Monastery at Large

From the Notebook

  • Relic Signs: Shangri-La Motel (1950) – New Smyrna Beach, Florida

    Shangri-La Motel. 805 North Dixie Freeway, New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
    Shangri-La Motel (1950). 805 N. Dixie Freeway, New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

    I drove down U.S. 1 one morning to see old motel signs.

    That’s when I found Shangri-La.

    Judging from an old postcard of the Shangri-La Motel (pictured below), it was probably a reasonable slice of paradise in its time. And now? Well…

    Originally owned and managed by Mr. & Mrs. Carroll A. Maul,1 the motel advertised:

    “Modern duplex cottages. New city court. Automatic vented heat. Carpeted floors. Airfoam beds. Connecting rooms. City water. Tile baths. Maid service.”

    Postcard view of the Shangri-La Motel (1950), New Smyrna Beach, Florida
    Shangri-La Motel (1950). New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Photograph from an undated postcard published by Willens & Co. of Chicago.

    The motel opened in 1950,2 and the sign pictured at the top likely debuted then as well.

    It appears to be the same one visible on the far left of the postcard, although it was awkwardly placed on the office roof at some point, probably when the nearby highway was widened.

    “They sure don’t make signs like that anymore,” says the voice of some old man in my head.

    References

    1. “New Smyrna Beach”. Daytona Beach Morning Herald (Daytona Beach, Florida), June 21, 1950, p. 5. ↩︎
    2. ibid. ↩︎

  • Walter Clinton Jackson Library Addition (1973) – Greensboro, North Carolina

    Odell Associates, Inc. Walter Clinton Jackson Library Addition (1973), University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Greensboro, North Carolina.
    Odell Associates, Inc. Walter Clinton Jackson Library Addition (1973), University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Greensboro, North Carolina.1 2 3
    Concrete panels on the Walton Clinton Jackson Library Addition, Greensboro, North Carolina
    Concrete panels on the Walton Clinton Jackson Library Addition, Greensboro, North Carolina
    East elevation of Walter Clinton Jackson Library Addition behind the original building
    East elevation of Walter Clinton Jackson Library Addition behind the original building

    References

    1. “UNC-G Library Bid Meeting Set”. Greensboro Daily News (Greensboro, North Carolina), November 19, 1971, p. A19. ↩︎
    2. Davis, Wilson. “UNC-G ‘Tower Of Books’”, The Greensboro Record (Greensboro, North Carolina), December 5, 1971, p. D1. ↩︎
    3. Davis, Wilson. “How Do You Move Half Million Books?” The Greensboro Record (Greensboro, North Carolina), November 8, 1973, p. C1. ↩︎

  • Postcards from the South: The Piedmont Hotel Main Dining Room – Atlanta

    Postcard view of Main Dining Room in Piedmont Hotel (1903), Atlanta

    This postcard depicts the Main Dining Room of the Piedmont Hotel in Atlanta, designed by Willis F. Denny and completed in 1903.

    Ruth Ehrlich wrote on the front: ‘In the excitement of leaving the other night, I forgot to “drop” you this postal. Hoping that you will pardon my delay. I am with love to you and yours sincerely.’

    Oddly, the card is unaddressed and contains no postmark. Guess she forgot to “drop” it again.

  • Second Bank of the United States (1824) – Philadelphia

    William Strickland. Second Bank of the United States (1824). Philadelphia.
    William Strickland. Second Bank of the United States (1824). Philadelphia.1 2 3
    Columns, architrave, frieze, cornice, and entablature on the north facade of the Second Bank of the United States, Philadelphia
    Columns, architrave, frieze, cornice, and entablature on the north facade of the Second Bank of the United States, Philadelphia
    Capital, architrave, frieze, and triglyphs on the Second Bank of the United States, Philadelphia
    Capital, architrave, frieze, and triglyphs on the Second Bank of the United States, Philadelphia
    Looking at the columns of the Second Bank of the United States from the east
    Looking at the columns of the Second Bank of the United States from the east

    References

    1. Second Bank of the United States – Independence National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) ↩︎
    2. “Bank of the United States.” York Recorder (York, Pennsylvania), April 27, 1819, p. 2. ↩︎
    3. “Communication.” The National Gazette (Philadelphia), April 30, 1821, p. 2. ↩︎

  • Postcards from the South: Mitchell Street – Atlanta

    Postcard view of Mitchell Street, Atlanta

    This postcard depicts a scene on Atlanta’s Mitchell Street, looking east toward Forsyth Street.

    The card was postmarked in Atlanta on October 13, 1910, and addressed to Miss Edmonia March in Taylorsville, Virginia.

    The following note was written on the back:

    “Atlanta Ga
    10/13/10

    I have been promoted to one of the longest run in the South running from Wash DC to Atlanta only 706 mile. I’m on the road 24 hours. I get my lay off in Wash

    Write me
    612 – 6th – N.E. St. Wash

    Sincerely [?]”

