Monastery at Large

Category: Architecture

Midway School (1957) – DeKalb County, Georgia
John C. Portman, Jr. of Edwards & Portman. Midway Elementary School (1957). Decatur, Georgia.¹ ²

Midway Elementary School in DeKalb County, Georgia, was built in 1957 and designed by John Portman (1924-2017), a decade before he achieved fame for his soaring atrium hotels, of which Atlanta’s Hyatt Regency Hotel (1968)³ ⁴ is the prototype.

Midway School was the first of many school buildings Portman designed in and around Atlanta through the 1980s.

Most still stand, and most are unremarkable—the casual observer would never guess they were from the same firm that produced many of Atlanta’s landmark towers. Look closely, though, and you’ll find they share the same core concept.

Entrance of Midway Elementary School, Decatur, Georgia

Born and raised in Atlanta, Portman made millions off the very Atlanta idea that instead of solving the problems of a dysfunctional city, you could just turn your back on them and pretend they don’t exist.

This idea was fundamental in Portman’s development of Peachtree Center in Downtown Atlanta, consciously designed to present blank, faceless, hostile exteriors to the person on the street, while concealing dramatic, cavernous (and privately controlled) spaces for customers inside.

Portman replicated this concept for San Francisco’s Embarcadero Center, the Westin Bonaventure hotel in Los Angeles, the Renaissance Center in Detroit,⁵ and the New York Marriott Marquis⁶ hotel—among many other large-scale projects— enjoying widespread acclaim from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s as a master of urban renewal.

By the 1980s, however, Portman’s designs had rapidly fallen out of favor as it became apparent that they ultimately destroyed the lives and fabric of the cities he claimed to be saving. Atlanta suffered the worst: its central core remains a depressing void, largely because of Portman’s sprawling concrete fortresses.

Entrance courtyard at Midway Elementary School, Decatur, Georgia

You can see the beginnings of Portman’s inward focus in his early work, like Midway School. The solid brick walls at the front of the building seal off the interior from the outside world—looking in the narrow clerestory windows, you only glimpse the ceiling.

The entrance courtyard spanned by beams is particularly notable, as Portman would repeat this design in later projects like the Dana Fine Arts Center (1965) in nearby Decatur.⁷ ⁸ ⁹

There, he lined the courtyard with brick walls, effectively creating an exterior room. Two years later, the courtyard design evolved into the landmark Hyatt atrium.

Gallery

Looking at Midway Elementary School from the southeast

Looking at the entrance of Midway Elementary School, Decatur, Georgia

Clerestory windows on Midway Elementary School, Decatur, Georgia

Awning at the entrance of Midway Elementary School, Decatur, Georgia

Clerestory windows and entrance of Midway Elementary School, Decatur, Georgia

South elevation of Midway Elementary School, Decatur, Georgia

Brick screen wall on the south elevation of Midway Elementary School, Decatur, Georgia

South elevation of Midway Elementary School, Decatur, Georgia

Brick screen wall on the south elevation of Midway Elementary School, Decatur, Georgia

Peering through the brick screen wall on the south elevation of Midway Elementary School, Decatur, Georgia

North elevation of Midway Elementary School, Decatur, Georgia

References
1. Portman, John C., and Barnett, Jonathan. The Architect As Developer. New York: McGraw-Hill (1976). ↩︎
2. “DeKalb School Design Chosen For Exposition”. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, December 9, 1956, p. 3-E. ↩︎
3. Portman, John C., and Barnett, Jonathan. The Architect As Developer. New York: McGraw-Hill (1976). ↩︎
4. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, June 25, 1967, pp. 1-R-20-R. ↩︎
5. Portman, John C., and Barnett, Jonathan. The Architect As Developer. New York: McGraw-Hill (1976). ↩︎
6. Mortiz, Owen. “Broadway’s newest smash.” Daily News (New York), September 5, 1985, p. 11. ↩︎
7. Portman, John C., and Barnett, Jonathan. The Architect As Developer. New York: McGraw-Hill (1976). ↩︎
8. Crown, John. “Agnes Scott Begins $900,000 Arts Building”. The Atlanta Journal, February 11, 1964, p. 8. ↩︎
9. “Agnes Scott’s New Building”. The Atlanta Constitution, October 14, 1965, p. 56. ↩︎
April 2, 2025
Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion (1991) – Atlanta
Smallwood Reynolds Stewart Stewart & Associates. Atrium of the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion (1991). Midtown, Atlanta.¹ ²

