This postcard depicts the Lucas Theatre Supply Company in Atlanta, housed in the former Miller-Brady Feed & Sale Stables, designed by G.L. Norrman and completed in 1890.
The following promotional copy is printed on the back:
“PICK THIS UP!” (Things You Should Know)
That we are the South’s largest, oldest and most progressive exclusive Theatre Supply House.
That we have established a National Reputation for quick service, individual attention and courteous treatment.
That we carry a tremendous stock, embracing all make machines as well as the thousands of minor theatre accessories.
That we will appreciate the opportunity and pleasure of serving you.
Published by L.H. Forster of 209 Rhodes Building in Atlanta, the card was postmarked in Atlanta in 1917 and addressed to the Idle Hour Theater in Marion, South Carolina.
Marcel Breuer with Herbert Beckhard. Department of Housing and Urban Development (1968). Washington, D.C.12Looking at the Department of Housing and Urban Development from the northeastLooking at the Department of Housing and Urban Development from the southeastEntrance of the Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentGranite cladding on the northeast corner of the Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentPre-cast concrete and granite on the southeast corner of the Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentEntrance arcade of the Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentWindows on the Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentLooking at the Department of Housing and Urban Developmentfrom the northeastEntrance sign of the Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentColumns on the entrance arcade of the Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentLooking toward the northwest corner of the Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentGranite cladding on the northeast corner of the Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentWindows on the northeast corner of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
References
McCarter, Robert. Breuer. New York: Phaidon Press Limited (2016). ↩︎
Nolan, Martin F. “LBJ Speeds Slum Housing”. The Boston Globe, September 10, 1968, p. 2. ↩︎
W.J.J. Chase. Troup County Courthouse (1939). LaGrange, Georgia.123Facade of the Troup County Courthouse, LaGrange, GeorgiaInscription on the facade of the Troup County Courthouse, LaGrange, GeorgiaClock and etched marble spandrel on the facade of the Troup County Courthouse, LaGrange, GeorgiaLooking at the southwest corner of the Troup County Courthouse, LaGrange, GeorgiaEtched marble on the facade of the Troup County Courthouse, LaGrange, GeorgiaEtched marble spandrel on the Troup County Courthouse, LaGrange, GeorgiaWindows and spandrel on the facade of the Troup County Courthouse, LaGrange, GeorgiaInscription and etched marble ornamentation on the facade of the Troup County Courthouse, LaGrange, GeorgiaGlobe light at the entrance of the Troup County Courthouse, LaGrange, GeorgiaPedestal at the entrance of the Troup County Courthouse, LaGrange, Georgia
References
“Troup County To Build Soon”. The Columbus Enquirer (Columbus, Georgia), April 20, 1938, p. 1. ↩︎
“New Courthouse At LaGrange Completed”. The Columbus Enquirer (Columbus, Georgia), October 18, 1939, p. 2. ↩︎
William M. Kendall of McKim, Mead & White. United States Post Office (1913). New York.
The imposing United States Post Office in New York City was a very late work of McKim, Mead & White—so late that two of the firm’s namesake founders, Charles McKim and Stanford White, had been dead for several years when it was completed in 1913.
By that point, McKim, Mead & White was a well-oiled machine that ran on an army of anonymous architects, but the project is now primarily credited toWilliam M. Kendall.
The gleaming white five-story structure occupies two blocks of prime real estate in Midtown Manhattan and was built to complement its original neighbor, Pennsylvania Station,1 also designed by McKim, Mead & White, and demolished in 1963.
Location of the United States Post Office
The firm’s output in later years was often unremarkable and derivative, but there’s something special about this building, which is chock-full of exquisite materials and elegant details that reveal thoughtful attention to design despite the project’s massive scale.
United States Post Office, New York, circa 1913
Built for a hefty $6 million, the original structure included over 400,000 square feet of floor space and was composed of 165,000 cubic feet of Massachusetts granite, 18,000 tons of steel, 7 million bricks, and 200,000 square feet of glass.2
Most of that glass was used in the giant skylight over the building’s central workroom, which was reportedlythe largest room in the United States when the facility opened.3
Looking at the facade of the United States Post Office, New York
The building’s public-facing interior spaces were elaborately decorated with Tennessee marble on the floors and walls, topped by ornamental plaster ceilings featuring the seals of 10 nations recognized for doing “great things for the advancement of the universal mail service.”4
A Harvard professor reportedly suggested that the architects add the inscription spanning the building’s facade, quoting Herodotus: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”5
The statement originally referred to mail service in ancient Greece, but its inclusion in the building’s design made it an unofficial motto of the U.S. Postal Service.
Inscription and Corinthian capitals on the facade of the United States Post Office, New York
A portion of the building is still used as a post office, but the bulk of the structure now houses the Moynihan Train Hall, which opened in 2021.
