What Will New Housing Authority Buildings Look Like?
Decatur Metro | March 3, 2010In an explosion of posts yesterday, InDecatur documented many of the goings-on at Monday’s Decatur City Commission meeting. Among the most interesting photos taken were of the buildings to be built on the site of Allen Wilson Terrace.
We saw one of these renderings back in September, and though an architect working for the firm developing the site stated “the rendering is not the final design”, it looks quite similar to what we saw back then. (Yes Scott, you’re porkchop eaves are still there!)
However, the other rendering, which Dave tells me is the Senior Living Apartments along Commerce called “The Oliver House” (assumedly for Decatur’s Henry Oliver, a local business owner back at the turn of the 20th century, who had is street name taken away from him back in the 1980s, but don’t get me started on that).
Anyway, the Oliver House has quite an interesting style, which I might venture to call “English Manor House Modern”. Check it out.
They look the same to me.
You recall having seen pics of “The Oliver House” before?
No. Oliver House is new. New but not better.
Who actually comprises the Allen Wilson I, LP?
Not clear on that. Also who decides what firm gets to build these apts. Was there a bid process? Am I late to the party? So many questions, so many dots to connect.
Dave’s reporting output yesterday was pretty darned impressive. He took what looked like a lengthy, dull Commission Meeting agenda and W.O.R.K.E.D. I.T.
Love our invaluable local blogs!
I know it’s a longshot, but if the architect who came up with the Housing Authority buildings is reading this blog, I’d like to ask: Are those buildings made of plastic, or stucco?
Actually, on second thought, nevermind. What’s the diff?
They could at least recess the windows a few inches from the facade! As designed, the whole thing looks completely CHEAP to me, the Allen Wilson building in particular. I liked what was there before better! Unimpressed and uninspired…Decatur, we can do better.
I agree with TeeRuss and Jeff — the buildings look like the cheap and ugly cookie-cutter condos thrown up near Turner Field. At least the old project buildings had a kind of quaint 50′s deco look to them. A bit of real brick might help.
do builders ever take the time for good architecture any more?..i wish! perhaps more should visit europe
I think it’s going a little too far to call the old buildings quaint. The worn/quaint ratio was awfully high.
They’ll be trashed within 10 years. They will look terrible and have all sorts of problems related to cheap construction (kinda like the housing on Oakview behind the Solarium). Then we’ll be needing to tear it down yet again and do something else. I think Decatur can do better too… is it a funding problem?
Notice how the site plan for the 4 public housing is pretty much the same as what they replaced? Only with more parking…at least the old site had internal street frontages.
not proven to me yet that this is a better solution than what is existing (at least it seems no different than existing as far as public housing goes). Seems like its replacing an old development model that does not work well and replacing it with a shinier version of the same thing…and the internal parking lot makes it look very suburban in my opinion, not something to be had right downtown.
I give the public housing 5 years before it looks like crud (wonder if its efis)…and 50 before its torn down again for year 2060 crud architecture. I wonder if in the year 2060 we’ll look back at the buildings we are tearing down now and lament.
The building fronting Trinity might be better….
The architectural picture of the trees looks very overstated. How wide are those planting strips, what amount of room is being left for roots. I hope at least feet instead of the standard 2. Because the foot print of the buildings is so different most of older growth trees are being removed. Very little innovation on this project. What legacy is given to the historical significance of this area as part of the old Beacon Hill Community. How are they addressing this being part of an old flood plain of the Peavine and using innovative stormwater management? I really wish the community was more part of this project instead of in being pushed through by DHA which seems to an island to itself.
The pioneering mixed use, mixed income Housing Authority of Savannah redevelopment Sustainable Fellwood has garnered national attention for its commitment to efficiency and the environment, as well as thoughtful design for a livable community. This could have been the Decatur Housing Authority, for more go to http://www.prlog.org/10378748-savannah-ga-sustainable-fellwood-wins-best-of-2009-award-for-green-affordable-housing.html
And they’re better looking IMHO.