tombarnes

thrills

Ohr Museum Update In a brief review of BidClerk, I spied a listing for a museum renovation/expansion which could only be the ill-fated Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi. As you may recal, the campus designed by Frank Gehry sustained significant damage from Katrina. I will post as I get more information. I also noticed a listing for a museum expansion in Ocean Springs which I assume is the Walter Anderson Museum. Both projects are good news for an area which has had relatively little good news since Katrina.

rubbish

In which building is the new sports lounge? Not the Professional Building on the corner?

Indianapolis? Really? I'm speechless. Perhaps the less said about the architecture of Charlotte-Douglas the better. I don't mind going through CLT, but it's a bland experience.

Wasn't a major hotel supposed to be built where the University Shopping Center once stood? I'd thought it was supposed to go up somewhere around where the old theater used to be. I'm surprised that a major hotel hasn't been built immediately next to the LSU campus. BTW, hello again, I know it's been ages. I'm back again.

A colorized versiuon of a photograph of the old Heidelberg Hotel on Capitol Street in downtown Jackson. Click on image for larger view. Original photo courtesy of the Mississippi State University Divital Archive.

I certainly want a streetcar system built here. I would question, however, the ultimate wisdom of building the first segments where they have chosen to build them. It's all very well and good to build them in Anacostia, but it is essential to build streetcars in other areas as well. I haven't seen much of a comprehensive plan- at least not yet.

You must have been staying at the Marriott! Great shot of the Woolfolk State Office Building too!

Terrific shot of the Standard Life Building (aka Tower Building)!

So now it's a sow with good lighting.....To say that this is a disappointment is an understatement. If this were not being built in such a prominent location, I might not mind so much.

I really have not heard much about her just yet. Of course, Washington is pretty insular, so we don't get as much real news here as we ought to. Tell me more....

Thanks for the links. There really is a surprising amount of activity for an otherwise dead market here.

friends

Hotel America/Sonesta/Summit/Clarion Ok, so it's not the most fetching building in the world and it obviously needs a ton of work. I'd still like to see it saved if only as an example of mid-century modern architecture. The interior would likely have to be reconfigured to meet today's standards. With the Statler/Parkview Hilton having been dispatched in the 1990s, I'd venture that this might be worthy of preservation- at least the shell. Somehow, I doubt there is anything much left inside.

It sounds as though it must have been an interesting program. I think that the model from the late 1970s/early 80s might need tweaking in order to work today. Norfolk's Waterside has already undergone one metamorphosis into a more bar-restaurant orientation than it was originally planned for. Baltimore's Harborplace seems to be doing quite well, but it is also uniquely positioned to snare tourists and their wallets. I think the overall concept of the festival marketplace is still valid, but more thought needs to be given to the stores. People aren't necessarily going to flock to a place filled with stores like "I Cant't Believe It's Yogurt." Or maybe they are. Thoughts?

Dulles Rail Line Construction WILL Begin Soon..... Believe it or not, construction of the rail link to Dulles Airport will vegin in a few weeks. of course, the line will only get to Reston by 2013 and thence to Dulles by about 2015. I'm just glad to see that this badly needed project has finally begun. The Washington Post

bean

Splendid photographs! Keep them coming!

Montgomery County Supports Light Rail Option for Purple Line In an important vote today, the Montgomery County Planning Commission supported the light-rail option for the Purple Line. the alternative to light-rail is a system of rapid buses which might be operated with overhead electric lines. This system, if implemented, would connect Chevy Chase, Siver Spring and Prince George's County. Some controversy has developed over the placement of the light-rail line along a popular walking trail as well as encroachment upon the grounds of a country club. The loss of a walking trail is unfortunate, but it is to the greater good of the community at large. I should think that Governor O'Malley would support the rail option also. The Washington Post

The Circle Restaurant Will Close After Dec. 31 The Circle restaurant, a 1950's landmark restaurant in Posrtsmouth will close its doors after New Year's Eve. I hope the building won't be demolished, but I would have to agree with many of the posters in the Pilot article below that the food at the Circle wasn't particularly special. Indifferent might be the right word to describe the food... It was more important as a sort of relic. For this reason alone (and its Virginia Landmark status), the building shouldn't be destroyed. I'd hate to see it replaced by another faceless chain restaurant. The Virginian-Pilot

Stratocaster

Trinity Episcopal Church, Natchez

dissolute

Inner Harbor, Baltimore