#5... The Covered Bridge

Why We Love It..

Yes, we know The Chattahoochee National Recreation Area and Vickery Creek Park just came in at #6 and the Covered Bridge is part of that park.  However, the Covered Bridge is iconic.  It is arguably the most recognizable single symbol of Roswell.  We love it because it was a transformative project that took thought and political will to make happen.  It was expensive and will never 'pay for itself' but that's not the point when you're placemaking.

Just show someone a picture of the bridge who has never seen it and watch their reaction.. 

What We Would Change..

Nothing... We'd build another signature bridge.  Actually two.  One is already in the planning stages to link Sandy Springs and Roswell for pedestrians and cyclists.  If we had our way, it would be a replica of the original bridge over the Chattahoochee that was burned during the Civil War.  The other bridge would connect the Chattahoochee National Rec Area to South Atlanta Street about 3/4 of a mile downstream from the Covered Bridge.  I hear some dreamers want to put a suspension bridge around that spot.  Not a bad idea.

#6... The Chattahoochee National Recreation Area & Vickery Creek Park

Why We Love It..

First, It's my backyard and I don't have to mow it.  Second, it might just be the most picturesque park area in the entire metro area.  The park allows our entire city and region to get out and enjoy the outdoors while not having to leave the metro area.  Here's a quick list of what we like:

• The 10+ Miles of Trails. Hiking and running on them
• Vickery Creek
• The Waterfall
• The Sound of Water Rushing

What We Would Change...

Kudzu and Poison Ivy.. We'd get rid of 'em.  They stink.  Photographers...  There are too many of them.  The covered bridge is a huge draw for engagement photos, wedding photos, christmas photos, etc.  It can be difficult to just go hang out and enjoy the scenery for fear that you'll have to move to get out of a picture or that some photographer will lay claim to a certain spot that generally is the most picturesque spot.  These aren't just casual point an clicks.. these are set-ups with the whole shabang of photo equipment which take 5-10 minutes at a time.  But, I'm guilty of it too.  It's just too darn picturesque.  

Figure out a way to get the wastewater pipes somewhere else.  That's a toughie though.

#7... Alive After Five

Why We Love It..

It's an amazing community building festival that actually has staying power.  It just finished it's 6th year and is going as strong as ever.  I've been to a lot of things like it but they usually seem cheesy and contrived.  Alive After Five just seems natural.  Maybe it's because of the location.  Canton Street is so organic that it's hard to feel like anything there is manufactured or shallow.  Small business retail and restaurants need this type of exposure and critical mass of customers in order to succeed.  The businesses along Canton Street have hit a home run with Alive After Five.

Event's like this bring attention to the importance of a good public realm, especially in the area of sidewalks.  It helps to remind us that our city is for people and not cars.  Keep it up and we'll have a sustainable, walkable, livable town center where people actually want to live.  That's already happening and Alive After Five continues to remind us every month between April and October.  

What We Would Change...

I get the need for traffic flow but it's just a pain. With the sheer volume of people at the southern tip of Canton Street, it might be a good idea to close the street down to car traffic from 5-7pm from the Norcross St intersection down to the Atlanta St intersection. This would hand over the entire public realm (sidewalk, street and corner park) to the people which is what Alive After Five is really all about.  

#8... The Bricks

image: Flickr - www78Why We Love It..

This is yet another excellent example of historic preservation and adaptive reuse in our neighborhood.  The original buildings are 160+ years old.  The charm and character that the Bricks exudes is hard to quantify.  It really captures most of what we are about at NUR.  It proves that density can be done tastefully while still affording a significant amount of privacy to the residents and not negatively impact the neighborhood.  In fact, the neighborhood is better off because of the increased density which is the case in virtually all the places where tasteful density is added.  

Many small details in the buildings are actually upcycled from the original buildings.  The doors are made from the old floors.  Some of the old shingles became backsplashes.  The little things matter when you're making a place and the Bricks do just that.

What We Would Change..

There's really not much to change.  These places are top notch in every way.

#9... The Mill

Why We Love It..

This building is a great example of adaptive reuse here in Roswell.  It was obviously a mill at one time and operated as one until the 1970's.  Currently it is shared office and event space and seems to do well in both ways.  Living above the mill, it is apparent that the events facilities are well used with weddings almost every weekend during the summer months and holiday parties and proms during other times of year.  Several companies occupy the office space.  The building would be great to work in.

The current owners do a great job preserving it as an artifact of the community and although it is a relic, modifying it is not off limits.  There always seems to be some small project going on with it and it always ends up looking like it was an original part of the building when it's done.  All in all, it's a really cool building in a beautiful location that is one of the main reasons that our town exists today.

What We Would Change..

We would figure out a way to get more people down to see it.  It's down the hill from Hwy 9 and not very visible unless you actually make a side trip to see it.  A periodic tour of the building would be nice.  I haven't seen or heard of any of those.  Also, the area in the back of the building between the building an Vickery Creek is a service drive but its an eyesore.  The space could be so much more including picnic tables or benches to enjoy the view and sounds.  There have been restaurants there before that did not work out but if done right I think one could work.  There's enough traffic at the park (photographers alone) to support a small snack shop. 

