Newspaper Page Text
8A Midweek Edition-July 7-8, 2021
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
LOCAL
‘A heavy responsibility’
SHANNON CASAS I The Times
The Times building at 345 Green St. in Gainesville, was completed in 1970. Those who designed the building focused on using
natural materials and reflecting a feeling of permanence and modernism.
1970 building designed to provide staff a modern, natural space
BY BEN ANDERSON
banderson@gainesvilletimes.com
Editor’s note: This published in a previ
ous E-Paper edition and is being provided
here for print-only readers.
What stands today as a landmark on
Green Street is a far cry from the build
ing in which The Times began nearly 75
years ago.
On Jan. 26,1947, the paper published
its first edition in the basement of a build
ing that was formerly Ward’s Funeral
Home, located at the corner of Maple
Street and West Washington.
In 1970, The Times moved to what was
described then as a modern megalith
capable of cranking out tens of thousands
of newspapers in no time flat.
The building was dedicated on July
4,1970, and cost about a million dollars,
roughly $7 million in today’s money. The
basement housed a $250,000 offset press
that increased the production capacity
of The Times enormously — from 4,000
papers in a few hours to almost 14,000 in
less than one. The press was expanded in
later years as was the building.
The 1970 dedication ceremony was
held on the old parking deck at the rear
of the building. The next day, The Times
published a dedication edition recalling
its humble origins and remarking on the
significance of its new building.
Above all, the 30,000-square-foot struc
ture was visible proof that “The Times is
here to stay,” the front page reads.
“Starting with a nucleus of aging
equipment leased from the Gainesville
Eagle and adding a rickety old second
hand press, Charles Smithgall launched
into a new career of newspaper publish
ing, which most of his friends considered
sheer folly,” the front page reads. “In
just over 23 years, The Times has pro
gressed from a used flatbed press in the
basement of a former mortuary to an
ultra-modern offset operation located in
a million-dollar facility on North Green
Street.”
There used to sit a six-bedroom house
on the property with towering white col
umns and two sleeping porches, flanked
by a cabin in the backyard, the chimney
of which still stands behind the build
ing. It was owned by the Carter family
and had been around since 1900. Times
founder Charles Smithgall purchased the
property in the late 1960s to make room
for what would soon become the paper’s
new headquarters.
Former Georgia Tech classmates
Garland Reynolds and Jack Bailey were
brought on as the lead architects. Reyn
olds had been the Smithgalls’ newspa
per boy years ago, delivering them their
copy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
— though not always to Lessie Smithgall’s
satisfaction.
“One day I threw the paper behind
the bushes and she let me have it. ‘Don’t
you do that again,”’ Reynolds recalled in
an interview last week with The Times.
Lessie Smithgall died June 25 at age 110.
Years later, Reynolds found himself
charged with a much greater task.
“Designing a building for Green Street
is a heavy responsibility, and we decided
early in the work that we would go about
it in a way which would be sympathetic
to the neighboring structures,” Reynolds
wrote in the 1970 dedication edition.
“The Times is an important part of the
community and we designed the building
to reflect this position.”
The Times building was a monu
mental feat. A dozen contracting
companies assembled from
all over Northeast Geor
gia, bringing with them
hordes of men, tons of
concrete, steel and glass
and all the equipment
needed to transform an earthy
plot into a local media power
house, according to the special
edition.
With zero mortar joints, the build
ing is something of a modern megalith,
made of barren concrete with sharp lines
and few architectural embellishments
or frills. Native materials were used in
every instance possible, and Smithgall,
who Reynolds described as “a man of
great taste who knew what he wanted,”
took it upon himself to acquire the stone
from a Dawson County quarry, according
to the edition.
The result was a building that appears
at once natural and modern — “subtle
but powerful,” as Reynolds put it.
“The architecture, we thought, was
real fitting, kind of fit in with the nearby
mountains and the stonework,” said
Johnny Vardeman, former Times editor
who began working for the paper in 1957.
“Everybody was very proud of the build
ing, and it became somewhat of a land
mark on Green Street.”
