About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 2011)
WHAT’S UP IN NEW DEVELOPMENT Film Rising: "The county's at the center of the state. The town's at the center of the county. The courthouse is at the center of the town. The weathervane is at the center of it all." This is the chorus of the art-documentary General Orders No. 9. which I had the good fortune to catch at Cine two weekends ago, complete with a Q&A with writer/director Bob Persons. The film is most successful when it is more humbly exploring the order within the small-town Deep South, but it frequently veers away to more aggressively rant against the soulless interstate highway and "the City" (portrayed by Atlanta). While it's easy to focus on the beautiful images of the film, or dismiss it as preten tiously artsy, the kernel of an idea which this small town cosmology laid out in the above quote is fascinating stuff. As the narrator describes Persons' view of the world, aerial photographs of an archetypal township lead to abstracted diagrams that are reminiscent of Buddhist mandalas, from which temples like the impressively ruined Angkor Wat may derive their arrangement. A city plan representing the values of its found ers and denizens is nothing new, and the democratic courthouse square as the literal and figurative heart of the county isn't far off in approach from that of the builders of ancient temples. If we earnestly acknowledge our own local cosmology, we might find a compelling way to overcome the failings of modern cit ies which General Orders later harps on. The film's county- town-courthouse system is familiar and easy to recognize in the local landscape, but what others define and flesh out our region? The ridge-road and river pattern is a somewhat less obvious one, which Persons seems intui tively aware of but doesn't fully explore. "Deer trail becomes Indian trail becomes county road," the narrator intones, but what is left unsaid is that the paths often chosen follow flat uplands, with many of the most prominent routes sitting along major divides. Next time you're riding down Prince or Milledge Avenue, consider that the old high way they comprise divides the drainage basins of the Middle and North Oconee Rivers. The route that will ultimately become the Firefly Trail was once a rail line, the first to reach Athens, and much of it traces the divide between the Broad and Oconee Watersheds. Peachtree Street in Atlanta marks the subcon tinental divide, separating that which flows into the Gulf from that which flows into the Atlantic. That the South's biggest city strad dles the defining hydrological feature of this side of the continent is certainly an interest ing fact, and one which could provide the type of intuitive approach for exploring some of the ecological issues in the region that Persons has touched on. Imagine how intuitive and familiar organizations of the land, based on history and vernacular understanding. could inform current issues like drought and water management, or regional transportation questions. Rutherford: "I don't know anyone that's looked at the condition of the property and the finan cials that thinks we're not doing the right thing," UGA President Michael Adams said regarding the demolition of Rutherford Hall at a UGA Real Estate Foundation board meeting (according to an Athens Banner-Herald story). Of course, with no effort whatsoever from the administration to actually show or explain those details, Adams' comment sounds a little flippant, especially given the near-unanimous opposition from students, alumni and local, state and national historic preservation orga nizations at a local forum on the issue. The idea to demolish the dorm was apparently hatched at the UGA Real Estate Foundation, which finances the construc tion of parking decks and new dorms on campus—projects that are generally notable for being horribly out of scale from the North Campus flavor UGA pushes in its master plan. That plan, accord ing to UGA officials, stands in for a state- mandated preservation plan, which is required of all similar state institutions but which UGA has refused to undertake. Many in the preservation field have noted that this lack of a preservation plan is illegal. The Rutherford proj ect looks much more like the whim of admin istrators—and a UGA Real Estate Foundation more comfortable with new construction than complex renovation—than a well rea soned move. If it is really a solution of last resort, then these public servants have some explaining to do. Of course, it's worth noting that the Foundation is more a private entity than a public one, and we should be wary of its throwing money around to implement its vision for the campus. At this point, though, it looks as if only the Board of Regents could undo this move—and the board's new Chancellor, Hank Huckaby, used to work for Adams, so don't expect much help there. Of course, demolition by neglect is just as much a part of the UGA's record as its preser vation successes, which UGA now seems to be relying on as part of a "preserve two, demolish the third for free" deal. Look no further than South Milledge, where the great Red Barn rots. Patching up the iconic reminder of UGA's agricultural heritage would only take $20,000, but Adams and the gang don't seem inter ested in turning it into anything other than floorboards. Adams has a long track record of acknowledging the master plans and previous preservation efforts on campus only when he sees fit, and ignoring them when he's in the mood. The whole scene reeks of old-fashioned good-ole-boyism. Kevan Williams athensrising©flagpole com UGA's track record for new housing includes many buildings that tower over their surround ings. Are they capable of building a well-scaled and detailed replacement for Rutherford Hall? CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES 170 College Ave. • Athens, Georgia $0*77^ GEORGIA X BIKES! Ti!**!! g ■■B jis j fir 1 rl j > i *7 T HiSMa f; 1 i] i ^ If 11 ■ n k b1 EDUCATION ENCOURAGEMENT ENGINEERING«ENFORCEMENT-EVALUATION 40% OFF any one item at regular price One coupon per customer per day. Offer is not valid with any other coupon, discount or previous purchase Valid onty October 5 • October 12.2011. 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