#10... Our Monuments and Historical Markers

Why We Love Them...

Historic Roswell has tasteful monuments and interesting historical markers sprinkled throughout.  Some of the monuments include the Faces of War Monument, the Fountain and Obelisk at the Square and the Lost Mill Workers of Roswell Monument.  They connect us to our history and build character in our neighborhood.  Residents, new and old, and visitors can appreciate their importance to our community.  

What We Would Change...

You can't really do it but it would be nice if some were more visible... the Faces of War monument is is gorgeous but no one really ever sees it and the same goes for the Lost Mill Workers monument.  Additionally, some of the historical markers are in pretty bad shape and should be cleaned up.

image: City of Roswell

#11... The Roundabout

Why We Love It..

We've written on the roundabout at Grimes Bridge and Warsaw Rd previously and you could probably tell from that post that we are fans.  Now, it is not technically in the historic district but it has really been a game changer in the way many people in Roswell think and feel about roundabouts.  Given its success, better safety and traffic flow, the city is now considering a number of other roundabout solutions and there are talks of some on hwy 9 in the historic district. It is a transformative project that will impact Roswell for years to come.  All in all, there's not much not to like about this project.  

What We Would Change..

We'd build more of them.. they make total sense from a traffic flow, safety and environmental standpoint.  We would also ensure that either public art or large native trees are requirements for the center of roundabouts.  That would serve to increase the number of terminating vistas in the city with very little effort. 

#12... Bulloch Hall

Why We Love It..

Bulloch hall is simply put, Gorgeous.  It is a true historic gem in Roswell.  Walking on to the grounds, it's as if you were immediately taken back to the 1850's.  The restoration and upkeep of this building are phenomenal.  Another neat thing that we love about it is that it serves as a terminating vista on Bulloch Lane.   The terminating Vista is a lost art in city design and this is a fantastic example of one and unfortunately not enough people see it.

What We Would Change..

More people should see it.  This change isn't so much to Bulloch Hall itself though.  We would like to see a road off of 120 going north in front of Bulloch Hall just where Bulloch Lane ends. It would run directly perpendicular to Bulloch Lane and turn east to Mimosa around where the Baptist church.  We would also finish the sidewalks from the square down to Bulloch Hall.  Of our three historic homes, two have terrible pedestrian approaches.

#13... Our City Hall

Why We Love It..

It is a beautiful building on a great site that adds character to our community.  Compare our city hall to many of the other suburban city halls around the Atlanta region (Milton) and you'll see just how special ours is.  It tells you that we care about our city and what we make of it.  The grounds are excellent with beautiful landscaping and monuments to our heritage. The pathways that connect to other cultural facilities in and around the municipal complex are great.  The building is centrally located and makes it easy for most of our citizens to get to (by car).

What We Would Change...

Well, you can't change much at this point.  The biggest problem I have with our city hall is the way it is positioned on the site.  It is inward looking and turns it's back to the rest of the community just like much of the development in the last 50 years does.  It says, 'I'm city hall and I'm too good to look out at the city.. you'll have to come to me to see me.'  It's not in a very walkable location with most of the residents of our city needing a car to access their City Hall.  That's a product of where we live rather than how it's sited though.  Still, they could have done a better job.  The steps should face out to the community.  Instead, during the winter (you can't see anything in the summer), we get to see the ass end of the building as we walk or drive by on Atlanta Street.

#14... The Art Galleries

Why We Love Them...

What's not to love about good art in your neighborhood?  Strolling down Canton Street and dropping into the galleries is a great experience even if you're not planning on buying anything.  It's just nice to see great art and talk to people about it.  They recently brought back the Art Walk this past October and it seemed to be a big hit.  It was successful because Roswell has one of the highest concentrations of quality galleries outside the perimeter.  There is a great range good quality art ranging from affordable to very expensive.  

What We Would Change...

Honestly, I probably haven't looked hard enough but I'd really like to see one of the galleries feature Roswell themed art.  I'm not talking about local Roswell artists.  There are a number of those.  I'm talking about art that depicts Roswell and our beautiful city. You can find something related to Roswell every once in a while but it can be challenging.  We have a lot of picturesque places here in Roswell that are waiting for an artist to memorialize.  One last thing.. there are a couple of galleries that have just horrendous awnings along Canton Street.  I'm sure there's some crappy code that has to be adhered to as far as awnings and signage are concerned but they just look tacky and hastily done when you look at the rest of the historic district.

Here's a list of some of our galleries:

Ann Jackson Gallery

Taylor Kinzel Gallery

Raiford Gallery

Timothy Michael Gallery

Ford Smith Fine Art

Koko Gallery

Peter Brandi Gallery

The Painted Monkey

Lola Art Gallery

image: JWHomes.com