Kirkwood
{ Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 }
Rhiannon Apple, Kirkwood Spring Fling
When Rhiannon Apple isn’t busy managing an active team as Moxie Interactive’s VP of Trends, she’s busy managing an active team of volunteers that puts on the annual Kirkwood Spring Fling Festival & Tour of Homes. As chair of the Kirkwood Spring Fling Festival & Tour of Homes for the past two years, Rhiannon keeps a fast pace from January through May. The five year Kirkwood resident on what makes Kirkwood awesome, and why you should make plans to hit the Spring Fling this weekend…
Q. A potential home buyer is thinking about buying in Kirkwood. Sell them on the neighborhood…
A. Kirkwood captures the true sense of the word “community.” There is a strong neighborhood association, as well as neighbors who come together from all walks of life and demographics to help one another in times of need. Whether it be a house fire, surgery, funeral or candlelight vigil to help a family heal, the residents band together. Of course, we enjoy the good times as well, like the traditional Sunday Coffee gatherings, Spring Fling, blessing of the animals or volunteering at Teen Club.
Our business owners are always the first to step up for donating to our school or a neighbor’s Walk for the Cure. It’s like living in an episode of “Cheers” where they always know your name. Where else do neighbors who have the personal cell phone numbers of their city councilperson, police detective turned close friend and UPS driver ban together to save a school, collect clothes and goods for a family whose home has been damaged by fire, and insist on picking you up from the emergency room even if they aren’t your closest buddy? Where else can you go to a cute little bistro, stop by and chat with the firemen, grab a smoothie, head to the park for Screen on the Green, and help prune the trees and mulch the park just because you want to?
Q. Hidden Atlanta gem?
A. The old Pullman Train Yards. They are closed to the public, but the buildings provide a peak into the history of our neighborhood.
Q. You’re given an unlimited budget to produce next year’s Spring Fling. Plans?
A. We’d offer all of the food and beverages for free, so that it could be a true celebration of the neighborhood. Right now, it’s our community’s largest fundraiser and there is pressure to sell a lot of beer and booths to cover our costs.
Q. Favorite neighborhoods, other than Kirkwood, of course?
A. I love all the surrounding neighborhoods we are sandwiched between: East Atlanta, East Lake, Edgewood and Candler Park.
Q. What is the Kirkwood Spring Fling and Tour of Homes, and why is it a must-attend event?
A. The Kirkwood Spring Fling offers the diversity of a big Festival with the warmth and ease of a neighborhood party. Folks can browse the open air Artist Market, with more than 90 booths, in the shade of giant trees, enjoy the music of live bands and singers on the Mainstage, and play with their children in our creative Kids Area, which includes a playground, Moonbounce, storytelling and crafts.
Kirkwood also has a diverse collection of building styles from classic Victorian cottages to craftsman bungalows to modern lofts and everything in between. Some of our best homes will be showcased on the Tour of Homes.
Admission to the Festival is free. It is held in Bessie Branham Park and the surrounding areas. Tickets for the Tour can be purchased in the park at the Festival or in advance at several local businesses. All proceeds go to benefit the Kirkwood Neighbors’ Organization, a local 501c3 non-profit group dedicated to community improvement.
{ Friday, February 24th, 2012 }
The Best Value In Kirkwood
How do I know that 283 Sisson is best value in Kirkwood? If you’re looking for me to back up the puffery, then so be it. I’m game.
Let me start my narrative with a little background on the location of this home- it’s less than a mile from Oakhurst Village, right down the block from one of the best brunches in town, Sun In My Belly:
If Oakhurst Village isn’t your bag – and I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t be – take solace in the fact that you’re just a few right and left turns from Kirkwood Village. Of course, Decatur isn’t too far away and the always reliable Edgewood Retail District is within shouting distance.
The house itself, priced at $249,900 was completely renovated just a few years ago. And I mean complete, head-to-toe renovation: new roof, siding, floors, kitchen (appliances, cabinets, granite counters, etc.), bathrooms, HVAC system, plumbing and electrical.
While all that new stuff is certainly a huge selling point, the fact remains that the “old home” charm and beauty take center stage. Just a few pictures, to whet your appetite:
Looking for a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home in a phenomenal intown neighborhood? This could be the one. Check out more info on the vFlyer, or, contact me directly to schedule a showing.
{ Thursday, December 1st, 2011 }
Atlanta Public Schools Redistricting
If APS Superintendent Erroll Davis thought his phone rang a lot before, he has know idea what he's in for...
Hold on to your hat Atlanta. Things are about to get crazy.
On the heels of the cheating scandal that’s rocked the nation, City of Atlanta Public Schools announced earlier this week that they’ve begun to study citywide school redistricting.
Deep breaths. Don’t get too crazy. Yet.
From the horse’s mouth, here’s how APS introduced their initial report:
APS is in the beginning stages of an arduous undertaking and we need input from the community. No decisions have been made about the scenarios/options posted. In fact, the process will take place over the next few months and will conclude in March of next year.
See, everything is going to be ok!
Maybe, maybe not. There’s no bigger NIMBY issue than schools, and the public hearings on this issue are going to be B-A-N-A-N-A-S. I’m still pouring through the study maps and options- haven’t jumped to any conclusions yet, although it’s looking like some very familiar intown neighborhoods could potentially see some fairly dramatic changes.
Like I said, deep breaths people. Deep breaths.
The Relevant Linkage
APS Demographic Study Home Page
APS Capacity Study (essential background information)
APS Scenarios and Options Summary (aka the meat and potatoes)
Option Maps (aka the meat and potatoes in color coded maps)
{ Monday, September 12th, 2011 }
Intown Atlanta Population Surge?
