Libri dell'Architettura, or The Four Books
of Architecture. This fully-illustrated that
has been called the singularly most
architectural book ever published,
Palladia's theories on architecture
cut prints of his work. Until recently,
of Palladia's architecture in America
acquired firsthand, but rather from this
volume of wotk that historically had
ence on the spread of """"w:.-~uu
buildings themselves.
water Virginia,
modest versions of grand English Palladian country
. . ... . . . •P•• L • ••••
•
•
•
•• lF
•
•
The idea of distinguishing the facade of Palladia's
domestic .villas with porches, for example, derives
from his study of ancient Roman classical temples.
He was the first architect to use this motif which
enhanced the overall grandiosity artd amplified
the significance of his modest farm houses. His
knowledge of ancient architecture was based on
his own studies of Roman ruins and on the writ­ings
of Vitruvius, an architect of the Augustan age.
He made five trips to Rome in order to measure
and make drawings of antique ruins which served
as a basis for future reference in his own work.
Many of these accurate and detailed studies of
antiquity appear as woodcut prints reconstructed
in the Quattro Libri and were therefore accessible
?;.;;c~~S:Si~fl future generations. From his studies of Roman
baths, villas and temples, Palladia also
Roman methods of organizing spaces
transformation,
building to its dis­twentieth-
century
betWeen form and
Palladian building
since the Renais­ta:
ditionGODX'i~t~:~~.,~~~~~~~~~.EYt· Palladia in his design
ing summer months in nine­teenth-
century Alabama as it
was in the sixteenth-century
Veneto .
villas reappear a continent away and centuries
in the most unexpected context. Followers of
in Alabama have applied versatile solu-to
traditional Palladian models by adapting
. · the villa form to non-domestic use. The exhibition
examines how distinctly Palladian building types
have been adapted to life in Alabama wherein
their original Renaissance form has been put to
both similar and dissimilar use.
The most famous of Palladian villas "La Ro­tunda"
appears to have been the primary, if un-conscious,
model behind the early 20th-century '
New Market Methodist Church. At first glance and
witl1 Palladia's model in mind, the external ap­pearance
· of this church suggests a perfect sym-
Palladia's designs reflects
the larger Renaissance inter­est
in reinterpreting the archi-
]JE~~I~C~~~~ii~~~~~~~~~~roliTIOl~:~~ tecture of classical antiquity.
Belle Mont Plantation and Villa Cornaro,
watercolor by George Allen Harris, 1991. Courtesy the
Alabama Historical Commission.
21 Volume !II, No. II
New Market Methodist Church, Madison County, Alabama, 1920-21.
Photograph by Mark Dauber, 1991. Collection of the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
The Carolyn Blount Theatre, Montgomery,
1985, pavilion. Thomas Blount and Perry Pittman.
Photograph by Mark Dauber, 1991. Collection of the
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
metrical plan consisting of four classical porches
crowned by a centrally domed sanctuary. Tills
illusion is deceptive as the facades are the same
only on the two sides visible in this photograph,
while the back comers are joined by a curved wall
that embraces Sunday School classrooms. The
odd-numbered three-columned porches are a
break with Palladian tradition as is the Greek Ionic
order, which Palladio never employed in favor of
ancient Roman models.
Villa Rotunda is unique among Palladia's
buildings partly because of its four virtually identi­cal
facades. A5 depicted in the Quattro Libri, Palla­dian
planning revolves around the central dome
from which the biaxial plan radiates symmetrically
outward toward the surrounding landscape. Un­like
the majority of Palladia's villas that served as
working farms, La Rotunda was intended as a
"belvedere" or country retreat for party-giving
where gazing at the view from 360 degrees would
have been part of the weekend experience. Al­though
the church in New Market does not offer
this kind of outlook from the porch, its Villa Ro-
The Carolyn Blount Theatre, Montgomery, Alabama, 1985. Thomas Blount and-Perry Pittman.
Photograph by Mark Dauber, 1991. Collection of the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
DeslgnA:abama 22
tunda style enhances the monumental presence of
this small building.
Thomas Jefferson's post-Revolutionary inter­pretations
of Palladio appear to have been instru­mental
in the Palladian designs of Alabama archi­tecture
. Jefferson referred to the Quattro Libri as
follows: "Palladio is the Bible ... You should get it
and stick close to it." During the course of
Jefferson's architectural and presidential career, his
house "Monticello" was altered to its present ap­pearance
that reflects not only his early allegiance
to Palladio, but also his later architectural interest
in French Neoclassicism following his trip to ·
France between 1784 and 1789. The dome of the
Methodist Church in New Market has a similar
octagonal framework with semicircular and circu­lar
windows and its red brick facade trimmed in
white is also a typical Georgian-periOd feature that
the church shares with Jefferson's Monticello. In
_m uch the same way that Palladia's Quattro Libri
provided patterns from which architects like
Jefferson could select, the design of New Market
Methodist Church is likely based on a 1910 cata­logue
of plans provided by the Board of Church
Extension of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South, rather than the employment of an architect.