Atlanta’s overall architectural quality is among the worst of any major U.S. city, and you will never find a harsher critic than I of its subpar built environment.

May it never be said, though, that I do not praise the few works in the city that are actually worthy of admiration. Here’s one: the 1991 expansion of the Georgian Terrace Hotel, designed by Smallwood Reynolds Stewart Stewart & Associates of Atlanta.

The 20-story tower was attached to the original 1911 structure—the first of dozens of luxury hotels in the eastern United States designed by W.L. Stoddart of New York,³ ⁴ ⁵ who had deep ties to Atlanta,⁶ ⁷ ⁸ and designed several other buildings in the city, notably the Winecoff Hotel,⁹ ¹⁰ site of the deadliest hotel fire in United States history.

W.L. Stoddart. South facade of the Georgian Terrace Hotel (1911), Atlanta.

Efficient and prolific, Stoddart became a wealthy man from his many projects, although his legacy is all but forgotten today. I would argue that’s because he spent the bulk of his career sacrificing his creative talent—and there is ample evidence that he had actual talent—by lazily repeating the same designs, which became increasingly flavorless and banal.

Compare Stoddart’s Poinsett Hotel in Greenville, South Carolina;¹¹ the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina;¹² or the Hotel Savannah in Savannah, Georgia:¹³ the 3 buildings are nearly identical in appearance and plan.

Thomas Wolfe was scathingly accurate in his assessment of Stoddart’s Battery Park Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina: “It was being stamped out of the same mold, as if by some gigantic biscuit-cutter of hotels that had produced a thousand others like it all over the country.”¹⁴

After decades of neglect, the Georgian Terrace was abandoned in the 1980s and taken over by squatters, further damaged by a series of fires.¹⁵ ¹⁶ Spared from inevitable demolition, the structure was initially renovated into luxury apartments,¹⁷ ¹⁸ ¹⁹ with Smallwood’s soaring glass-and-steel atrium, seen here, ingeniously connecting Stoddart’s hotel building with the modern addition.

Looking at the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion from the west

Considered radical at the time, the design met with some local opposition²⁰ ²¹(isn’t that always the case?), but in the years since, the expanded Georgian Terrace—once again a hotel—has become an integral part of Midtown Atlanta, and is something rare for the city: a beautiful and unique space that preserves history.

Gallery

Looking up at the atrium of the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

Exposed exterior wall of the original Georgian Terrace Hotel in the atrium of the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

Lobby entrance in the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

First-floor lobby in the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

First-floor lobby in the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

Stairwell in the lobby of the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