The demolition of Penn Station is often cited as the event that launched the historic preservation movement in the United States, and the dark, dank, subterranean maze of low-slung corridors that replaced it is entirely unworthy of one of the world’s great cities.
Although that unnavigable mess still exists, the conversion of the former post office into a modern train hall has restored much-needed prestige to New York’s landscape, and it’s encouraging to see such a fine building put to a worthy new use.
Gallery
Looking at the northeast corner of the United States Post Office, New YorkCornice and Corinthian capital on the facade of the United States Post Office, New YorkInscription on the northeast corner of the United States Post Office, New YorkInscription on the southeast corner of the United States Post Office, New YorkFourth-floor windows, inscription, and Corinthian capitals on the facade of the United States Post Office, New YorkThird-floor window on the facade of the United States Post Office, New YorkLooking at the northeast corner of the United States Post Office, New YorkFourth-floor windows, inscription, and Corinthian capitals on the facade of the United States Post Office, New YorkOrnamental crest on the United States Post Office, New YorkCorinthian capitals and entablature on the facade of the United States Post Office, New YorkOrnamental iron on the facade of the United States Post Office, New YorkFifth-floor windows on the facade of the United States Post Office, New YorkInscription and Corinthian capitals on the facade of the United States Post Office, New YorkNiche on the northeast corner of the United States Post Office, New YorkOrnamental iron spandrels on the facade of the United States Post Office, New YorkColumns and front steps of the United States Post Office, New YorkSoutheast corner of the United States Post Office, New YorkFront steps of the United States Post Office, New York
Bruce & Everett. First Congregational Church (1908). Atlanta.123456South facade of First Congregational Church, AtlantaBelvedere on First Congregational Church, AtlantaWindow on the west facade of First Congregational Church, AtlantaReflection of First Congregational Church, AtlantaDutch gable on the west facade of First Congregational Church, AtlantaRound window and porch gable on the south facade of First Congregational Church, AtlantaPorch on the south facade of First Congregational Church, AtlantaBelvedere on First Congregational Church, AtlantaPorch columns on the south facade of First Congregational Church, AtlantaCross on the west facade of First Congregational Church, AtlantaCornerstone of First Congregational Church, AtlantaTerra cotta ornamentation on the belvedere of First Congregational Church, Atlanta
References
“First Congregational Church, Colored, Will Soon Build a New Structure at a Cost of Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars.” The Atlanta Constitution, June 23, 1907, p. 7. ↩︎
“Contract Is Let For $30,000 Church Here”. The Atlanta Journal, April 16, 1908, p. 3. ↩︎
Ivey & Crook. Bank of Buford (1924). Buford, Georgia.12Southwest elevation of the Bank of BufordSouthwest elevation of the Bank of BufordMain entrance of the Bank of BufordCornice on the Bank of BufordWindows on the southwest elevation of the Bank of BufordGround floor door on the southwest elevation of the Bank of BufordThird floor and cornice on the Bank of BufordFirst-floor window and pilasters on the facade of the Bank of BufordInscription on the Bank of BufordSecond-floor windows on the facade of the Bank of BufordWindows on the southwest elevation of the Bank of BufordPedestal on the southwest corner of the Bank of Buford
This postcard depicts the Printup Hotel in Gadsden, Alabama, designed by G.L. Norrman and completed in 1888.
“This looks fine on paper,” Alex wrote on the front. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
Published by the AH Company, the card was postmarked in St. Louis on November 11, 1907, and addressed to Mr. W.A. Yule in Scotforth, Lancaster, United Kingdom.
Alex wrote on the back:
“Have rec’d quite a number of postals from you, which I am glad to have. Pls accept thanks. Glad to hear you are having such a good time. Alex”
Sayward, Williams & Logan. Emory Presbyterian Church (1949). Druid Hills, Atlanta.1234Windows on the east facade of Emory Presbyterian ChurchWindow on the south facade of Emory Presbyterian ChurchPinnacle on the south facade of Emory Presbyterian ChurchOrnamented window spandrel on the south facade of Emory Presbyterian ChurchLooking through the porch windows of Emory Presbyterian ChurchPorch gable on the east facade of Emory Presbyterian ChurchWindow on the east facade of Emory Presbyterian ChurchOrnamentation over a door on the east elevation of Emory Presbyterian ChurchPorch on the east facade of Emory Presbyterian ChurchInscription over the window on the south facade of Emory Presbyterian ChurchWindow on the south facade of Emory Presbyterian Church
References
“Church Services”. The Atlanta Constitution, October 22, 1949, p. 9. ↩︎
“Church at Emory Gets Own Building”. The Atlanta Journal, October 22, 1949, p. 5. ↩︎
