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Bearden-Brown House

Franklin’s heritage is my heritage

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Franklin, Tennessee is a gem of a little town.  I should know.  Both my parents grew up in Franklin and I spent many a summer hour visiting my grandmother’s house as I mowed her yard, played catch in the back yard, helped in the large vegetable garden that was on a lot behind the house, or ran down the street to Alfred’s (a small store in a converted church) for ice cream and candy.  Murfreesboro, where we lived, was a big city compared to Franklin, but that meant that Franklin had an intimacy that was familiar, welcoming, and walkable to a 12 year old boy.

Franklin has changed through the years.  After my grandfather died, my grandmother moved to Murfreesboro to live with us and she sold the family house to the city, which let it fall into disrepair.  We would drive by on occasional trips back with her to visit friends and lament the shape of the old Bearden-Brown home place.

But a wonderful thing happened.  The local preservation group – the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County– bought my grandmother’s house as one of their first preservation projects.  They restored the small frame house and sold it to buyers who wanted to protect the property.  Now when you look at that picture at the top (from 1981) or from Google street view above (a more recent view), you’ll see the trim little house I remember, preserved for future generations to enjoy.

That was just one of the many great things the Heritage Foundation has done for Franklin.  They set up an award-winning Main Street program.  They saved the old downtown post office.  They restored more buildings and fought to save the Civil War battlefield that was so integral to the city and county.  Late last month in Tulsa, this good work was recognized once again when the National Trust for Historic Preservation awarded the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County with a National Preservation Honor Award.  This was a “slam dunk” of an award, when you look at everything this group has done for this wonderful place.  You can visit the PreservationNation You Tube channel to see videos on all the award winners, but just click below to see why I love Franklin.  It is a place that shaped me and my family in countless ways, and it continues to do so even today.

More to come…

DJB

Do I love baseball quotes? You betcha!

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The Philadelphia Phillies win the 2008 World Series in one of the strangest ways imaginable – closing out a game that began in the bottom of the 6th after a 46 hour rain-delay – and the morning papers are full of the great quotes and writing that make baseball such a delight.  Can you imagine getting an intelligible quote out of a football coach after the Super Bowl?  Of course not.  But even the lowliest man on the World Series roster can provide some wonderful, thought-provoking line that brings a smile.

Here are a few gems I picked up from today’s Washington Post and New York Times.

The Phillies and Rays turned a mess into a mini-masterpiece, transforming a suspended game into a tense, 79-minute suspension of disbelief.

Tom Boswell, Washington Post

A game that began with a deluge has washed away an epic drought. The Philadelphia Phillies have won the World Series. 

Tyler Kepner, New York Times

Rays Manager Joe Maddon said he considered using phenom lefty David Price from the start Wednesday night, but decided to use a matchup-focused bullpen strategy instead.  “Retrospectively, maybe you could have done that [with Price] but I really had it mapped out the exact way it occurred…[The Phillies] just did not cooperate with their offense.”

Maddon as quoted in the Washington Post by Dave Sheinin

“It’s kind of weird, kind of odd, that the game is going to start with the seventh inning stretch,” said the Phillies’ Brett Myers, who exaggerated by an inning, but made his point nonetheless…

Quoted by Tyler Kepner in the New York Times.

“‘The mind, once stretched, can never return to its original form.’  I like that expression.  Our minds have been stretched.  Our players will never be satisfied again with less than winning.”

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon on his teams “worst-to-first” rise in the American League, as quoted by Tom Boswell

The Fog Bowl and Jeff Ruland, Scott Stevens and Joe Carter – all of the symbols of local futility – can be put to rest.  The Philadelphia fan does not need them anymore as proof of a hardened soul.  Hearts are light now, joy has come to Mudville.  The Phillies are champions.

Tyler Kepner on the long drought between Philadelphia championships, in the New York Times

More to come…

DJB

Image: Citizens Bank Ballpark in September 2008 by DJB

Beauty in the Mountains

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I spent the last two days in the mountains of North Carolina.  A colleague and I had a meeting in the region and our timing could not have been better.