The Carolyn Blount Theatre of the Alabama
Shakespeare Festival represents another instance
where a Palladian villa has been adapted to use as
a public facility. During the 16th century Palladio
provided his agrarian patrons with an important
requirement for villa design, the bringing together
of service structures and dwellings into one com­plex.
In Palladia's words, "There are two sorts of
· fabrics required in a villa: one for the habitation of
the master and of his family; and the other to
manage and take care of the produce and animals
of the villa." In order to fulfill both needs, and in
accordance with Palladia's planning principles, he
suggested the kind of arrangement illustrated in
the Quattro Libri for Villa Poiana. The landowner
was to live in the central block from which lateral
hyphens (or barchesse, Italian for barns) extend,
terminating in symmetrical pavilions (various uses
were as servant's quarters, kitchen, stables, dove­cotes
or farm offices). The entire farm complex
was thus assembled under a single roof in such a
way that all were protected from the elements.
The resulting Palladian scheme, another inspira­tion
from his studies of antiquity, is commonly
known as a "five-part house."
During the 1980s the stylistic phenomenon
of Post -Modernism opened another avenue
through which architects could express their inter­est
in Palladio. In preparation for the designs of
the Carolyn Blount Theatre architect Thomas
Blount travelled to see the Villa Poiana, the pri­mary
source of design inspiration to Blount and
his partner Perry Pittman. Although Blount did not
begin with the idea of a Palladian design in mind,
the combination of being in the Veneto and look­ing
at recent architectural photography books
featuring Palladia's work intensified his fascination
with this architectural style.
Close parallels mark the entrances to Villa
Poiana and the Carolyn Blount Theatre where
there are similar combinations of a triangular pedi­ment
and circular "oculi" in the r;ounded cornice
of the "Serlian" motif. In the Pall~dian tradition of
villa planning,. crescent arcades flanking the en­trance
pavilion to the Carolyn Blount Theatre gen­tly
curve to the rear, concealing a virtually sym­metrical
square mass. While the front elevation of
the Theatre appears in the traditional guise of a
Palladian villa, its interior is not designed for do­mestic
use or organized on a residential scale. The
central hallway of this public institution extends
the length rather than depth of the facade, thereby
providing access to the stages, reception areas,
offices and studios.
Palladian architecture iS also characterized by
a relationship between the elevation and the sur­rounding
landscape. At Belle Mont the hill is as­cended
between an alley of cedar trees which
frame the porticoed facade. Palladio favored areas
along river banks and upon hill tops as the ideal
rural locations. He commented on this issue in the
Quattro Libri. If it was not possible to build on a
river, he recommended, "elevated and chearful
[sic] places, where the air is, by the continual
blowing of the winds, moved; and the earth, by its
declivity, purged of all ill vapours and moisture."
His theory was realized wherever possible. The
Villa Rotunda, for instance, was situated on top of
a hill taking full advantage of the beautiful views
of the surrounding cultivated fields. Belle Mont
followed Palladian tradition with its elevated site
in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains stretch­ing
down from Tennessee. The adoption of the
French "Belle Mont" (beautiful mountain) was
obviously a reference to the dramatic location and
perhaps also to its Jeffersonian forerunner
Monticello (Italian for little mountain). The ben­efits
of a summer breeze were more likely than
they would have been in the valley below and the
view was panoramic.
Villa Poiana, Poiana Maggiore, ca. 1549-56. Andrea Palladia.
Photograph courtesy of the Centro lnternazionale di Architettura "Andrea Palladia."
Carefully landscaped grounds at the Wynton
M. Blount Cultural Park complement architectural
planning of the Carolyn Blount Theatre, however,
this Post-Modem Palladian villa was not designed
within Alabama's natural topography. British land­scape
architect Russell Page, in conjunction with
Theatre architects Blount and Pittman, created
artificial slopes that merge with its commanding
facade. The flanking pavilions, for instance, are
two-storied at one end and a single story at the
other following the gentle incline of the grounds.
This technique was employed by Jefferson at Pop­lar
Forest (Bedford County, Virginia, 1806-1809) a
"garden villa" conceived as he approached retire­ment.
