Last week we discussed style as a critical unit to study architecture, and how Robert Craig identified four different styles with substantial presence in Atlanta architecture. We began the discussion of Art Deco, and this Tuesday we threaded the similarities and differences between Deco and Yaraab, which Craig termed “a Fox in Sheik’s Clothing” (63).
On Thursday, we are going to move from the seemingly exotic masks and decor of the Islamicate style in Atlanta to a more ubiquitous style: that which Craig reads as the “Modern Classic” and its relationship to the American history episode known as The New Deal. Write a comment in which you choose one of the following buildings analyzed in the fourth chapter of Craig’s volume, and explain the correspondence of that building with the New Deal: Alumni Hall, GA State University; Volunteer State Life Building; Industrial Life and Health Insurance Building; Thompson Boland Lee Shoe Store; Rhodes Center; Olympia Building; Naval Armory, GA Tech; and Techwood Homes (pictured above as well). Deadline for this post is Saturday March 10 at 5pm.
The Techwood homes are prime example of Modern Classic architecture heavily influenced by the new deal in terms of decor and function. These apartments were created as a public housing project to get rid of the slums that existed. The exterior of the building was very minimal, with nothing to look at besides simple brick, and white windows. The function and style of the building parallel each other in that they both provide only what is needed. This new deal project did not allow for anything that was not absolutely necessary, such as basic plumbing, windows, doors, electricity, ect. So while the buildings are not luxurious or seen as artistically impressive, they can be recognized for how practical they are.
Hope was the driving force behind the Modern Classic era of architecture. After the lavish and decedent era of art deco, the depression put a halt to this spirit and the issues of poverty and dereliction became the new American experience in every way, shape, and form. The Naval Armory at Georgia Tech represents a new guard in American history and architectural design. IT is a testament to Americas perseverance in social and economic struggles. Balanced proportions over material embodied this Modern Classic era. The New Deal itself represented a new idea of economic reservation and classic values. This translates itself in this building because of it’s layout and concrete structure. A couple of accents and patterns on its façade, reinforced construction, and practicality embodied this era of architecture. The armory serves as a prime example. Public programs and a new sense of American artistic direction accelerated this Modern Classic era of architecture.
Before the Great Depression, extravagant architecture was being build all over Atlanta. However, during the depression a new style was born, one that is more economic and more basic called the Depression Modern style of architecture. This type of style can be seen with the Volunteer State Life Building which is a federal building that has somewhat simpler styles of architecture because the federal government did not have the money at the time to build an extravagant building. The New Deal was a time when the federal government greatly expanded it’s role in the every day life of the common man by creating new jobs and new federal services. The Volunteer State Life Building was a place where people could go to use their time constructively during the depression and thus the architecture of this building is more simpler and plain because it is a building that’s main purpose is to improve people’s involvement with their community, and not a building that is supposed to be glorified for its beauty.
Alumni Hall of Georgia State University was originally built in 1907 and finished in 1909 to serve as the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium. In 1938, the building was renovated by one of the New Deal Programs called The Works Progress Administration or WPA. This program was created and this project was completed in order to give unemployed people some income and work during the Great Depression. The outside of the building was further renovated in 1943. In 1979, it was sold to Georgia State University and converted into the school’s Alumni Hall. This building has been home to many speeches by famous presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt, several performances, and sports matches. Today, the university has renamed the building as Dahlberg Hall, after a very successful and generous Alumnus.
As we mentioned in class, the New Deal was a plan to restore the US after the Great Depression, but it was also an era. An era looking for hope, reconstruction and a new beginning. These programs were established to build a solid and stable infrastructure in order to run the economy and battle unemployment. The main focus of these buildings was not to be architecturally pleasing but to function properly as soon as possible. The Olympia Building, although it was part of the New Deal, carries with it a style that seemed to be part of this era. Like the KFC we saw in class, this building has the stars inside a circle on the top part of the top floor. It also has some square-designing on top of the windows showing how Art Deco was part of architecture even during the New Deal where style should not be important. After it was restored, a giant Coca Cola sign was put on top. This makes it look as the old diners we see in old movies with neon lights and a big sign on top. It is made of primitive material probably brick/cement which it’s explained because of the era it was built. This building, although it is not architecturally a masterpiece, is an important historic piece for its style despite the struggle of those years and also for its function more than its style.
Practicality characterized the Modern Classic architectural era. The decadence of the 1920s led into the Great Depression period, wherein glamour and extreme ornament subsided into reinforced concrete and simple building materials. This specifically manifests in Georgia State University, and we see a surplus of glass and steel dominating the building. The Great Depression, coinciding with Roosevelt’s New Deal, marked a time of bare necessity due to the social and economics unrest. This is clearly expressed in the Modern Classic style, and likewise in Georgia State University, as there is a dissection from detailed and over-the-top embellishment as the clean, basics resurface. Regarding the New Deal, although the University was established in 1913, the expansion was integrally related to the development of the New Deal.
In the midst of the worst economic decline the world had ever seen, Franklin D. Roosevelt stepped up as President of the United States and put forth his plan to stabilize the market. His plan was a package deal of all sorts of new programs and projects that were meant to boost the economy by forcing the federal budget and giving jobs and money back to the people. There was a theme with all of this too: the U.S. had work to do, but it was ready to be launched into the new age of technology and exploration. This sort of acknowledgement of current problems and work effort is apparent in the architecture at the time. It showed that the working class was making an effort by renovating older buildings and giving them a more modern feel by touching up stone with a lot of steel, concrete, and glass. Georgia Tech’s facilities may not have been renovated during the New Deal era, but the building’s heavy use of glass, concrete, and steel juxtaposed by the old traditional-looking brick buildings give Georgia Tech’s campus a feel of one similar to the buildings being constructed during the New Deal.