Recently, when I wrote about the New Deal town of
Greenbelt, Maryland, I mentioned that besides the Mother and Child statue in the centre of town there were other works by Lenore Thomas at what is now the Community Center.
The building, designed by Douglas D Ellington and Reginald Wadsworth, started life as the Greenbelt Elementary School in 1937 as residents started moving into their new Greenbelt homes. It served the community as a school until 1993 when it relocated to a new facility outside the town center.
Rather than demolishing the old three-storey school, it was renovated and reopened in 1996 as a dedicated Community Center providing space for artists and community groups in the former classrooms and offices and maintaining the gymnasium for public use.
Along the outside of the building, Lenore Thomas executed a series of bas-relief panels depicting the
Preamble to the US Constitution.
The works commence above the main entrance with ...
We the people
and continues at child height along the front of the building.
to form a more perfect union
establish justice
insure domestic tranquility
provide for the common defense
promote the general welfare
Reference:
Interpretive Panel at the Greenbelt Community Center prepared by the Greenbelt Museum
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Wonderful, isn't it. It is good to see utilitarian buildings built with such style. I won't say anything about modern buildings and style.
ReplyDeleteIt had a wonderful feel to it too, Andrew. The people I met were rightly proud of their community and its history. They went out of their way to point out things of interest and give me free reign to wander around taking pics.
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