Reference to Jeffersonian Palladianism is
indicated by the similarity between the avenue of
trees which border this pavilion at Shakespeare
and the treed parf:erre, or bowling green, that
Monticello, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1793-1809. Thomas Jefferson.
Photograph courtesy of the Alderman Library, University of Virginia.
gives spatial and visual defmition to Poplar
Forest's garden pavilion.
Palladia's rural villas have been tailored to
' . suit a variety of individual requirements in Ala-bama
architecture even where the traditional do­mestic
purpose has been transformed. While no
examples of what can be called purely Palladian
architecture have been identified in Alabama, the
selection featured in the exhibition "Palladio in
Alabama" display characteristics that justify use of
this descriptive term. Palladian style architecture is
identified from a variety of historical periods from
Alabama statehood in 1819 to the present and
emerges under various stylistic labels including
Federal-period "Neoclassicism" and 'Jeffersonian
classicism" (ca. 1815-40); the "Greek Re­vival"
(mid 1830s-1860s); the "Italianate"
. tradition (1850s-1880s); "Beaux Am crassi­cism"
(mid-1890s-1920s); the "Colonial
Revival" (ca.1920s, 1950s-60s), and "Post­Modernism"
(ca.1980-present). The con­tinuing
imitation of Palladio by modem
architects and the proliferation of books
on him not only confirm his importance,
past and present, but give impetus to the
belief that Palladio is the most imitated
architect in history. 'i
Louise Joyner is an art historian and freelance
writer. She earned a Master of Art History
Degree from Notre Dame UniVersity. Originally
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Ms. Joyner
now resides in Montgomery.
23 Volume Ill, No. II
Design• Makes A Difference
I.
I
i
) ~
Upper floor plan shows two distinct structures-courthouse building fronting Government St.
(above) and county/city administration building fronting Church St. (below).
Architect's model depicts the design mix of traditional elements of
civic architecture with new structural expression representative of the
city's port, ships and industry.
DesignAiabama 24
{ ,_ l l
.I
by Nick Holmes
The architectural partnership of Henry Goleman,
FAINMario Bolullo, AlA, Houston, Texas, in association with Frederick C.
Woods, AlA, & Associates, Mobile, is scheduled to complete construction docu­ments
this fall for a new, county/city office complex for Mobile. The building de­sign
had previously been selected as the winner from among 195 entries in an
open, national architectural design competition sponsored last year by the
County of Mobile, in collaboration with the City of Mobile. After proceeding suc­cessfully
through earlier review and developmental stages, the design cleared the
final hurdle last spring-approval by the Architectural Review Board, City of Mo­bile.
The study showed clearly that the existing county complex was deterio­rating
and neither met current spatial needs nor provided for future growth. Fur­ther
impetus for a new governmental facility resulted when the city administration
expressed an interest in a joint facility which would serve administrative and of­fice
needs of both the county and the city.
The justification tor a new combined, county/city facility was thus es­tablished,
the process of selecting an architect for the project diverged from the .
norm. The County Commission, led by commissioners Sam Jones, Jim Mason
and Bill Menton, elected to choose the project architect by an open, national de­sign
competition. To organize such a competition, the firm of Holmes and
Holmes, Architects, Mobile, was retained by the County Commission. Subse­quently,
the local firm contracted with Paul D. Spreiregen, FAIA, of Washington,
D.C. to provide additional expertise. Mr. Speiregen, author of the guidelines for
competitions created for the American Institute of Architects (AlA), had previously
served as professional advisor for numerous, national competitions including the
Vietnam Memorial in the nation's capital. Finally, Clifton Lambert, a local planner,
was retained by the County as project coordinator, thus completing the team
charged by the commission with structuring the competition.
The process of orchestrating a national, architectural design competi­tion,
which began in early 1989 and concluded in late 1990, was an involved and
·lengthy one. The effort included establishment of competition guidelines, devel­opment
of a building program which outlined building requirements, publication
of various documents including the competition handbook, and notification of ar­chitects
throughout the country of the competition.
Possibly the most important aspect of the process was the selection of
the jury, thought by many to be essential in attracting the most qualified design
professionals as entrants in tfle competition. Consequently, each of the jurors se-
Building cross section shows the courthouse building set back at
grade on Government St. to provide shelter for spectators at the city's
annualparades. ·
r- -
I
I
lected was .pr~inent in the-design profession, well regarded in the region in · While entrance into~ buiJding.is ~ily identified by the public,.
whi~h he practices and, in-most cases; of national renown.-lnclud8(! :-vere an separate security control is established: at each<entryfoyef afa level appn>prF · ·
AlA Gold Medal recipient, six members of the AlA College of Fellows and an ate for that building. Security levels are rriaintained.and' successfUlly rote-individual
recognized in��this country and abroad for his expertise in the de- grated into the design of the court building by three distinct circulation pat-sign
of judicial facilities. terns; public, private and secure. A similar, but less secure, arrangement ex-
The competition successfully stimulated interest in the architecture ists in the office building.
community nationwide as 1600 requests for information were received by the The many diverse functions of bOth the office and the court build-county.