Ground-floor lobby in the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

Conference center in the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

References
1. Patureau, Alan. “Landmark Gets New Lease On Life”. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, December 9, 1989, p. A-1. ↩︎
2. Patureau, Alan. “A restored Georgian Terrace will shine again in city’s skyline”. The Atlanta Constitution, May 22, 1991, p. D1. ↩︎
3. “$500,000 Hotel On Mims Corner”. The Atlanta Constitution, February 16, 1910, p. 5. ↩︎
4. “New York Architect Is In The City”. The Atlanta Journal, August 13, 1910, p. 3. ↩︎
5. “Atlanta’s New Hotel.” The Atlanta Constitution, October 4, 1911, p. 4. ↩︎
6. “City Notes.” The Atlanta Constitution, March 26, 1892, p. 5. ↩︎
7. “Bird’s-Eye View Of The Cotton States And International Exposition – Atlanta, Georgia, V.S.A.”, The Atlanta Constitution, November 4, 1894, p. 14. ↩︎
8. “Miss Elizabeth Powell To Wed Mr. W.L. Stoddard”. The Atlanta Journal, February 19, 1898, p. 7. ↩︎
9. “Peachtree Hotel To Cost $500,000”. The Atlanta Constitution, June 26, 1912, p. 3. ↩︎
10. “15-Story Hotel To Grace Peachtree; Will Cost $600,000”. The Atlanta Journal, October 20, 1912, p. 1. ↩︎
11. “Cleveland Firm To Get It At $925,000 And Structure Will Soon Be Fine Reality”. The Greenville News (Greenville, South Carolina), May 30, 1924, p. 2. ↩︎
12. “Twelve-Story Structure For City Is Planned”. The Greenville News (Greenville, South Carolina), August 3, 1922, p. 1. ↩︎
13. The Architectural Review, Volume 2, Part 1 (January 1913), p. 136. ↩︎
14. Wolfe, Thomas. You Can’t Go Home Again. New York: Scribner (2011), p. 97. ↩︎
15. Cordell, Actor. “Georgian Terrace, Imperial: old landmarks, new breed of ‘guests’”. The Atlanta Journal–Constitution, September 3, 1987, Intown Extra, p. 10D. ↩︎
16. White, Gayle. “Georgian Terrace Hotel Is Damaged by Fire”. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, October 26, 1988, p. 5C. ↩︎
17. Patureau, Alan. “A restored Georgian Terrace will shine again in city’s skyline”. The Atlanta Constitution, May 22, 1991, p. D1. ↩︎
18. Cordell, Actor. “Georgian Terrace, in new clothes, makes bow”. The Atlanta Constitution, October 17, 1991, Intown Extra, p. D7. ↩︎
19. Royston, Deborah. “Grand Comeback”. The Atlanta Journal, October 17, 1991, p. E1. ↩︎
20. Fox, Catherine. “The Art of Adding On”. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, June 24, 1990, p. E-1. ↩︎
21. Fox, Catherine. “With Preservation Ordinance in place, it’s a whole new ballgame for UDC”. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, June 24, 1990, p. N-2. ↩︎
March 31, 2025
Introduction to G.L. Norrman
“The soul inspires art, and then art transforms and elevates matter to the ideal height of heavenly beauty.” – G.L. Norrman¹

G.L. Norrman. Windsor Hotel (1892). Americus, Georgia.

Gottfried Leonard Norrman (1848-1909)—known professionally as G.L. Norrman—was a leading architect of Atlanta and the Southeastern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and unquestionably the finest Southern designer of his era.

Born in Voxtorp, Sweden, in 1848, Norrman (pictured here²) emigrated to the United States in 1874 and first established his practice in the Upcountry of South Carolina, starting in Greenville in 1876 before moving to Spartanburg in 1878, where he became a U.S. citizen.

In May 1881, Norrman moved his business to Atlanta and was based there for the remainder of his life. A prominent and controversial fixture of the city’s social scene, Norrman shocked Atlantans and spurred national headlines when he died by suicide in November 1909 at the age of 61.

In his 33-year career, Norrman completed over 300 buildings across 5 Southeastern states—Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, and Alabama—with the bulk of his work consisting of grand public structures and elegant residences in Atlanta, most of which were demolished in the 20th century.

He also worked extensively in small towns across the region, as well as in cities such as Savannah, Georgia; Jacksonville, Florida; and Charleston, South Carolina.

Norrman closely followed the work of prominent Northern architects such as H.H. Richardson, McKim, Mead & White, and Louis Sullivan, and worked in step with the era’s emerging design trends, introducing the Colonial Revival and Classical Revival styles to the Southeast, among other notable contributions.

