Historic Savannah: A Destination, Not A Pass-Through

[simms3]

Trulia did not and could not tell you "who" was moving where.  For all the study says, we could be exporting all of our child molesters.  Jokes aside, I did post that.  I also am not the one who moved this whole thread into "Atl is soo awesome", but I did play into people's petty grievances which took us there.  Now you're jumping on the bandwagon.

Of course I am one of the posters who never gives you a hard time bc I think we generally see eye to eye (unlike some, ahem Stephen, who nitpick your posts like mine are being nitpicked now).  So are you following a crowd mentality or are you just being stupid, too, or both?

I guess after you I'll wait for Lakelander to pile it on.  I know this day of reckoning has been coming, so I'll kindly wait for my boot and continue posting until then.

[Tacachale]

^Come on simms, no need to be so defensive. I for one really enjoy hearing about Atlanta and comparisons showing where and how Jacksonville can improve. It's not the content of your posts, really, it's just the presentation that rankles.

[tufsu1]

Of course I am one of the posters who never gives you a hard time bc I think we generally see eye to eye (unlike some, ahem Stephen, who nitpick your posts like mine are being nitpicked now).  So are you following a crowd mentality or are you just being stupid, too, or both?

don't worry...no bandwagoning here...in another thread, I agreed with your post...and yes, I often do

I just have a hard time looking at Atlanta as a panacea...while there is a lot of good stuff going on, they still haven't figured out how to respect their past...it often seems like whatever is newest is best....and even with all the urban infill, the city still lost population from 2000 to 2010 (while the suburbs continued to sprawl).

[I-10east]

Also Atlanta has the most job losses of any US major metro in 2011; So everything there isn't so swimmingly great, and rosy afterall. Don't get me wrong, I love ATL, most people there are pretty down to earth, and not overly boastful, unlike a certain city NE of Key West. ATL knows it got it going on, without being overly brash; Even though it's an upper tier city, it's still the Dirty South unlike you know who.

[thelakelander]

Simms, no reason for me to pile on. During my last two trips to Atlanta, I've checked out areas of town based on your previous posts.

[krazeeboi]

Savannah is very unique and while there are general principles that work very well there that could apply to any city looking to revitalize its downtown, I think that overall the best models for Jacksonville are those that are around its size, have preserved at least a decent amount of its historic stock, and have relatively active downtowns. With that in mind, I think city leaders would do wise to look at cities like Richmond, Louisville, Memphis, and Norfolk for more across-the-board solutions.

[peestandingup]

1) peestandingup, love your continual lackadaisical dialogue which rarely adds any real substance.  BTW, my mom is from Chicago and my dad's family mostly resides in Philly, and both my parents moved up to Jax from Miami as I was born.  I am pretty well traveled, but I reside in Atlanta, so that's where I do get most of my experience from.

Yeah yeah yeah, I suck because I don't write novels with every post on a daily basis in a  forum full of strangers & you're awesome because you do. Got it. And BTW, being well traveled isn't the same as actually residing in places. Some more experience in an adult life & you would have known that.

Listen kid, don't take things so personal. You seem a bit butt-hurt, and I don't think that's anyone's intention. All people are trying to say is tone it down some regarding the constant comparisons to & mentions of Atlanta. And try not to sound like a superior condescending jerk sometimes, because you're probably talking to a lot of old schoolers on here who's life would make your little Atlanta adventure seem like a pile of monkey dung. That's basically it. Its not rocket science.

And see, it didn't take a half a page to get my point across. How lackadaisical of me.

[dougskiles]

Something I meant to write earlier, SCAD actually has four campuses.  Savannah, Atlanta, Lacoste (France) and Hong Kong.  It really impresses me how a university with such a relatively short history has become an international leader in the design field.

http://www.scad.edu/lacoste/facilities.cfm
http://www.scad.edu/hong-kong/index.cfm

It can happen here, too.  JU is already becoming a leader in the marine science field with MSRI (as fieldafm posted about).  I would love to see them expand into downtown.  A large part of SCAD's impact on Savannah is that they are not isolated in a suburban campus.  That is my one negative feeling about UNF.

[jcjohnpaint]

It can also happen with UNF's Dept of Art and Design.  We are a young program (7 years old).  We do have a lot of improving to do, but we have made big strides in the last two years.  We have great ties to MOCA, CORK, and the Cummer.  I am telling you great things are happening in the arts around here.  For any politician who believes art is worthless, just has to look to SCAD Savannah or even what UNF has done with MOCA in recent years.  Jacksonville and UNF is just getting started! 

[jcjohnpaint]

Also check out SCAD's new museum of art build into the old train station.  Amazing place just constructed.  The Architecture department is right on the other side of the courtyard to the museum. 

[dougskiles]

SCAD's MofA was still under construction when we were there.  I can't wait to go back during Christmas holiday and see the final product.

There is a cool video on their homepage showing the construction:

http://www.scadmoa.org/

jcjohnpaint - I would love to know more about the UNF art program.  I agree 100% that we have great things going in the art community in Jax.  Does UNF have any affiliation with Douglas Anderson School of the Arts?

[jcjohnpaint]

Actually we do not have an affiliation with DA, but we do have a bunch of DA students.  We also have the head of DA's painting dept. teaching part time at UNF.  I should be giving a talk there with some students in the coming semester once I have some time to do so. 
Yeah the museum at SCAD was so amazing.  The courtyard area is wonderful.  The partially condemned part of the building has been persevered and turned into an outdoor sculpture park.   

[prahaboheme]

I am especially impressed with Savannah's efforts to reconstruct historic Ellis Square -- a parking lot for nearly 40 years is now a functional city square.  While it looks to the past, it is a modern interpretation that speaks to the needs of the present day (they buried parking under the square).  As a result, private redevelopment around the square as happened, adding to the overall vibrancy on the edge of the historic district.

While Savannah is smaller than JAX, it offers all Florida cities something to aspire to.   

[Tacachale]

There is definitely much potential for UNF to increase our presence downtown. I think even those who questioned whether it was a good investment appreciate the progress. We'll never be SCAD (of course, we can offer much that SCAD simply can't too), but there are impressive things on the horizon.

[Lunican]

FOUNDATION STUDIES
SCAD's new museum rises from an antebellum railroad depot

http://www.archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=5777