Robin Wynn at Rapunzel's

I can't believe I've had this blog for close to two months now and I've yet to mention one of my favoritest people in the world, Robin Wynn. Not only is she a good friend and a swell human being, she is also an amazing songstress. If you haven't heard her play yet, this Saturday (Feb. 3 @ 8:00pm) she and her full band (which includes her partner Mark, at left with Robin) are performing at Rapunzel's in Lovingston and you should check them out. For more info. on this and other upcoming shows, or to hear snippets of Robin's songs, go visit her website or her MySpace page. Someday we're all going to be able to say, "We knew her when..."

Barracks Road Shopping Center, Early 1960s

Witness the birth of Barracks Road Shopping Center -- a strip mall and giant sea of asphalt (did that lot ever once fill up?), heralded at the time (early 1960s) as a "progressive shopping center typical of Charlottesville's modern expansion program, offering its residents the latest in every form of shopping conveniences." It's interesting to note that the Tavern restaurant, which now boasts the famous rooftop slogan, "WHERE STUDENTS, TOURISTS AND TOWNPEOPLE MEET," had a much tamer monicker at the time, viz.: "AIR CONDITIONED."

Downtown Cville, circa 1980

Here's a great view of Downtown Charlottesville, circa 1980 -- pre-Amphitheater, pre-Omni, pre-Bodo's (how did they ever get by?!), pre-Regal, pre-Ice Rink, pre-Water Street garage, pre-City Hall Annex, pre-LexisNexis, pre-Queen Charlotte Square.... The "Glass Building" wasn't very glassy, the Mall was still in its infancy, and "Friendship Court" was the spankin'-new Garrett Square. My, how things have changed...

I'm not feelin' it, Ms. Clinton

Hillary Clinton has a very interesting interpretation of history when it comes to her 2002 vote in favor of the Iraq War resolution. "I said this was not a vote for preemptive war," Clinton asserted last week in Iowa. "The president took my vote, and others’ votes, and basically misused the authority we gave him."

I'm sorry, but I don't buy it. At all.

All of us who were watching the debate over that resolution knew full well that its passage was a green light for Mr. Bush to launch an ill-advised, unilateral attack (or, as I put it around that time, "bomb first, ask questions later"). Anyone who tells you otherwise either (1) is trying to re-write history and blame the president for her own lapse in judgment or (2) was way too trusting of an administration that was clearly dead-set on taking out Saddam Hussein at all costs, whether or not he actually had WMDs. Neither option inspires much confidence.

I think the truth is that Ms. Clinton genuinely supported this preemptive war from the beginning but is afraid to say so now. So she's trying to shirk responsibility by claiming she had absolutely no idea! that Mr. Bush would do PRECISELY WHAT SHE AND HER FELLOW LEGISLATORS EXPLICITLY EMPOWERED HIM TO DO. (One senses Ms. Clinton channeling the spirit of Capt. Louis Renault: "I'm shocked, shocked to find that warmongering is going on in here!")

At least John Edwards had the courage to come out and admit that his vote in favor of the resolution was flat-out wrong. Oh, and then there's Barack Obama, who opposed this whole God-forsaken mess from the beginning.

Monticello Visits On the Upswing

After reading the very good news yesterday that visits to Monticello were up in 2006 (after an 8-year decline), I thought it appropriate to share some of my favorite postcards from the grounds of Jefferson's home. Enjoy!

Entrance to Monticello, 1905

The Superintendent's House, 1928 -- "where every Patriotic Visitor personally registers"


Monticello, VA. Home of Thos. Jefferson, 1905


Ruins of Jefferson's Nail Factory, 1920s. Thomas Jefferson: Philosopher, Artist, Statesman...and Nail Manufacturing Pioneer?



Jefferson's Tomb, 1920s. This one is dedicated to Rep. Keith Ellison.

PACEM Loves DMB!