Pictured here: G.L. Norrman. Citizens Bank (1896). Savannah, Georgia.

I was introduced to Norrman’s work as a child growing up in Americus, Georgia, where 7 of his works remain, including the landmark Windsor Hotel (1892, pictured above), which I consider his masterwork.

Seamlessly blending the Romanesque style with Moorish, Queen Anne, and Palladian elements, the Windsor is the finest example of Norrman’s skillful ability to create eclectic designs that were striking, harmonious, and awe-inspiring.

Of the more than 400 projects designed by Norrman, at least 64 still exist in some form; I have mapped and listed them below.

Extant Works by G.L. Norrman

Projects listed by date of construction.

G.L. Norrman. Edward C. Peters Residence, “Ivy Hall” (1883). Atlanta.
1. Springwood Cemetery, designed in 1876 – Greenville, South Carolina [Map]
2. Charles Lanneau Residence, completed 1877 – 417 Belmont Avenue, Greenville, South Carolina [Map]
3. William T. Wilkins Residence(attributed), completed 1878 – 105 Mills Avenue, Greenville, South Carolina [Map] [Related Videos: An inside look at the Wilkins House, Tour historic mansion in its new spot]
4. Block of 2 storerooms (attributed, altered), completed 1879 – 101 East Main Street, Spartanburg, South Carolina [Map]
5. Newberry Hotel, completed 1880 – 1200 Main Street, Newberry, South Carolina [Map]
6. City Hall and Opera House, completed 1882 – 1201 McKibben Street, Newberry, South Carolina [Map] [Related Video: O is for Opera House]
7. Stone Hall, completed 1882 – Morris Brown College, Atlanta University Center [Map]
8. Edward C. Peters Residence, “Ivy Hall”, completed 1883 – 179 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE, Midtown, Atlanta [Map] [Video: Visit Ivy Hall with Paula Wallace]
9. Christ Church, built 1886 – 305 East Central Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia [Map]
10. All Saints Church (altered), built 1886 – 530 Greenwood Street, Barnesville, Georgia [Map]
G.L. Norrman. W.W. Duncan Residence (1886). Spartanburg, South Carolina.
1. W.W. Duncan Residence, completed 1886 – 300 Howard Street, Spartanburg, South Carolina [Map]
2. George A. Noble Residence, completed 1887 – 1025 Fairmont Avenue, Anniston, Alabama [Map]
3. Printup Hotel (altered), completed 1888 – 135 North 4th Street, Gadsden, Alabama [Map]
4. Armstrong Hotel, ground floor facade (altered), building completed 1888 and demolished 1932, ground floor facade incorporated into replacement building – 90 East 2nd Avenue, Rome, Georgia [Map]
5. Samuel McGowan Residence, completed 1889 – 211 North Main Street, Abbeville, South Carolina [Map]
6. Ervin Maxwell Residence, “Fort View”, completed 1889 – 134 McDonald Street SW, Marietta, Georgia [Map]
G.L. Norrman. T.W. Latham Residence (1889). Inman Park, Atlanta.
1. Thomas W. Latham Residence, completed 1889 – 804 Edgewood Avenue NE, Inman Park, Atlanta [Map]
2. Atlanta and Edgewood Street Railroad Shed (attributed), completed 1889 – 963 Edgewood Avenue NE, Inman Park, Atlanta [Map]
3. 125 Edgewood Avenue (attributed), completed 1889 – Downtown, Atlanta [Map]
4. W.L. Glessner Residence (attributed), completed 1890 – 1202 South Lee Street, Americus, Georgia [Map]
5. E. A. Hawkins Residence, completed 1890 – 406 East Church Street, Americus, Georgia [Map]
6. Home for East Atlanta Land Company, completed 1890 – 897 Edgewood Avenue NE, Inman Park, Atlanta [Map]
7. Home for East Atlanta Land Company, completed 1890 – 882 Euclid Avenue NE, Inman Park, Atlanta [Map]
8. Standard Wagon Company Building (attributed), completed 1891 – 58 Walton Street NW, Fairlie-Poplar, Atlanta [Map]
9. M. B. Council Residence (attributed), completed 1891 – 602 Rees Park, Americus, Georgia [Map]
10. City Hall and Fire Station, completed 1891 – 109 North Lee Street, Americus, Georgia [Map]
G.L. Norrman. Henry Street School (1892). Savannah, Georgia.
1. Henry Street School, completed 1892 – 115 West Henry Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map]
2. W. P. Carrington Residence, completed 1892 – 2 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina [Map] [Related Video: Two Meeting Street Inn]
3. Windsor Hotel, completed 1892 – 125 West Lamar Street, Americus, Georgia [Map]
4. College Inn (altered), completed 1892 – 2 Epworth Dorm Lane, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina [Map]
5. Edgewood Avenue Grammar School, completed 1892 – 729 Edgewood Avenue NE, Inman Park, Atlanta [Map]
