Choosing the Right Ornament

Photo by Richard Hansley.

Most residents and visitors can identify the decorative window dormers and multiple roofs of Biltmore House, its chateau lines curtseying against the Blue Ridge backdrop. Downtown, the Art Deco scallops topping Patton Avenue’s historic S&W Cafeteria are sheltering a fresh enterprise, now that the structure is being transformed into the market/bistro S&W Artisan. And the gargoyle lunging off a cornice of the Jackson Building still casts a courtly presence over Pack Square, even as he competes with more recent statues and structures.

But a new contest, sponsored by the North Carolina Room at Pack Memorial Library, requires an even deeper feel for the city’s architecture. Using the photo collection donated by Richard Hansley — a lecturer, retired Asheville High teacher, and author of Asheville’s Historic Architecture — Pack librarians are offering a series of prizes to history buffs who can name local buildings based only on teasing details. Those who correctly identify a series of 11 photos receive a high-res scan (worth $5) and a pack of five cards of historical Asheville buildings drawn by librarian/artist Margaret Dahm (worth $10). The correct identifier of a twelfth bonus building can receive an additional scan.

Special Collections Librarian Zoe Rhine says she initially planned to curate a general display from Hansley’s photos, which she calls “wonderful images that really show off Asheville’s architecture.” Then, she says, “I realized how many images there were that zoomed in on specific architectural details. I decided to print those for the exhibit.” Picturing the shots as an intriguing puzzle, she set up a quiz in the NC Room and also posted photos on the regional “Heard Tell” blog.

“Its purpose [is] to get people really looking at the buildings all around us and to initiate dialogue,” says Rhine. Hansley praises the librarian’s curation efforts: “Zoe put together what I consider a difficult contest,” he says, noting the two images that have most often stumped potential identifiers. Interestingly, neither of the trickiest photos shows a remote building: one is a busy school in a central zone, the other an imposing Neo-Gothic warehouse not far from Asheville’s booming South Slope.

Because of continued interest, Rhine has extended the contest through the holiday season. “I’m always working on ways to let people know about the NC Room and what we have,” she says. “I’m trying to make a local history room relevant for today.”

To access the quiz, go to the NC Room blog, “Heard Tell,” packlibraryncroom.wordpress.com, and click on the “How Well Do You Know Asheville’s Buildings?” link. The North Carolina Room is located in Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. in downtown Asheville. 828-250-4740. packnc@buncombecounty.org.

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