History, evolution of buildings reflect society at the time

Andrea Brunty, The Decatur Daily, Ala.

Sep. 20--"Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness." -- Frank Gehry

hroughout a building's evolution, its purpose may change from its original intent, but that's what makes it interesting, said local architect John Godwin.

"Spaces can be anything you want them to be, and that's what I look for in architecture," Godwin said.

For example, the four families who each lived in the Sherman Street home he grew up in utilized the house in different ways, such as using a dining room as a bedroom.

"I've always felt like you could go inside some of the old houses downtown and not know what to expect," he said.

Architecture will often have to adapt to the current needs of the building, such as the former Carnegie Library.

Completed in 1904 with funds from the Carnegie Foundation, it's one of the few remaining original Carnegie Library buildings out of the 2,509 erected.

After functioning as a library for almost 70 years, Carnegie reincarnated itself into a children's library, a church youth center and finally into its current purpose -- an arts center.

The architectural styles found locally reflect what was happening in society at the time, said Melinda Dunn, historic resources and events coordinator for Decatur.

The progression of the current Princess Theatre Center for the Performing Arts, for example, mirrored the changing eras. Though it was constructed as a livery stable in 1887 for the Casa Grande Hotel, as cars became introduced and entertainment evolved, the stable gave way to a silent film and vaudeville playhouse in 1919.

After undergoing an art deco facelift in 1941, the movie theater announced its presence with a new marquee. After another renovation in 1978, it reopened as the city's performing arts center.

Some historic buildings, however, aren't as fortunate as the Carnegie and the Princess.

When you see an old photo of a building that is now a vacant lot, it provides perspective, which is one reason the city's Historic Preservation Commission has expressed interest in documenting some of the Northwest Decatur buildings.

If people would learn to appreciate the old, then maybe we'll think twice before we say, "Let's tear that old piece of nothing down," Godwin said.

Dunn coordinates the commission, and Godwin and architect Dan Price are board members. They want to preserve the rundown pieces in Northwest before they disappear.

"Once it's gone, it's gone, and you lose the story, you lose the craftsmanship, you lose the infield and the detail," Godwin said. "We need to do all we can to avoid that."

History

"Society needs a good image of itself. That is the job of the architect." -- Walter Gropius

Dunn taps into her vast knowledge of history and historic preservation (which she has a degree in) when she teaches classes and seminars for everyone from fourth-graders to college students to adults. She developed the Preservation through Education curriculum with the help of a grant. (Call 341-4818 for details.) Through a slide presentation, she delves into how buildings reflect the society they're built in.

"I explore why we build the way that we build," she said. "It just doesn't happen because someone says, 'Oh, I like that.' There are technological and cultural reasons behind everything."

The oldest surviving structure in the area is the Dancy-Polk house, which was built in 1829 on Railroad Street. It's a turn-of-the-century throwback to the symmetrical Palladian form of the Federal style, and much of its original wood and plaster remain.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, however, few structures remained in the area, she said, so they must use surrounding towns to visualize what Decatur might have offered.

"We look at Courtland and Mooresville, which have an abundance of styles from the late 19th, early 20th centuries, such as Federal, Greek Revival, Classical," she said.

Other surviving buildings include the 1833 Old State Bank, the 1840s Todd House on Lafayette Street and the McEntire House on Sycamore Street Northwest, built before 1836. Built in 1837, the former Morgan County Courthouse, now the Somerville Courthouse, is the oldest standing original courthouse in the state.

Historic districts

"The house does not frame the view: it projects the beholder into it." -- Harwell Hamilton Harris

Reconstruction began, but homes were different after the Civil War, Dunn said. The shift from an agrarian lifestyle to a more technological one fueled the architecture of the time. Metal and lumber industries thrived. People began to combine architecture styles and produce more detailed work, like the elaborate Victorian woodwork found at the Borton-Chenault house on Jackson Street.

Decatur has the largest concentration of Victorian-era craftsman homes in the state, as well as bungalow and cottage styles. And Southerners love their columns.

"(We) like to add columns to just about anything. It adds that extra touch of class," Dunn said, laughing.

In 1887, investors formed the Decatur Land Improvement and Furnace Co., and a "New Decatur" emerged adjacent to Decatur. Organizers saw the area as ripe for economic growth, with its railway connections and proximity to the Tennessee River.