Ultimately, 800 firms registered for the competition and 195 entries ing are efficiently organized. Those. which require public accessibility are ap-were
submitted for evaluation by the jury. propriately lOcated on the lower floors in each building while executive ac- .
· The actual evalUation occurred during a four-day period early in tivities are arranged· at the ripPer l~ls·: ln ·the-offi~ building, crirre5ponding ·
September of 1990. As a preiude, jury members met with the Mobile County departments of the county and ci~e building design and construction
Commission and toured the city. Next, the jurors convened to restate the cri- offices and engin(lering departments, for exarnpiHdjoin each other and
teria-basically the original design requirements-to be used in their evalu- are located on the ground or seeond level for public 'ease in obtaining ser-ation.
Included were: vices. In the courts building, the ju·ry assembly room and cafeteria are on the
•• •• •• •• •• •• •
•• •
Siting; .
Padestltan Approach and Enllalces;
Exlaltor Spaces;
Architectural Character and Expression;
Appearance;
Vehicular Access;
Interior Public Spaces;
Special Facilities;
SpaUal Program and Functionality;
Office Flexibility, Change, and Adaptability;
Court Functionality;
Executive-Legislative Areas;
Interior Circulation;
General ''Constructlblllty;" and
Cost .
The jurors, after examining each of the entries individually and col­lectively,
narrowed the field to 45 designs and then to 20. Following a final
group evaluation and discussion, the winning entries, and those to receive
honorable mention, were selected. In the judgement of the jury, the entry
awarded first prize-the Goleman/Bolullo,Wood entry-best satisfied the
program criteria and offered the greatest promise in fulfilling the immediate
and future needs of Mobile.
Characterized by conceptual simplicity, the design of the 581,000
square foot complex features a combined county/city office facility along
Church Street and a separate court building along Government Street linked
by a public plaza. In addition to serving as an informal gathering place, the
plaza affords appropriate public access to the combined county/city meeting
chamber in the office building and ramped access to the ceremonial court­room
on the second level of the court building.
Mobile County Design Competition
SEPTEMBER 13,1990
Winners
C. Robert Neal
1ST PRIZE Pamela T. Harwood
Harry A. Goleman Andrew l. Duckett
Mario Bolullo Roberto E. Paredes
Houston, TX William H. Tabberson
Frederick C. Woods J. Ben Wauford
Mobile,AL Atlanta, GA
ground floor, while the ceremonial courtroom and law library are on the sec­ond
level. Each is accessible by both ramps and elevators .
The spatial relationships between the courtrooms, judges' cham­bers,-
jury deliberation suites and prisoner holding facilities in the court
building are reasonable and correct for establishing and maintaining re­quired
security .
The Goleman/Bolullo,Wood design was also deemed appropriate
for its context. The designers created an integrated public circulation system
between the new county/city facility and a proposed parking structure, an ex­isting
hotel, via a small park and an adjacent, existing courtroom complex .
The plaza serves as the hub for both existing and new facilities. Further, the
design integrates the open spaces on three contiguous city blocks into its
concept and creates a solution that is responsive to the symbolic, functional
and programmatic requirements established for the project.
In recommending the Golernan/Bolullo,Wood design to the
County Commission, the jury advised that the design could be subject to
change and refinement as part of the normal design development process.
Since September of 1990, the designers have met with various groups repre­senting
the county, city government and the general public. In each instance,
the design concept was presented and input solicited from the future users.
While some changes have occurred, the design presented to the Architec­tural
Review Board last spring has remained essentially as it was when cho­sen
by the jury.
Shortly, Messrs. Goleman, Bolullo and Woods will complete the
contract documents-the drawings and specifications-for the construc­tion
of the $58 million complex; demolition and site preparation are sched­uled
to begin this fall. Then the final stage of the process begun in 1986 will
commence-the construction of a complex which will adequately represent
and house the government of the County, and of the City of Mobile, well into
the 21st Century. •
J1rars
Josepll Esllerlck, FAIA
San Francisco, CA
Practicing architect, AlA Gold Medal recipient
flarlal C. Fletcher,FAIA
Cambridge, MA
;_.