Few things are as beautiful as the mountains of western Virginia and North Carolina during the fall.  This was my favorite season during the 15 years we lived in Staunton, in the middle of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. 

So Tom and I were thrilled to find ourselves on a lake with a jaw-dropping historic dam and a shoreline filled with trees in all their fall glory.  We viewed a great historic property with the owner on Tuesday afternoon, but knew we had to get up this morning to see more of this wonderful place.

After a restful night’s sleep (boy it is dark in the country), Tom and I hit the hiking trail this morning to walk around the lake, enjoy the wonderful light, and examine the dam up close.   As you can see from these pictures, the trees were spectacular and the dam was awesome in all its 700′ wide X 90′ high glory. 

One of the great things about my job is the chance to be with some of the smartest and most passionate people in the world in some of the nation’s great historic places.  The past two days were just more evidence of my good fortune.  I’ve been viewing dams since my father (the TVA engineer) took us to Fontana Dam when I was about 10, but this is one special engineering feat.  You only get a slight sense of the beauty of this place in the pictures, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.  All in all a wonderful two days.

More to come…

DJB

 

Take Me Home Down Route 66

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Just arrived home after a week in Tulsa for the National Preservation Conference.  National Trust staff posted some great updates throughout the week on the PreservationNation.org blog which I recommend.  I did see some great art deco architecture and thought the Gilcrease Museum was a real treasure (check out the amazing Ansel Adams exhibit).  But since I spent the better part of the week in partner and board meetings, I’m not the best judge of all the city had to offer. 

So I’ll just post this picture from last evening’s terrific closing party with Asleep at the Wheel and say thanks to Marty, Marcia, Cliff and all our hosts from Oklahoma for a great week.

We’ll let Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel take us home with a great version of Route 66!

More to come…

DJB

Asleep at the Wheel and Cain’s Ballroom – Can It Get Any Better?

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Tulsa’s historic Cain’s Ballroom – the home of Bob Wills – was the perfect setting to hear Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel.  We were there for the final party of the 2008 National Preservation Conference, and Benson used the occasion for a history lesson of western swing. 

With his beautiful bass voice, fluid guitar lines, and expert showmanship, Benson had the crowd in his hand from the opening notes of Take Me Back to Tulsa.  The tight band worked through song after song in the western swing catalog (“Western Swing Ain’t Dead…It’s Asleep at the Wheel!)  We danced to Choo Choo Boogie, Faded Love, and so much more.

It was great to hear this band with so many friends and colleagues.  Kaye told me they are her favorite band and she cleans the house while listening to their CDs.  Ed told me he saw them once in New York, but “they’re much better here.”  Must be that cultural context.  Newcomers to the music kept saying, “what a terrific band.”  Indeed. 

Great way to end the week in Tulsa.  Does it get any better than barbeque, Cain’s ballroom, and Big Balls in Cowtown:

Workin’ on the railroad
Sleepin’ on the ground
Eatin’ saltine crackers
Ten cents a pound
Big Ball’s in Cowtown
We’ll all go down
Big Ball’s in Cowtown
We’ll dance around

More to come…

DJB

Will Rogers: Why can’t new public schools be this cool?

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As regular readers know, I’m in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this week for the 2008 National Preservation Conference.  Tonight’s event was in this great building, Will Rogers High School, which reminds us all that public schools weren’t always bland, boring spaces.

Will Rogers High School
Tower of Will Rogers High School in Tulsa

As we drove through a non-descript neighborhood, my colleagues were doubting that anything of great value could be found in this landscape.  And yet, the moment the school, with its towers rising above the treetops, came into view, it was clear we were in for a treat.  The school was built in 1938 as part of the Public Works Administration (PWA).

The auditorium was an Art Deco wonder, the library a pleasant surprise, and the entire building a delight for the eyes which has to be a treat for the discerning and observant student.  I’ve posted a couple of pictures to give you a hint of what we enjoyed.