New York architect Nathan Franklin Barrett pre-planned the neighborhood around a centerpiece -- Delano Park. The development included amenities like a YMCA and a nice hotel, and brochures touted it as the "Chicago of the South."

"It was kind of like BRAC, where you lure people to the area," Dunn said. "It brought a little bit of rivalry and competition (with Old Decatur) to say the least."

New Decatur changed its name to Albany after Albany, N.Y., which was many of the residents' hometown.

Some residents thought the idea of the twin cities of Decatur was silly from the beginning, Dunn said, but the towns didn't merge until 1927. Albany and Decatur residents marched parade-style toward each other's respective downtowns -- Second Avenue and Bank Street -- until they met for a ceremonial burying of the hatchet, she said.

It's the sense of community fostered since that draws people in.

"A lot of these high-end places that you read about like The Ledges in Huntsville ... that's what they're trying to attain, something that we already have here in our historic districts," Godwin said.

People say, "There's something about them I really like," though they often can't put their finger on why, Godwin said.

"I think the planning, the sense of neighborhood, the actual homes that were contained in both of the historic districts creates this architectural community ... it's a palette of design," Godwin said.

The scale, proportion and rhythm of the homes' details play off each other and are pleasing to the eye, as opposed to the disconnect of disproportionate details in some new subdivisions, he said.

"You move into the neighborhood; you don't necessarily move into the house," he said.

Homes

"The word that is best loved in the language of every nation is home, for when a man's home is born out of his heart and developed through his labor and perfected through his sense of beauty, it is the very cornerstone of his life." -- Gustav Stickley

Albany homes include Colonial Revival, California Cottage and Frank Lloyd Wright influences. And residents also brought the popular Dutch Colonial style from New York.

Dunn's favorite home in the district is the Cortner house on Grant Street. The Tudor-esque style includes sandstone with a gabled roof and arched entrance. Built in 1908 by architect Carolyn Cortner Smith, the home features details only a woman would think of, Dunn said.

Dunn said it reminds her of a 20th-century quote: "The busy woman is accustomed to say that her idea of the house of the future is one that can be cleaned with a hose."

Smith was the first registered female architect in the state. She also designed the stone structures in Delano Park in the 1930s.

In the Old Decatur historic district, Fort Nash is always a surprise to people unfamiliar with the area, Dunn said. The art deco International style home on Oak Street was designed in 1939 and features limestone walls with glass brick.

"That home is the only house that I would say is something that can be found in few other places," Price said. "It has preserved some remarkable building style and rich detailing of a period that is appreciated by the artist and the architects, I'm sure."

Mrs. Roy Nash commissioned Edwin Lancaster, then head of Auburn University's architecture department, to design the home for her daughter as a wedding present.

"I can only imagine what the neighbors were saying (when the modern home was built)," Dunn said.

The J.T. Jones home on Ferry Street and the Shadowlawn house on Line Street are hot spots for photographs by visitors during walking tours and students going to prom.

"A lot of people see how important the landscape is and how it sits on the lot," Dunn said. "From a visitor's standpoint, it's very important."

Every home seems to tell a story, including Shadowlawn, which was built in 1880 by Dr. William Gill. He died while treating patients during a yellow fever epidemic in 1888.

"It looks calm from the outside, but the story behind it is so turbulent and tragic," she said.

House on a hill

"No house should ever be on a hill, or on anything. It should be of the hill. Hill and house should live together, each the happier for the other." -- Frank Lloyd Wright

"For me, there's nothing more beautiful than a simple, classic country farmhouse," Dunn said.

She cites the Westview plantation, which was completed in 1841, as a good example.

"You can see it as you're driving through the countryside," she said. "It's a timeless adaptation even today."

Current owner David Burleson, whose great-great-grandfather built the home, describes the Federal style home as "an old house on a hill."

"It's not a fancy home; it never had any ornate details. ... The setting makes it unique more so than the house," he said.

The stately white home is about four miles north of Hartselle and offers a panoramic view for about 35 miles. You can sometimes see the NASA rocket at the Hartselle Welcome Center, Burleson said.

During the War Between the States, a Union Army camped near there and used the cupola atop the home as an observation tower, he said.

The personal family history in the home, passed down from generation to generation, is what resonates with Burleson. His two sons are the sixth generation to live there.

Coming next Sunday: Morgan County churches and schools. In coming months, we'll survey structures in Lawrence and Limestone counties.

See Also:

Story behind the structure is important

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