2ND PRIZE Gregory P. DiPaolo
Marvin Housworth Mark G. Horton
Atlanta, GA San Francisco, CA
Founding partner, The Architect's Collaborative
John F. Hartrar, Jl.fAIA
Chicago, IL
Ground floor plan shows the covered atrium-the "link" between the
two buildings-which creates a multi-functional, urban plaza.
3RD PRIZE BradT. Cloepfil
David C.S. Polk Portland, OR
Linda A. O'Gwynn
Philadelphia, PA Robert Todd Hamilton
Dallas, TX
Honorable Mention
David M. Puretz
Austris J. Vito Is Brian J. Cornelius
Mill Valley, CT Daniel C. Enwright
Gregory J. Kissel
William l. Jordan Cincinnati, OH
Charles R. Alexander
Birmingham, AL William R. Glass
Anthony Catsimatides
John Desmond Daniel Ng
Baton Rouge, lA Pen Perez
Virginia M. Rice
Amy Christie Anderson JYoti Shah
New York, NY Craig Scott
Bernard Tong
E. Pope Bullock Berkeley, CA
Practicing architect, author, teacher
Doaald H.llltes,FAIA
Springfield, OR
Practicing architect, AlA Vice President elect
Rabert B. Marqllls,FAIA
San Francisco, CA
Practicing architect, Chancellor, AlA College of
Fellows
Fral* D. Welcb,FAIA
Dallas, TX
Practicing architect
F. MlchMI Woag,PhD., AlA
Seattle, WA
Practicing architect, judicial facilities consultant
.._..by State
Alabama . (3)
California (11)
Georgia (2)
Louisiana (1)
New York (1)
Ohio (4)
Oregon (1)
Pennsylvania (2)
Texas (3)
Nick Holmes is a practicing architect and partner in the firm of Holmes and
Holmes, Architects, Mobile. Nick is a retiring member of the Board of -
Directors of Design Alabama. •
25 Volume Ill, No. II
Details+of Interest
lleslt!IAiabama 21
Details of Interest
is a regular
feature of
DesignAiabama
and highlights
a wide variety
of events and
resources.
•
AWARDS
TheWright Spirit Awards
The first-ever, 'Wright Spirit
Awards" were presented to three individuals for
their unique contributions to the preservation of the
works of Frank Lloyd Wright at the annual con­ference
of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building
Conservancy in Grand Rapids, Michigan,
earlier this year.
Honored were Mildred Rosenbaum,
owner ofthe Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum
House; Grant Manson, author of "Frank Lloyd
Wrightto 1910: The First Golden Age;" and David
D. Hunting, Sr., Vice Chairman of the Board of
Steel case Inc. The Wright Spirit Awards are spe­cially-
cast bells designed and fabricated by Paoli
Soleri, a former Wright apprentice.
Each of the recipients has been involved
with Wright structures for over 50 years according
to Tom Schmidt, President of the Conservancy.
"Their contributions involved recognizing Wright's
unique genius, helping to further his work and safe­guarding
his architectural heritage."
Mildred Rosenbaum, the original client
and owner of the only Wright structure in Alabama,
has just converted her home to a publicly-acces­sible
property. Her Usonian house in Florence was
a wedding gift from her parents-in-law who lured
their son, Stanley, and his bride from New York
with the promise of a two-acre site and their choice
of an architect. Aaron Green, an architect and.per­sonal
friend of Stanley's, led them to Frank Lloyd
Wright who, in 1939, designed their home-his
second, and arguably finest Usonian.
Careful on-site studies of the construc­tion
of her home, and her later contacts with Wright
who also designed an addition built in 1947-48,
led to an encyclopedic knowledge of Wright's phi­losophy
and doctrines. After her husband's death,
Mildred's interest in Wright was re-stimulated by
Bill Scott, an architectural historian, and her son
Alvin who had studied at Taliesin.
Mildred, an accomplished weaver, re­cently
began to reproduce Wrightian designs on
her long-neglected looms and has also translated
Coon ley-inspired designs to needlepoint. After
many trips to Taliesin and numerous homeowners'
conferences, as well as, years of entertaining
Wrightophiles, she decided to officially open the
house to the public. "Her devotion, conscientious­ness,
knowledge and enthusiasm are," says
Scott," Wright on target." ·
The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Con­servancy
is a national organization formed in 1989
to help preserve and maintain the treasure of build­ings
designed by Wright. Membership in the Con­servancy
is open to the public and currently num­bers
300 representing 35 states and three foreign
countries. For additional information call (708)
848-1141..