More to come…

DJB

An Art Deco masterpiece

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Today’s opening plenary of the National Preservation Conference was held in the spectacular Boston Avenue Church – a National Historic Landmark and Art Deco masterpiece.  Seldom have I been so surprised – and moved – by an interior.

The church was built in 1929 and is filled with great detail large and small.  I took numerous pictures of the interior, several of which I’ve posted.  Today has been a gray, rainy day in Tulsa, so the exterior shot doesn’t show off the building at its best. 

The stunning setting was a great place to hear the Cherokee Youth Choir, with a group of middle-school and high-school boys and girls who sang three beautiful songs in their native Cherokee.

The keynote speaker was Chief Wilma Mankiller of the Cherokee Nation.  She gave a terrific talk about indigenous people, ending with the old Mohawk proverb:

It is hard to see the future with tears in your eyes.

More to come…

DJB

Boston Avenue Church Organ

Taking a Look at Tulsa

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I’m in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the 2008 National Preservation Conference and took some time this afternoon to become acclimated to my home for the next week.

Tulsa is known for its great collection of art deco architecture, and on my way to the TV studio this morning to do a stint on Good Morning Tulsa I drove past the magnificent Boston Avenue Methodist Church.  What a building!  It was highlighted on the cover of the July/August 2008 issue of Preservation magazine in a beautiful photograph and – seen in the morning light – is even more stunning in person.  I hope to take some photos later in the week when we’re there for conference events.

In walking around downtown on a beautiful fall day, I found a range of 20th century architecture – not just art deco.  The photo at the top of the post just gives a hint of the range of styles one sees when walking around with an open eye.

The newest landmark in Tulsa just opened last August – the Cesar Pelli-designed BOK Center.  One of my colleagues went inside yesterday afternoon and said it was a terrific space.  I’m posting a couple of photos of that building from different angles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the shot on the right, you can also see the mid-century modern Federal Building, which I learned this morning is threatened.

I took more photos and will upload more posts – including those art deco gems – later in the week.

More to come…

DJB

7-Eleven Coffee Sales Predicting Election

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I promised not to post much in the way of political coverage on More to Come…but I will put up the occasional note that might bring a smile.  While searching the Internet, I found this fun poll – taken by 7-Eleven coffee drinkers. 

Every day 7-Eleven sells more than 1 million cups of coffee a day.  And before the election, coffee drinkers can choose a McCain or an Obama cup to “cast” their vote.  What a fun idea…and the results may surprise you.

So check out the 7-Election 2008 web site  for the up-to-date results.  And drink your coffee to show that you’re a patriotic American.

More to come…

DJB

Baseball on the Radio

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I love driving in a car and listening to baseball on the radio.  That’s a good thing.  Because I’m looking forward to tonight’s Game 6 of the ALCS between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays AND as the father of teenagers who don’t drive, the weekend means that I run a taxi service.  I expect I’ll listen to as much of tonight’s game on the car radio as I watch on television.

ESPN radio carries all the baseball post-season games, with the wonderful Jon Miller doing the play-by-play.  Miller is even better on the radio than he is on the Sunday night TV games.  He’s thoughtful, entertaining, smart enough to know when to stop talking, and he’s not Tim McCarver. It speaks volumes about what’s been wrong with the Baltimore Orioles under the ownership of Peter Angelos that Miller – only a Hall-of-Famer-to-be announcer – was fired by Angelos as the voice of the Orioles. 

So in anticipation of hearing Miller tonight, I’ll repeat a quote of Miller’s from Paul Dickson’s Baseball’s Greatest Quotations:

There’s just something about the game.  It spans seven months.  It’s good company.  It’s not once a week.  I also think it mirrors life in that it’s constant and you have to keep going on days when you’re not at your best.  You go out and play if your best player is hurting, if you’ve got to call a kid pitcher up from the minors, if everything seems to be going wrong.  Everyone goes through periods like that in their personal lives. – Washington Post, April 1, 1994

Turn on the radio and listen to the ballgame.  It’s Miller time.

More to come…

DJB