  • Dickerson Residence (1960) – Sarasota, Florida

    Tim Seibert. Dickerson Residence (1960). Sarasota, Florida.1

    References

    1. Dickerson Residence | Sarasota History Alive! ↩︎

  • Piedmont Natives: Daisy fleabane

    Fleabane (Erigeron annuus)
    Daisy fleabane (Erigeron annuus)

    Some people would consider Daisy fleabane a weed, since it tends to pop up uninvited in unexpected places.

    But I’m a big defender of many so-called weeds, including fleabane, which is a member of the aster family and a favorite of native bees and small insects. It’s tough, easy to grow, and I think its dainty white-and-yellow flowers are pretty.

    It’s a better sight on the summer landscape than some tropical plant that subsists on hose water and chemicals.

  • Ten Peachtree Place (1991) – Atlanta

    Michael Graves. Ten Peachtree Place (1989). Midtown, Atlanta.
    Michael Graves. Ten Peachtree Place (1989). Midtown, Atlanta.1 2
    Looking at the facade of Ten Peachtree Place from the south
    Looking at the facade of Ten Peachtree Place from the south
    Facade of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    Facade of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    Balcony on the facade of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    Balcony on the facade of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    Windows and granite panels on Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    Windows and granite panels on Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    Looking up at the facade of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    Looking up at the facade of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    Balcony on the east elevation of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    Balcony on the east elevation of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    East elevation of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    East elevation of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    Street-level entrance on the north elevation of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    Street-level entrance on the north elevation of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    East elevation of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    East elevation of Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    Looking at Ten Peachtree Place from the east
    Looking at Ten Peachtree Place from the east
    Street-level arcade at Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta
    Street-level arcade at Ten Peachtree Place, Atlanta

    References

    1. Salter, Sallye. “First Gateway tower planned”. The Atlanta Journal, January 27, 1988, p. 12A. ↩︎
    2. “Gateway Atlanta: A Billion-Dollar Development for Midtown”. The Atlanta Journal, February 12, 1989, The Business Edition, p. 4. ↩︎

  • Saturn’s Child

    Judaculla Rock, North Carolina

    Everyone thinks Jupiter is so great, and yeah, he’s full of generosity, but he can be kinda blustery, too. He certainly makes a big deal out of things, but sometimes it’s just hot air.

    Venus is pleasant, I guess, but that’s about all I can say of her—In truth, I find her a little weak.

    The Sun is bright and independent, and I enjoy his company immensely. As he told me years ago, though, “We come when we like.” No use chasing after royalty.

    The Moon and I are practically inseparable, although I hesitate to admit it: Up and down I go with her like the tides, passing through a different phase every night—or each hour, more like it.

    Neptune is too weird and aloof for me to fathom: He’s just there, drifting along in the ether.

    Mercury is my good friend: Quick, sharp, and incisive. Uranus, on the other hand, knocks me out in a single jolt, but always keeps things spicy.

    Pluto is my homeboy: dark, stealthy, forever destroying and evolving. I just let him do his thing.

    Mars and I are tight: I like his unique and feisty spirit, and he’s always had my back.

    Saturn is the one that gets the most undeserved hate. Why so many fear him is beyond me.

    He’s strict but kind, relenting but never destructive. He demands good work and wants it delivered, but he’s not a perfectionist either.

    If you’re lazy, I suppose, you won’t get very far with him, but if you put in the work, he’ll revel with you in your accomplishment.

    Each of them I admire in different ways, but let it be known that this man will forever be Saturn’s child.

    Judaculla Rock, North Carolina

  • Semiquincentennial

    Robert Mills. Washington Monument (1885). Washington, D.C.
    Robert Mills. Washington Monument (1885). Washington, D.C.1 2

    History may well remember it as the most arrogant and self-absorbed nation on earth—

    A swarm of infantile ogres, decadent to the core and devoid of conscience or character,

    Who pillaged and raped the land and murdered its inhabitants in their lust for wealth, power, and other illusions of their own manufacture.

    Gasping for breath beneath piles of meaningless shit, they proclaimed their superiority,

    Slathered like corn syrup with an insufferable self-righteousness that they convinced themselves was the very essence of God.

    In fact, they knew nothing of the Divine and, in due course, revealed themselves to be the very demons they screamed so loudly of

    Wagging their fingers at the world like toddlers on a playground, unaware that no one was listening to them.

    Having grown lazy from cheap comfort and easy hate, their addictions rendered them dull, passive, and disengaged.

    And when hardship finally came to them—as it does to all people—they were caught unaware, then collapsed under the weight of their own stupidity.

    No longer did the world believe their lies or indulge them in their childish fantasies:

    They were left to deal with their darkness, alone—

    Forced by their own poor choices to evolve or wither, as so many have before them.

    They may be nothing but a blip.

    References

    1. “The Story of the Shaft.” The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), February 21, 1885, p. 2. ↩︎
    2. Bryan, John M. Robert Mills: America’s First Architect. New York: Princeton Architectural Press (2001). ↩︎