·'
Cerebral Greetings
SlaughterHanson Advertising
was recently awarded the coveted Champion
Imagination Award by Champion Interna­tional
Corporation, a national paper company
based in Connecticut. Selected from other na­tional
entries, the agency's Christmas card, en­titled
Cerebral Greetings, was recognized for
its outstanding quality in graphic design, cre­ative
use of Champion paper and superb print��ing
and finishing techniques. Designed by cre­ative
director Terry Slaughter and art director
Paul Marince, the greeting card featured graphic
word puzzles of traditional holiday sayings.+
130N :JaMSUV
Peachtree Competition
Winners Announced
The winners of the Peachtree
· Street/Auburn Avenue Design Competi·
tion were announced at the Annual Meeting of
Central Atlanta Progress (CAP). Nimrod Long
and Associates, lnc.,of Birmingham and
Jack Patrick & Associates, Inc. qf Boston were
selected as first prize winners by a prestigious
seven-member jury of urban design experts.
The two firms will share $28,000 in cash prizes
and, following City Council action, negotiate a
design commission with the City of Atlanta.
City leaders feel that the competition is the first
important step in the redesign and revitalization
of Atlanta's most famous streets.
Nimrod Long's winning design for
Peachtree Street incorporates special pave­ments,
street trees, light standards and banners
to create a continuous pedestrian zone. Other
features include gateways to Midtown and
Downtown, a park decked over the Downtown
Connector, and a realigned West Peachtree
Street that alleviates a dangerous intersection
and doubles the size of Hardy Ivy Park. A pub­lic
arts program is suggested for several parks
and on bridges that traverse the expressways.
Each of the five finalists was instructed
to stay within a first phase budget of $25 million,
focusing on improvements within the public
right-of-way. However, design guidelines and in
some cases specific suggestions for new devel­opments
along the streets are included.
More than 500 firms and individuals
from 35 countries and 35 states registered to en­ter
the competition; 111 entrants vied for the
prizes by submitting concepts in the first stages
of competition. CAP and the City of Atlanta
officials project completion of the first phase im­provements
in time for the 1996 Olympics. +
A <.,Vffo,/
·"- ;.J 11 COUNCIL
ON... Tf·IE 1 L.
Governor's Award Goes To Morris
Governor Guy Hunt, the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the arts community
of Alabama earlier this year honored the 1991 recipients.of the Governor's Arts Awards Prognln at
a formal presentation ceremony and showcase performance at the Davis Theatre and at a reception
held in the Alabama Artists Gallery, Montgomery. Among those honored was Philip A. Morris,
co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Design Alabama.
Morris joined Southern Living Magazine in 1969 as Building Editor and later became Senior
Design Editor. In 1976 he became Executive Editor of Southern Liv!ng Magazine, co?rdinating major
features and directing a staff of 75 editors and photographers covenng a 16-state region. He was re-cently
appointed Editor-At-Large for the Southern Progress Corporation. . . . .
A Loeb Fellow at Harvard's Graduate School of Design, his contnbut1ons to the field of design
have been recognized by the American Institute of Architects and the American Society of Landscape Ar��chitects
both of which have extended honorary memberships. Morris has been a strong advocate and
catalyst 'tor the arts in Alabama and throughout the South for many years. He co-authored Cinderella Sto­ries.
on historic buildings discovered and saved in Birmingham and Designs on Birmingham, a book on
the history of planned neighborhoods and communities in the Birmingham area. +
Auburn/Alabama Students Compete
In Interior Design
The Second Annual Student Design Competition, sponsored by Alabama Power
and the Institute of Business Design (lBO) for the state's two FIDER (Foundation of Interior
Design Education and Research) accredited schools was recently held. Any student enrolled in in­terior
design studies at Auburn or the University of Alabama was eligible to compete.
The students had to develop the interior spacial concept for the Rosedale Pump Station,
loca~ed on the southern slopes of Binningham's Red Mountain. The Rosedale Pump Station is an
architectural landmark because of its brick detailing, large window area and smokestack. The natural set­ting
ofthe 27QO-square-foot building, built in 1910, and its past connection to environmental control
were important considerations in the designing of the interior.
Prior to the March final competitions at the Southern Progress Building, students had the
chance to present their orals to a jury of practicing lBO professionals. The final jurors were David
Kerner (NationaiiBD President-elect), Philip Morris (Southern Progress) and Don
Cosper, AlA (Alabama Power Company Corporate architect).
First place winners were Melora Stewart of Auburn University and John Beason of
the University of Alabama. Each also won $800 in prize money.