PACEM, the homeless ministry that I serve as Executive Director, was notified back in December that we'd been approved for a grant from the Bama Works Fund, which is the charitable arm of Dave Matthews Band. What I didn't realize until reading this article in today's Daily Progress is that PACEM was the largest recipient of Bama Works funding during this last round of awards! Needless to say, we are quite heartened by the support of DMB and we encourage everyone who's reading this to rush out and buy lots of DMB music and merchandise to thank them for their largesse. :-)

Sad But True

"President Bush is expected to announce that he is now sending more troops to Iraq -- despite the fact that his generals, his military analysts, members of Congress and most of the American people are against the idea. The reason he is doing it? To give Iraq a government that responds to the will of the people." -- Jay Leno, 1/4/07

A Daughter's Memories of Arthur's Grill

Back on December 16 (see here), I posted a 1940s-era image of Arthur's Grill on Main Street and asked if anyone had any memories of the place, but no one responded -- until now. I was delighted to receive an e-mail recently that sheds more light on this former downtown eatery:

Hi Dave,

My son, Pete Caramanis, sent me your Arhur's Grill photo and site. Pete is an attorney in Charlottesville and the grandson of the owner of Arthur's Grill. My father was Nick Lambert and he owned Arthur's Grill with my uncle, Alex Angelus. My dad purchased Arthur's Grill around 1946 from a man named Arthur E. Costan (hence the name Arthur's Grill). My dad passed away Christmas 1965 and my mother sold the restaurant in 1966. It only stayed open as a restaurant for a few months after that.

I have many, happy vivid memories of Arthur's Grill and the people that worked there and frequented the restaurant. The photo you show is the store as it was when he owned it. The 1956 Chain, Lane High School Yearbook, has a photo in the advertisements of my dad, my older sister, cousin, and their friends in one of the booths at the restaurant.

I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have. That restaurant was my dad's life. He was very social and it was a busy lunch spot for the downtown businessmen.

I have many old photos and have been looking for more. I also have an old breakfast menu with unbelievable prices.

Kathie Lambert Caramanis

Thanks for writing Kathie, sounds like your dad was quite a guy and I'm pleased you were able to give us a glimpse into this special piece of Charlottesville history!

Old Post Office, Through the Years

One of my favorite things about collecting vintage postcards is that you can see how various buildings have changed form over the years. Here is a great example. Today, this building is known to many as the downtown branch of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library. But for most of its life, it was our city's main Post Office -- and also served for many years as a federal courthouse.

U.S. Post Office and Court House, pictured soon after its completion in 1906 (with First Baptist Church in the background, where Queen Charlotte Square now sits).

Post Office and Federal Building, early 1910s. Note the additional cornice work along the roofline. On the back of the card is this description: "The splendid government building at the corner of Market and North Second Streets was begun on August 10th, 1904, and opened on April 1st, 1906. The cost was about $71,000. On the main floor is the Post Office, and the second story is occupied by the court-house, judge's room, and grand jury room."

U.S. Post Office and Monticello Hotel, 1930s. Note the wings constructed on either side of the building, and the new landscaping out front.

Post Office, 1950s. See how the trees have grown! This is largely how the building looks today, in use as the central library since its opening day on February 2, 1981.

Oliver Kuttner: Hero to downtown baristas and guitar-slingers?

Local developer Oliver Kuttner dropped a mini-bombshell in last week's C-ville Weekly that really deserves more notice. Tucked away in this article about his architectural vision for the old Boxer Learning building on the Downtown Mall (formerly home to Central Fidelity Bank) was this passage:

What will be in the building? Kuttner wants several floors of retail by opening up the basement as a courtyard along the side street and creating a second floor of retail fronting the Mall. He plans four apartments above the retail in a first phase of redevelopment. The second phase will be a larger structure closer to Water Street that nears the nine-storey limit, which will contain either a 72-room hotel—or affordable apartments at around $500 a month. “In Charlottesville, you can’t rent anything cheap any more,” says Kuttner. “I think that with clever design I can do it.”

Let's hope he does figure out how to do it. Think of all the retail clerks, office workers, baristas, artists and musicians who are being increasingly priced out of housing anywhere near downtown. Many of them contribute mightily to the downtown business and cultural "scene" and many of them are currently paying an arm & a leg for parking everyday because they have to commute in from elsewhere. Wouldn't it be great if they had access to affordable rental housing within a short walk of where they work and play? Must downtown housing all be upscale and high-priced? Can't we have at least one oasis of residential bohemia amidst the Caspari Condos that are popping up all over downtown these days?

If you see Oliver, please sing his praises for thinking of the working stiffs and the starving artists. It's their town too.