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Korčula Cathedral of St. Mark ( Croatia )
Carnival in Venice & the most beautiful masks
Carnival in Venice & the most beautiful masks
Carnival in Venice festival.
The Venice Carnival is the most internationally known festival celebrated in Venice, Italy, as well as being one of the oldest. This congregation of masked people, called Venice Carnival, began in the 15th century, but the tradition can be traced back to the beginning of the 14th Century. Arts and Trades are the protagonists in this year’s Carnival. Live for the…
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My DP was taken by my classmate 2 years ago. HAHAHAHA!
SY 2010-2011
You're still the one of the BEST MEMORIES happen to my life :)
"Midtown church told to save historic buildings" (2008)
For more than five years, Elston Collins has been a member of the St. Mark United Methodist Church at the corner of Fifth and Peachtree streets.
That is, until now.
Collins resigned from the congregation in protest of the church's desire to demolish three historic buildings along Juniper Street and to replace them with a surface parking lot.
"It's really disappointing for me on lots of fronts," said Collins, who also serves as president of the Midtown Neighbors Association. "Neighbors couldn't believe my church was doing this."
Originally, it appeared as though the church was willing to work with the community and historic preservation leaders to explore solutions that would keep the buildings yet provide parking and future development opportunities. In May, St. Mark agreed to defer its demolition permit request for at least 30 days to explore those solutions.
"We pulled in so many resources from the community," Collins said. "We had experts who presented them alternatives with potential funding streams. What really sent me over the edge was that while we were trying to find solutions, the church decided to go ahead with demolition. I was just appalled that the church could be so two-faced."
Collins is not alone with his frustration.
At a meeting of the Development Review Committee Thursday evening, not one member of the public spoke in favor of the church's plans.
The committee then voted unanimously to oppose the demolition permit and against any variances that would permit the church to develop a parking lot. The committee's vote reaffirmed similar votes taken by the Midtown Neighbors Association and the Neighborhood Planning Unit - E.
St. Mark member Bill Sanders, who spoke on behalf the church, said preservationists "made some excellent suggestions, but it involves land we don't own and money we don't have." Later he described the alternative solutions as "half-baked."
In addition, Sanders said the church wanted to consolidate its land holdings on its block so it eventually could develop the site into a 20-story building. But he said that could five, 10 or 50 years out.
After committee members voted in a closed door session, Clifford Altekruse summed up the group's position that the church did not seriously explore alternatives.
"It's our sense that the church is turning down that opportunity so it can demolish the buildings," Altekruse said. "That strikes us as wrong because it's hurtful to the neighborhood and it's unnecessary because financing was available. The committee is srongly opposed to granting any of the variances."
Currently the three buildings, built around 1905 as residences, have no historic designation. Committee members acknowledged there might not be a legal standing to prevent their demolition.
But they also read from land-use and zoning regulations that the church's proposal to build a surface parking lot on that site is not permitted.
NPU-E Chair Penelope Cheroff, who sits on the committee, explained that having driveways and parking lots fronting major streets only take away from Midtown's growing pedestrian environment. "It flies in the face of all we're trying to do in Midtown," she said.
The committee's recommendation and the demolition requests are now headed to City Hall. If the city denies the permits, the church then could appeal the decision in the courts.
In the meantime, Elston Collins will be looking to join another congregation.
Credit: Saporta, Maria. The Atlanta Journal Constitution [Atlanta, Ga] 10 July 2008.