The College of Human Environmental Sciences, Clothing, Textiles and Interior
Design at the University of Alabama has announced a European Decorative Arts Study
Tour for May, 1992. Participants will visit major museums, buildings and collections of decorative arts
and important yet less well-known collections in Italy, France and England. The estimated $4,000-per
person cost includes round trip air fare to Europe, two meals per day (continental breakfast and dinner),
entrance fees per the itinerary, and lodging in tourist class hotels with 2-3 occupancy per room.
The course Special Studies in European Decorative Arts is an Interim Term offering
and corresponds to the rules and regulations of Interim. The course can be taken in place of CTD 321
History of Interiors I. Special study can be made on the subjects of furnishings, accessories, textiles, in­teriorJinishes,
interior detailing, and/or the antique market. No prerequisites are required.
Participation is limited to 40 people. The tour is open to university students, faculty, family
members, alumni, and members of the community. Participants must be registered with the University.
Contact Suzanne L. Annentor at 205-348-9051 or Lee W. Rahe at 205-348-6176. +
Mural commissioned by Bender Shipbuilding, Mobile, for the Minister of Transport
Lagos, Nigeria, executed by Dean Mosher, Mobile. '
A gun platform inside the Confederate
ironclad, CSS Tennessee.
Cathedral
Square
Mobile Arts District
Established/Competition
Held
Earlier this year the Mobile City
Council unanimously adopted a resolution es­tablishing
the Cathedral Square Arts Dis·
trict in downtown Mobile. The resolution en­couraged
all citizens to support the Arts District
and urged all city departments to cooperate with
the Downtown Redevelopment Commls·
sion, the Mobile Historic Development
Commission and Main Street Mobile in
implementing the economic, cultural, and his­toric
development initiative. A grant received
from the Alabama State Council on the Arts is
being used to facilitate various projects within
the district including, initially, a logo design
competition, and on June 28, the the district
task force unveiled the award winning design.
Submitted by the Mobile firm, The
Attic, the winning design represents the upper
portion of the Cathedral with the traditional
masks of comedy and tragedy depicted above in
the shape of a full moon. The logo will serve as
the basis for signage identifying the boundaries
of the district. At the top of each dark blue and
white sign is represented the crown which ap­pears
on the altar canopy in the Cathedral.
Sponsors are currently being solicited to defray
the costs of production. Additional funds from
the Arts Council grant will be used for architec­tural
fees for building renovations. +
MISCEUANEOUS
Designs On
Birmingham:
A Landscape History of
A Southern City Ana
Its Suburbs
Co-authored by
Marjorie L. White & Philip A. Morris
"Designs on Binningham" is a
journal that depicts the role of landscape architects
and designers in the shaping of this industrial
Southern city. The authors set out, first, to docu­ment
the landscape history of the area and second,
to create awareness in the general public of the
particular role landscape architects played in de­signing
this environment.
Sponsored by the Binningham His­torical
Society, "Designs on Binningham"
is a work of community efforts. It records the his­tory
of the city- from its birth in isolated railroad
track towns to the present - by researchers and
professionals within the area. Ranging from pri­vate
residential homes to the large-scale city plan,
this journal documents the roles of the landscape
architects involved. Using a wealth of sketches
and color photographs, the Society created docu­mentation
readable and useful for professional
and lay audiences alike. +
Celebrating Mobile's Maritime History
Planning is underway for what may
well be the largest collaboration ever undertaken
by artists and craftsmen from the Mobile Bay
area. According to its originator, illustrator/de­signer
Dean Mosher, the project is to be a per­manent
exhibit celebrating Mobile's unique and
inherent relationship to the bay. The initial phase
will consist of six murals, paired with hands-on
exhibits, designed to chronicle Mobile's maritime
history from the discovery of Mobile Bay by
Alvarez de Pineda in 1519 to the construction of
the Liberty ships by Mo.bile's shipbuilders during
the darkest days of World War II.
One mural in the series will depict
riverboats I i ned up for New Year's Eve, 1830. Mer­chants,
cotton brokers and businessmen were in­vited
aboard to celebrate with food and drink, thus
laying the foundation for the Mardi Gras festivities
of later times. Another mural will record the epic
battle of Mobile Bay, when the C.S.S. Tennessee
attempted almost single-handedly to stop the
mighty Union fleet after it passed the guns of Fort
Morgan. The accompanying, hands-on exhibits
will be a full-scale riverboat pilot house complete
with wheel, gauges and speaking trumpet, and a
gun platform inside the Confederate ironclad.
Proposed for the remaining murals are
interpretations of the landing/settlement by the
brothers Bienville and lberville of the 27-mile bluff
which preceded Mobile's present site, and the ar­rival
of the last shipload of slaves to the United
States aboard the schooner Clotilde in 1859.