6. John W. Wheatley Residence, expansion and renovation (attributed) of home built circa 1860, completed 1892 – 128 Georgia Highway 49 North, Americus, Georgia [Map]
7. John T. Taylor Residence(attributed), completed 1892 – 603 South Lee Street, Americus, Georgia [Map]
8. George W. Williams Residence, Jr. expansion and renovation(attributed) of home built circa 1770, completed 1892 – 15 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina [Map]
9. Fannie Lou Cozart Residence renovation and expansion of home built circa 1825, completed 1893 – 211 East Court Street, Washington, Georgia [Map]
G.L. Norrman. J.C. Simonds Residence (1893). Charleston, South Carolina.
1. J.C. Simonds Residence, renovation and expansion of home originally built in 1856, completed 1893 – 29 East Battery Street, Charleston, South Carolina [Map] [Related Video:29 E Battery Porcher-Simons house Charleston]
2. R.O. Barksdale Residence, completed 1893 – 33 Lexington Avenue, Washington, Georgia [Map]
3. C. D. Hurt Residence (attributed), completed 1893 – 36 Delta Place, Inman Park, Atlanta [Map]
4. Sixteenth Street School, completed 1893 – 1532 3rd Avenue, Columbus, Georgia [Map]
5. W.B. Chisolm Residence, expansion and renovation(attributed) of home built circa 1816, renovation circa 1893 – 68 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina [Map]
6. T.P. Ivy Residence, completed 1895 – 785 Piedmont Avenue NE, Midtown, Atlanta [Map]
7. Citizens Bank, completed 1895 – 15 Drayton Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map]
8. Wellhouse and Son Building, completed 1896 – 263 Decatur Street SE, Downtown, Atlanta [Map]
9. Milton Dargan Residence, completed 1897 – 767 Piedmont Avenue NE, Midtown, Atlanta [Map]
10. W.L. Reynolds Residence, completed 1897 – 761 Piedmont Avenue NE, Midtown, Atlanta [Map]
G.L. Norrman (attributed). Cleveland Law Range (1899). Spartanburg, South Carolina.
1. Cleveland Law Range(attributed), completed 1899 – 175 Magnolia Street, Spartanburg, South Carolina [Map]
2. Anderson Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, completed 1899 – 312 Sycamore Street, Decatur, Georgia [Map]
3. Henry D. Stevens Residence, renovation and expansion of home built 1866, completed 1899 – 303 East Gaston Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map]
4. Arthur B.M. Gibbes Residence, completed 1900 – 105 East 37th Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map]
5. 38th Street School, completed 1901 – 315 West 38th Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map]
G.L. Norrman. Candler Hall (1902). University of Georgia, Athens.
1. Candler Hall, completed 1902 – University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia [Map]
2. Denmark Hall, completed 1902 – University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia [Map]
3. Bisbee Building, completed 1902 – 57 West Bay Street, Jacksonville, Florida [Map]
4. Eureka Hotel, completed 1902–03 – 104 East Pickens Street, Abbeville, South Carolina [Map] [Related Video: Belmont Inn]
5. Lawrence McNeil Residence, completed 1904 – 513 Whitaker Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map] [Related Video: Savannah, GA, Colonial Mansion Tour]
6. C.W. Dupre Residence(attributed), completed 1904 – 393 Cherokee Street NE, Marietta, Georgia [Map]
7. First Baptist Church, completed 1905-16 – 305 South Perry Street, Montgomery, Alabama [Map]
8. Barnard Street School, completed 1906 – 212 West Taylor Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map]
9. E. W. McCerren Apartments, “The Chester”, completed 1907 – 223 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE; Midtown, Atlanta [Map]
10. Piedmont Driving Club renovation and expansion(altered), originally designed by Norrman in 1887, built from a home constructed in 1868; partially destroyed by fire on January 11, 1906; rebuilt and expanded to Norrman’s design from 1906-07 – 1215 Piedmont Avenue NE, Atlanta [Map]
G.L. Norrman. Palmer Apartments (1908). Midtown, Atlanta.
1. Palmer Apartments, completed 1908 – 81 Peachtree Place NE, Midtown, Atlanta [Map]
2. E.S. Ehney Residence, completed 1908 – 223 15th Street NE, Ansley Park, Atlanta [Map]
3. Ella B. Wofford Residence, completed 1909 – 571 East Main Street, Spartanburg, South Carolina [Map]
4. Central Methodist Church, transepts and renovation, completed 1910 by Hentz & Reid – 233 North Church Street, Spartanburg, South Carolina [Map]
See also: Projects by G.L. Norrman – The Complete List