“It was a statement that the newspaper
was there to stay and expanding its reach
and improving the quality both in appear
ance and in content,” he said.
Reynolds said he is particularly proud
of the sign out front, which “hovers out
like a flying saucer. ”
The new building also saw the adop
tion of The Times’ mission statement,
enshrined on a plaque out front: “Guided
by the constitutional principle of the pub
lic’s right to know, we dedicate this build
ing to the continued enlightenment and
freedom of the people of North Georgia.”
That mission and its embodiment
formed a point of immense pride for
Lessie Smithgall.
“Every time you talked with Lessie
or met with her, she would mention
that plaque,” said Keith Albertson, who
worked at The Times from 1985 to 2018,
including as editor in his last few years.
“She was just really proud of it.”
In the mid 1990s, as the summer Olym
pics approached, The Times tore down
its parking deck to create space for a
separate newsroom and its growing staff.
Up until then, the news team and adver
tising department shared the main room,
separated by felt-lined metal dividers.
Every so often, Albertson said, some of
the news staff would move the dividers
ever so slightly to give themselves more
space.
The building itself has remained
mostly unchanged since that expan
sion. The press remains on site, a unique
position in recent years as many news
papers have outsourced printing to
ffhr (times
ir mmikm
SHANNON CASAS I The Times
A special edition published July 4, 1970,
marks the dedication of The Times
building at 345 Green St. in Gainesville.
It is the newspaper’s third home since its
founding in 1947.
About this series
As the pace of development
in Gainesville reaches a fever
pitch, The Times is examining
the history of some of the
buildings downtown and nearby
in this weekly series publishing
Tuesdays in The Times’ E-Paper
and Wednesdays in print.
offsite facilities.
Pages are designed using software
and then exported to a direct to plate
system in a room by the press. Plates are
then hung on the press to produce the
newspaper.
Giant rolls of paper and barrels of ink
are also stored on the first floor. There
is also a smaller commercial press and
other machinery used in production.
On the second floor are offices for
advertising, news and other staff. The
exterior stonework lines one side of the
newsroom, where the parking deck once
sat.
The news industry, however, has
changed dramatically in recent years
with increasing focus on digital products
including email newsletters, the newspa
per’s website and app and its E-paper,
which provides pages that appear like a
print edition that can be read on a desk
top, tablet or other device.
“Some things never change,” said
Editor in Chief Shannon Casas, who has
worked in the building since 2006. “The
dedication issue highlights familiar com
plaints about the size of the paper — just
a few pages in its first years — but also a
familiar dedication from the news staff
to its community.
“The Times newsroom is still an
important place for Gainesville and Hall
County and the many journalists who
devote their time and energy inside and
outside of these stone walls to inform the
public.”
Cable barriers
to be installed
on Ga. 365
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
Editor’s note: This published in a previous
E-Paper edition and is being provided here for
print-only readers.
Cable wire barriers intended to prevent vehicle
rollovers will be extended nearly 30 miles in the
median up Ga. 365, including through northeast Hall
County.
The Georgia Department of Transportation
announced the $3.4 million safety improvement
projects last week.
One project calls for extending the barriers north
from Exit 24 on Interstate 985, where it crosses
Jesse Jewell Parkway/Old Cornelia Highway, to
Lula Road/Ga. 52 in Hall, a stretch of 8 miles.
A second one would run 9.7 miles from Ga. 52 to
Duncan Bridge Road/Ga. 384 in Habersham.
A third project calls for continuing the barrier
another 11 miles from Ga. 384 to south of Toccoa
Highway in Habersham, according to GDOT.
The completion date for the projects is April 2022.
No other details about the project, including why
it’s being done, was available.
“Information on schedules, lane closures and
detours will be available in advance of construc
tion activities taking place,” a GDOT press release
states.
GDOT installed the barriers up 1-985 over a
decade ago.
“We’re basically trying to get them inside all
grassy medians across the state,” an agency spokes
woman said at the time. “It’s to prevent crossover
accidents.”