Coincidentally, another of Mosher's re­cent
murals has ties to Mobile and to the water.
Commissioned by Bender Shipbuilding, Mo·
bile, the work was installed in the conference
room of a large harbor craft used by the Minister
of Transport, Lagos, Nigeria. The three feet
by nine feet mural, painted in oil on linen canvas,
reflects the rich artistic, social, religious, and topo­graphical
variety and history of Nigeria.
The Mobile maritime murals and ex­hibit,
once installed, will function as the "hub" of a
central feeder system designed to direct visitors to
museums, historical attractions and cultural facili­ties
in the Mobile Bay area. According to Mosher,
the project will require two years to complete and
will cost an estimated $120,000. +
27 Volume Ill, No. II
PUBLIC DESIGN AWARENESS AND EDUCATION
• j. ~ • "'.:_ ' ,, • ' • • • ' ' • ~ ·li .. ~.
• · ARCHITECTURE · • LA,NDscAPE ARC-HITECTURE • ·uRBAN DESIG-N AND PLANNI~G • INTERIOR DESIGN . ... INDusTRIAL DESIGN • GRA.PHIC.DEsi~N • · FASHio~ DESIGN
; ' ..,.., • ~ ~ { ~.. ,. , ' $ ' ~ • - " '
DESIGN ALABAMA IS WORKING TO CREATE AWARENESS AND APPRECIATION FOR THE DESIGN DISCIPLINES THAT INFLUENCE OUR
ENVIRONMENT. WE BELIEVE THAT THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH OF THIS STATE CAN BE ENHANCED THROUGH
ATTENTION TO AND INVESTMENT IN GOOD DESIGN.
Special thanks to all who have supported Design Alabama!
, SPONSORS ..
The Alabama State Council on the Arts
The Blount Foundation
The National Endowment for the Arts
The Alabama Power Company
The Alabama Department of Economic & Community Affairs
CORPORATE MEMBERS .'
Stamtlde
Alabama Council of the American Institute of ��Architects (AlA)
Alex en,
Russell Lands, Inc.
BlnnlnghBIII
Adams Design Associates
Richard Barrow
Birmingham Blue Print Co, Inc.
Birmingham Regional Planning Commission
Brice Building
EBSCO Industries. Magazine Division
Evan Terry Associates, PC
Freeman and Livingston
Mark Gooch
Gresham, Smith & Partners
Grover & Associates
Holcombe & Wood
KPSGroup, Inc.
Lane/Bishop/York/Delahay, Inc.
McKinney & Fridl Architects
Morrison Scheirer/Architects
Nimrod Long & Associates, Inc.
P. Lauren Barrett Architects
Paragon Engineering
R. Meadows & Fowler
Reece, Hoopes & Fincher
Renneker, Tichansky & Associates
Sain Associates ·
Surroundings, Inc.
The Ritchie Organization
Dothan
Slaughter/Hanson & Associates
Huntsrllle
Associate Blue, Inc.
Goodrum Knowles
Mobile
Mrs. Ann Delchamps
Harvey Gandler, Architect
N. H. Holmes Architects
TAG/The Architects Group/Inc.
Montgomery
Ann Little Photography
Balch & Bingham, Attorneys and Counselors
Barganier/McKee/Sims & Associates
Compos-it, Inc.
Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood
Holland Design
Jim Inscoe Agency
J. R. Ortega. Architect
P. H. & J. Architects Inc.
Parsons, Wimble, Brummei, Alkire Architects
Richardson & Associates Architects
Robert Frank McAlpine Architects, Inc.
Seay, Seay & Litchfield
The Montgomery Advertiser and the Journal
Tiller, Butner, & Rosa Architects
Watson Watson Rutland/Architects, Inc.
Wilson, Price, Baranco, Billingsley
t/f1111ka
James H. Johnston, Architect
ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERS
Alabama A & M Univ., Center for Urban & Rural Research
Alabama A & M Univ., Department of Apparel, Merchandising & Design
Alabama A & M Univ., Dept. of Community Planning & Urban Studies
Alabama A & M Univ., Department of Art & Art Education
Alabama A & M Univ., Department of Industrial Technology
Alabama A & M Univ., Department of Plant & Soil Sciences
Alabama Chapter, American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)
Alabama Chapter, American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
Alabama Chapter, Institute of Business Designers (lBO)
Alabama Council, American Institute of Architects (AlA)
Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA)
Alabama Historical Commission
Alabama Highway Department
Alabama Public Library Service
American Advertising Federation/AUM Student Chapter
American Association of University Women/Shoals Branch
Andalusia Chamber of Commerce
Atlanta Chapter, Industrial