While I spent much of last week on the Decatur bandwagon, I should point out that Decatur’s schools aren’t the only ones that are busting at the seems. Midtown Patch points out that Grady High School is also at the breaking point:
A drawback at Grady: The school that borders Piedmont Park currently has 1,524 students, compared to 1,432 one year ago — and one year ago was already seriously overcrowded. (The Grady campus was expanded several years ago to accommodate about 1,200 students. In 2005, there were 996 enrolled, compared to 1,146 in 2006 and 1,264 by 2009).
For those of you scoring at home, that’s a 25% increase in the last five years. I’m not a demographer (nor do I play one on television), nor am I trend forecaster, but I’d imagine there are a few threads at play here:
- The neighborhoods served by the school, including Ansley Park, Candler Park, East Lake, Inman Park, Kirkwood, Lake Claire, Old Fourth Ward, Midtown, Morningside, Poncey Highland and Virginia Highland continue to experience infill development, albeit at a much slower clip now that we’re post-boom.
- A slumping economy and rising private school tuition have forced some parents to enroll their children in public schools rather then private ones.
- Negative home equity has, in effect, “trapped” many homeowners in their existing homes. It’s a pretty common theme throughout the country to see homeowners “sticking around” in a home that they hadn’t planned on living in for such a long duration. Put simply, our migration patterns are all gummed up.
The net-net is further evidence that Atlanta’s notorious sprawl has turned inward. This isn’t breaking news by any stretch, but it’s certainly worth keeping an eye on as the region attempts to curb sprawl and promote density. Exciting and terrifying at the same time depending on the vision and political will of Atlanta’s civic and business elite.
Photo Credit: Architecture Tourist (an outstanding piece on Grady High School’s architecture, I might add).
{ Monday, August 1st, 2011 }
Terry Kearns, Architecture Tourist
Terry Kearns is the author of Architecture Tourist, one of my favorite blogs. It was fitting that we recently met one another while touring a home, and serendipitous considering that I’ve wanted to feature Terry on A Is For Atlanta for quite some time. If you’re interested in Atlanta architecture, history or neighborhoods, Architecture Tourist is not just a must-read, it is the must-read. I’m really not sure how else to put it. Fortunately for me, Terry was generous enough to field a few questions from me recently- I hope you enjoy as much as I did…
Q. You’ve got three hours to meander through any neighborhood in Atlanta. Which one are you choosing, and why?
A. I’d choose the Dekalb Avenue east from Krog. It’s not an obvious place to look. Start at Krog Street Bridge and head east, turn anywhere into Inman Park, just anywhere. Make sure to check the “war” streets just west of Moreland: Battery and Degress. After you cross Moreland, cruise the “lady” streets in Candler Park: left on Josephine, right on Euclid right on Elmira. In Lake Claire you’ll see the huge continental divide mural at the Arizona Avenue underpass. Then turn left at Connecticut and tour the “state” streets: Connecticut, New York, Arizona, and Delaware. Then cruise “Southerland Hill.” Turn left on Southerland Place just east of the Lake Claire swimming pool to see Southerland, Oxford, and Gordon. Finally, tour the “garden” streets. Cross East Lake and turn left at Drexel. Make sure to see Melrose and Emerson, home to Ryan Gainey’s Garden of Poetry and Prose. Go home via Oak Grove, Kirkwood, Edgewood, Reynoldstown, and Cabbagetown…but that’s another meander.
Q. What are the essential “must sees” for Architecture Tourists in Atlanta?
A. How about downtown’s public lobbies? Whatever your tastes these lobbies impress. The Grant Building lobby is straightforward and reserved. The former C&S Bank is Atlanta’s Pantheon. The Healey Building has a gothic ribbed rotunda. The Hurt Building’s main entrance is an elegant rotunda that softens this huge building. The Candler Building lobby is small and perfect and ennobling. Visit the Victorian portrait gallery at the Ritz. At 191 Peachtree see the colossal Helena Hernmarck tapestry “Urn” and ride the escalator down to see Ray King’s “Atlantis.” The Peachtree Plaza’s lobby conveys the sense of the colossal hotel almost floating overhead. The Regency’s groundbreaking lobby remains spectacular and cozy. The Marriot Marquis’s lobby is a multi-level playground that my eye can never fully take in. When it’s busy – think Dragon Con – it’s one the best people watching places in Atlanta. Finally, the Sun Trust Tower’s elevator lobby is a pyramid in a square in a circle in a square with breathtaking clarity.
Q. Hidden Atlanta gems?
A. There are so many. I enjoy small scale public or public facing places: Oglethorpe Hill, The Villa Apartments, the former Scottish Rite Hospital in Oak Grove, the Cator Wolford Gardens on Ponce, the Little Chapel at Glen Memorial. Allow me to add the renovated Hinman Building at Georgia Tech though it’s not open to the public. It may be the most exciting indoor space in Atlanta.
Q. If you were given an unlimited budget, unquestioned power and the edict: “make Atlanta more beautiful”, what would you do?
A. Beautiful things continue to enrich us. It may be physical beauty; it may be functional beauty. But I’m rather an anti-planner and would be a terrible Tsar. So I’d abolish the position and retire with a big pension. Then I’ve volunteer to help folks enjoy these places and to find ways to preserve them as best we can.
Q. What is Architecture Tourist, and why is it awesome?
A. The most awesome thing about Architecture Tourist Blog is meeting people. Blog posts connect people. Once in a while we meet in person. What a pleasure.
Photo Credit: Architecture Tourist
