The Old Barn and the Research Building

Several levels of diversity are represented here: the age of the buildings which were built at opposite ends of the 20th century, architecture, building materials, size, the manicured foliage and blooming cherry trees of the research building contrasted to the unkempt look of the decaying barn, the clean lines of the brick wall versus the rusty wire and corrugated metal fence, and the agricultural heritage of the barn contrasted with the cutting edge research conducted in the research facility.

The three stall barn was built in 1911, using wood from old Atlanta Fire Station #1, which was being demolished. Station #1 was reputed to be the first fire station built after the burning of Atlanta by General Sherman's forces in July of 1864, during the American civil war.

The barn housed two mules and a horse, which were used by the owner, Mr. Young, to deliver ice to the surrounding Atlanta residential neighborhoods and in performing general cartage. It is built around two rows of four poles each that are sunk in the ground and extend upward to the outer edges of the upper roof, forming the wall structure of the upper level. This unique construction method has made it prohibitively expensive to move the barn to any of several museums that would have liked to have it, as it would have to be completely disassembled and reassembled on site.

The research facility was built at the other end of the century, in the late 1980s, and houses the Georgia Tech Research Institute, the applied research arm of the Georgia Institute of Technology. GTRI employs around 1,300 people, and is involved in approximately $100 million in research annually for more than 200 clients in industry and government.

I managed The University Financing Foundation that financed and built the facility for use by Georgia Tech, and was privileged to act as owner in the construction triumvirate of architect, contractor and owner.

USA-Canada / USA-Georgia

Lat: 33° 46' 51.75" N
Long: 85° 24' 59.52" W

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