References
1. “The Sketch Club!” The Atlanta Journal, January 11, 1892, p. 3. ↩︎
2. Photo credit: City of Atlanta: A Descriptive, Historical and Industrial Review of the Gateway City of the South, p. 107. ↩︎
March 30, 2025
Guild House (1963) – Philadelphia
Venturi and Rauch. Guild House (1963). Philadelphia.¹

If you want to see bad architecture, go to Atlanta; if you want to see good architecture, go to New York. If you want to see interesting architecture, visit Philly.

Philadelphia has a long history of architects whose work is weird and idiosyncratic — the kind of projects that make you cock your head and go “huh.” Designers like Frank Furness, Wilson Eyre, Jr., Malcolm Wells, and—most famously—Louis Kahn, all developed approaches to architecture that were brash, distinctive, and groundbreaking.

Not to be overlooked is the husband-and-wife architectural team of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, whose Philadelphia-based firm pioneered what is now known as postmodern architecture.

Pictured here is Guild House in Philadelphia’s Poplar neighborhood, which I visited last June. Completed in 1963, it’s Robert Venturi’s most important early work, designed with 91 apartments for low-income senior citizens.

As the duo shared in their seminal 1966 manifesto, Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, Guild House was consciously modeled, in part, on the vernacular architecture of Philadelphia’s ubiquitous rowhouses.

At first glance, the building’s appearance is unremarkable—and that’s entirely the point. The flat facade, covered in common brick, blends seamlessly with the banal industrial buildings surrounding the facility.

On closer observation, however, the structure’s bold massing and irregularly sized square windows form a provocative composition. The central opening with 8 partitioned balconies, topped by a giant arched window, resembles a shelf for knick-knacks—striking yet oddly familiar and cozy.

The project was a conscious celebration of the commonplace, meticulously planned using plain, low-cost materials, right down to the chain-link fence that surrounds the building.

At the roots of the postmodern ethos was the egalitarian belief that art and architecture belonged to ordinary people, not just a self-anointed elite. Ironically—and inevitably—the movement was co-opted and corrupted by starchitects and corporate designers until it was thoroughly dismantled and destroyed.

Alas, this is the world we have created.

References
1. Venturi, Robert. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1966. ↩︎
March 29, 2025