The steel cables may not completely stop a car
going more than 100 miles an hour, she said, but
they’ll slow it down.
They “are life-saving, adaptable traffic devices
ideally suited for use in existing medians to prevent
cross-over crashes, and are one of the most effec
tive safety measures state transportation depart
ments can deploy to protect motorists on today’s
congested highways,” according to the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials’ website.
Man sentenced
to 25 years for
shooting at police
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
Editor’s note: This published in a previous
E-Paper edition and is being provided here for
print-only readers
A Gainesville man convicted
of shooting at a Gainesville
police officer was sentenced
June 28 to 25 years behind bars,
according to court documents.
Daniel Andrew Smith, 38, was
found guilty June 1 on a single
count of aggravated assault
upon a peace officer. The jurors
were allowed to consider lesser
offenses of obstruction of a peace officer and
reckless conduct instead of aggravated assault.
Superior Court Judge C. Andrew Fuller imposed
a sentence of 25 years to serve in confinement.
Gainesville Police were called out around
10:30 p.m. June 25, 2020, to HomeTowne Studios
on Jesse Jewell Parkway for a report of a man
armed with a gun who was drinking.
“Shortly after police made contact with the
man, (Smith) fired a gun at the officer,” accord
ing to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, who was
requested to conduct the investigation, at the time
of Smith’s arrest. “The officer returned fire, and
the man fled on foot around the hotel building.”
Smith was apprehended roughly five minutes
later, according to authorities.
Northeastern Judicial Circuit District Attorney
Lee Darragh said he felt the 25-year sentence
“reflected the very serious nature of firing upon
a police officer.”
“It was a very dangerous situation that could
have resulted in serious injury or death to (the
officer) and even to the defendant himself,” Dar
ragh said in a statement. “The judge’s sentence
reflected that what Smith did cannot be tolerated
in our community.”
Defense attorney Larry Duttweiler did
not return a request for comment regarding
sentencing.
A
Smith
BOATING
■ Continued from 1A
“We will not be identifying those involved
or detailing the extent of injuries due to
HIPAA,” he added.
On Sunday afternoon, one person was
injured in a tubing incident in Hall County
and transported to Northeast Georgia
Medical Center. McKinnon said he has not
received any updates on the incident.
On Sunday night, several people sus
tained minor injuries and one person was
transported to Northside Forsyth Hospital
after two boats collided in Shoal Creek. The
operator of the striking boat was arrested
for BUI, and both boats suffered major
damage.
Other boating incidents included a boat
that capsized in Shoal Creek with five
people aboard, a boat that ran aground in
Chestatee River and a houseboat that struck
another boat and its dock in Orr Creek.
Over the weekend, Gainesville saw eight
BUIs, seven boating incidents and five
injuries.
Statewide, DNR reported two drown-
ings, 28 BUIs, nine boating incidents, eight
injuries and no boating fatalities 2021 July
Fourth weekend. Last year, DNR reported
three drownings, 15 BUIs, two boating inci
dents, one injury and one boating fatality.
LAKESHORE
■ Continued from 1A
the retailer’s 154 stores
nationwide that closed
as part of bankruptcy
proceedings.
And then came one of the
mail’s stoutest challenges —
the pandemic.
“COVID hit us really
hard, with the lockdown and
the restrictions,” Al-Hadidi
said. “We didn’t lose any
staff. We maintained all our
staff — security, housekeep
ing, management.”
Also, the mall was able to
keep most of its tenants, he
said.
Rubi Avalos is one of the
mall’s newest tenants, open
ing Downtown Nutrition, a
healthy drinks and shakes
store.
Her brother and the
store’s co-owner, Junior
Avalos, stumbled upon the
location, as the siblings
had been eyeing a location
across the street.
“Before I was here, I
did not pay attention to the
mall,” Rubi said. “It’s crazy
that, as lonely as (the mall)
may seem, a lot of people
come here. The weekends
are packed.”
She is, of course, hoping to
benefit from the crowds.
“The only thing is we
need a sign out (front), but
we just opened,” Rubi said.
“It’s coming.”
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