Doug-CH-Muse-Retro

Doug-CH-Muse-Retro, a photo by Eric McGrew/Amidst Mod on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
This is the Courthouse in Douglasville Georgia. While this town doesn't have much in the way of Mid-century modern architecture, they do seem to respect and appreciate what they have as part of their history.

I was very happy to see such a small town take an interest in a very cool MCM building, and use it for a community cultural center and museum. However, you can't expect to much from a small southern town. I looked in the windows, and the whole building (other than lobby) had a country decor interior. Doesn't really fit, but... hey, at least the building is safe for now. That's something.

Here are a few more views.

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TWA Terminal by Eero Saarinen, More Than Architecture

From MidCentArc via Flickr

This morning, thanks to Jason Whiton of Spy Vibe, I was reminded of how incredibly beautiful the TWA Terminal by Eero Saarinen* really is. While the terminal has been renowned for decades as a masterpiece of architecture, for Mid-Century Modern enthusiast and others alike, I gained a new perspective of it today.

I've heard and read many times that the terminal was sculpted, and of it being a true work of art. True, all architecture is art, but in comparison to the TWA terminal, most other architecture is just stacked materials. While I had always appreciated the form and flow (that jet age look) of the TWA terminal, it wasn't until my recent post on "Knoll Furniture" that I found the first key that changed how I saw the TWA terminal.

In the "Knoll Furniture"post there is an interesting video about Eero Saarinen's furniture* and design*. In this video, Brian Lutz (author of Knoll Furniture*) states that Florence Knoll told him, speaking about Eero Saarinen:"before anything else, he's [Eero Saarinen] is a sculptor". Truly, that is evident in much of his work, but I think the TWA terminal points that out better than anything else.

Saarinen's* qualities as a sculptor are abundant in the TWA terminal. In the photos on Phaidon's site, you can see many of these qualities very clearly. Some instances that are well known would be the flowing stair cases, the hanging clocks, the seating, reception desk, and the handrails. However, some thing more caught my eye when I was comparing the photos that I had seen before, with those on Phaidon's site. In all that Eero Saarinen* crafted for the terminal, he choose textures and colors that added depth to the dramatic, but smooth lines he drew in 3 dimensional space. Space and depth became divided, not so much by a line, but more by a cast shadow or a subtle change in tone depth. This added a dimension that takes normal 3 dimensional space to its limit. With his final work, he really showed his hand as an artist, as an architect, and...in the words of Florence Knoll, "before anything else, as a sculptor".

Mid-Century Modern Restaurant in Palm Desert

Mid-Century Modern Restaurant in Palm Desert, a photo by Chimay Bleue on Flickr.

Almost any design that has a single shed roof, post and beam construction, and a rock wall is going to be on my favorites list. Then, if you through in some a cool font and some polished metal finishes, well, let's just say it's a sure deal I'm going to feature it.



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