Doraville Spotlight

July 7, 2012

Doraville Mailbox of the Week – Art Meets Geometry 1

by Joseph Geierman • Doraville Spotlight

Mailboxes don’t get enough respect.  Not only are they important tools that  connect us to the wider world, but they are also the first thing visitors see when pulling up to a home from the street.  Mailboxes tell a story about the people who own them – and of course there are a lot of great stories being told all over Doraville.  This post is one in a regular series that looks at mailboxes from all over the city – if you have one that you think should be featured, please leave a comment and I will get in touch with you!

This week’s mailbox is from Doraville’s Tilly Mill neighborhood. Its massive geometric shapes are reminiscent of what one might find in a Salvador Dali sculpture… or a 60s cartoon. Whatever their inspiration, it’s obvious that its owners have an appreciation of the artistic.

July 4, 2012

Northwoods Entrance Sign Dedication – July 14th at 8am 0

by Joseph Geierman • Doraville Spotlight, Midcentury Architecture

Members of the Northwoods Neighborhood sign committee have been pushing for the past year to install new entrance signs leading into our neighborhood.  The first of these is scheduled to be installed at the corner of McClave Drive and Buford Highway. A formal dedication ceremony is scheduled for July 14th at 8am.  We hope you can make it.  

Our alert to the media is below.

 

Media Alert

 

Joseph Geierman
Northwoods Area Neighborhood Association Sign Committee
(678) 664-4183
E-mail: joseph@doraville.org
 

July 3, 2012

New neighborhood entrance signs reflect

 Northwoods’ mid-century heritage

 

DORAVILLE  – For Northwoods, one of the oldest and largest neighborhoods in Doraville, everything old is new again as residents prepare to unveil new signage at the first of four main entrances into the community.  The dedication ceremony for the first sign is planned for July 14 at 8 a.m. at the intersection of Buford Highway and McClave Drive.

 

Construction of the new mid-century inspired signs, designed by Northwoods resident Michael Halbert, was prompted in part by the quiet bedroom community’s nomination to be placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Register.  Once the designation is awarded, the subdivision will share the honor with other Atlanta-area National Register communities such as Inman Park and Avondale Estates.

 

For over half a century, Northwoods  has been credited with being the only “California-style” tract community of ranch homes in Georgia.  The planned community, a novel concept in the 1950s, featured homes designed by Mastin & Summer, two parks, churches, the first shopping center in Doraville, schools designed by Atlanta master architect John Portman, and a professional office building. When completed, it was virtually a village within a city. Located just inside the perimeter, the neighborhood has grown over the years to nearly 1,000 homes.  Eighty-nine percent of them were originally built in the mid-century architectural style in the 1950s, a style whose popularity is resurfacing today as many new homeowners crave the “retro” look for their homes and interior designs.

 

The new signage is but one example of the mid-century inspired renaissance occurring in Northwoods.  Home owners are actively renovating, bringing their homes back to their original look, and even going so far as to install new mailboxes with the clean lines inherent to the mid-century style.

 

All of the new signs were totally funded by Northwoods residents’ donations and construction is being done by Signworks Unlimited. The additional signs will be installed over the coming months.

 

July 2, 2012

50 Years in Doraville’s Oakcliff Neighborhood 5

by Joseph Geierman • Doraville Spotlight, Midcentury Architecture • Tags:

In the middle of last week, I had the great pleasure to meet with Merle Evans, one of the few remaining original owners in Doraville’s Oakcliff neighborhood.  She reached out to me after reading Susan and Ben’s story; and wanted to know if I’d be interested in sharing hers.  Well, how could I say no?!

 

When Merle and her husband were looking for a house, they searched all over Northeast Atlanta.  While they liked the modern homes in Northcrest, they felt they were a little pricey and also liked that the pool in the new Oakcliff subdivision was bigger and nicer than the one in Northcrest!

 

In 1962, the Oakcliff subdivision was just getting started by Tom Cousins (it was one of his earliest developments). He was advertising lots of different styles of the new split-level homes that were becoming popular at the time.  This meant that Merle and her family were some of the first homeowners in the new neighborhood.

 

They bought the house in September, 1962, and it was completed in April of the following year. They selected the lot, and chose the “Diana,” which was one of 5 models offered on Pin Oak Circle. She still  has the original brochure!

 

 

 

It was a nice little plan with a garage and rec-room on the lower levels, and a single upper level with the kitchen, livingroom and bedrooms, along with beautiful hardwood floors.Merle’s husband took many photos during the construction process – you can tell how excited she was to move into her new home!  I have to admit that when I look at these pictures, I feel a little excited myself!

 

Here’s the empty lot her house was built on:

 

 

Here are some photos of the house under construction:

 

 

Once Merle’s family moved in, it was like they were living the 1960s dream.  Merle was nice enough to share a few shots of her family’s daily life from when the neighborhood was still new.  I told her that her kids were spoiled with the wagon and sandbox and big playground set in the backyard. She told me it was a great place to raise kids – with lots of families and good neighborhood schools.

 

 

A lot has changed in Merle’s living room over the past 50 years.  In 1963, the sofas were very modern – you can’t tell in this picture, but they were bright orange!  You can also see the family’s pet turtle (actually, it was a stuffed turtle by Steiff of Germany – it would be a collectors’ item today, but as Merle says, “Wish we still had the ole turtle but I believe the kids wore it out”)!

 

These days, Merle’s living room sports a more traditional, but still very charming style. It’s a great place to sit down with a glass of peach iced tea and chat for a while.

 

This shot shows Merle’s kitchen from 1978 and from today – She has the same cabinetry, but has painted it to freshen things up.  It still looks good after all these years, though.  One detail you can’t really see – she has copper handles on the doors that are really bright and polished looking.  I’ve seen these in a lot of houses in Doraville, and most of the time, they’ve been black.  She said she was able to polish them really well and then cover them with a poly coat.  They looked great.

I did take a few pictures of Merle’s interior as it is today.  I thought her bedroom is really peaceful. She actually painted most of the paintings in her house (Merle is very artistic – she also designs jewelry!). I also like how much green you can see through each of her windows.

 

This is Merle’s office. The shelves along the wall give it a great midcentury vibe.  I also like the globe light.

 

 

I am a sucker for bathrooms, although it’s impossible to get some of these smaller bathrooms into a single shot.  According to Merle, she got to choose this color herself – I think it’s great!

 

I can’t say enough how thrilled I am that Merle decided to share her home with me (and you). She is a special woman who loves her Doraville split-level.  Now that I’ve spent a little time with her in it, I can see why!

Thanks again, Merle!

July 1, 2012

Doraville Mailbox of the Week – Midcentury Modern Fixer Upper 0

by Joseph Geierman • Doraville Spotlight, Midcentury Architecture

Mailboxes don’t get enough respect.  Not only are they important tools that  connect us to the wider world, but they are also the first thing visitors see when pulling up to a home from the street.  Mailboxes tell a story about the people who own them – and of course there are a lot of great stories being told all over Doraville.  This post is one in a regular series that looks at mailboxes from all over the city – if you have one that you think should be featured, please leave a comment and I will get in touch with you!

Today’s mailbox comes from the historic Northwoods neighborhood. While it may be in need of a little TLC, this mailbox has some bona fide midcentury modern credentials.

With a new paint job and some better stenciling, it could really shine.

Even though not in peak condition, this is an awesome mailbox.  Let’s hope it’s restored to its full potential soon!

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