Atlanta church on road with unusual name

In the upscale Buckhead Neighborhood of Atlanta, on a peculiarly named street surrounded by high-rise commercial buildings and condominium structures, sits Wieuca Road Baptist Church.

The church's steeple reaches high into the sky, so I knew it was there well before I actually reached it. While it is, indeed, tall, it pales next to many of the skyscrapers in the neighborhood. It sits almost right next door to the BB&T building (see yesterday's post). And as I approached the church from Peachtree Road, I could see the steeple's reflection on BB&T's shiny facade.

The reflection changed by the time I finished shooting and headed back to my car. In that instance, I saw the Park Avenue Condominium building reflected on the bank (see photo below). Of course, angle makes a difference. Approaching the BB&T from the right, you'll see the church steeple reflection, but I didn't grab a picture of that. 

The photo leading off the post is a juxtaposition of the church and bank building, and from this perspective ... not only does the church look taller than the bank building (it isn't), but you also see no reflection at all on the bank's facade.

But I digress. By far my favorite shots of the church, were my four tight crops --- three cross sections of the main entrance and Roman columns and a closeup of fellowship hall -- presented in succession immediately below. There is a lot to be said about compositions that introduce drama into striking architecture. It gives one reason to ponder the sundry elements of angles, patterns, balance and the "what if" involved with that which is absent in the cut sections.

I spent some time hunting around for the origin of the unusual name of the road (Wieuca). I had to look hard; there isn't much out there. But I did find a page at a Buckhead Neighborhood history page in which a neighborhood resident claims he was told one of the real estate developers came up with Wieuca from combining the first two letters of his three daughters' names -- Wilma, Eugenia and Cathern (sic). An online pronunciation aid says it's pronounced: why-YOO-kuh.

As always, to view a larger, sharper version of an image, simply click on the photo. This is particularly helpful when accessing the blog from a mobile device. To view a gallery of all the pictures I took at Wieuca Road Baptist Church, click on the link in this sentence.

Above: I learned that the church recently welcomed a new pastor. 

Above: The chapel from the opposite side of Wieuca Road. 

Above and below are a couple of normal perspective shots of the church, one from the right side, the other from almost straight on. 

A protective covering outside the door of the church offices (above) and a look down a horshoe-shaped access drive into the church grounds (below). The road you see turns left at the very back (where the car sits) and curls around back to the front off to the left, where the parking lot is situated. 

The activities center (above), which is close to the parking lot. Below is the church's sign as seen from the road. 

Exploring Buckhead on brief Atlanta trip

Before Tuesday of this week, I hadn't been in Atlanta for 42 years. I don't remember a whole lot from that visit; it was a brief stop en route to Orlando from the Midwest, but I did take a quick tour of the Underground Atlanta mall.

This week, the mission was to get Lee Ann's daughter Lea to the offices of the Consulate General of Japan in the upscale Buckhead Neighborhood on Atlanta's Northside. The neighborhood is loaded with strikingly tall buildings, distinct architecture and very tony shops sprinkled among several chic malls.

Buckhead also is Atlanta's third largest commercial center (behind downtown and midtown) and is considered the banking center of the Southeast. Indeed, I saw towers of at least two financial institutions -- JPMorgan Chase and Branch Banking and Trust (BB&T, which recently merged with SunTrust to form Truist Financial) in the modest four block area that I roamed.

The afternoon was very overcast and rich in thick clouds; we encountered a little light rain on the drive home. That's why you see the skies the way they appear here. 

The shiny Phipps Tower -- a small slice of which leads off the post, and a full view immediately above -- is where the Japanese Consulate General is located in Atlanta, and it's where Lea's interview took place. It is right next to Phipps Plaza, one of the aforementioned shopping malls in the immediate proximity. It's two anchors -- on opposite ends -- are Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom (pictured immediately below). Phipps Plaza is kitty corner from Lenox Square. I spent about an hour in this area shooting images you see in this post.

Not far from the entrance to Phipps Tower is the JPMorgan Chase building (first photo below), where a trio of window washers was at work (second below).

Probably the most distinguished building in the area where I strolled was the Ajilon (first three photos below). I was particularly drawn by that curved top. I photographed it from several angles, and composed shots of it solo and with a couple nearby buildings. When I got home after the trip, I hunted around for a good half-hour or so to hopefully explain the functionality of the curved top portion of the structure ... to no avail.

As always, to view a larger and sharper version of a photo, click on the image. This is particularly helpful when accessing the blog from a mobile device. To view a gallery of all my shots in Atlanta from Tuesday, follow the link in this sentence. 

 

The shot above looks south from Phipps Tower. I don't know Atlanta well enough to know for sure what each building is ni this composition, although I'm pretty sure the structure peeking into the frame on the far right is the JPMorgan Chase building.

Again, because of my unfamiliarity with the Atlanta skyline, I'm not positive of the structure above, captured with my iPhone 11. I believe it's the Monarch Building. The one below, taken with my Canon 6D, is the Marsh Mercer Building. 

The images above and below are from the Whitley, which is described online as a Marriott "collective luxury hotel." I have no idea what a "collective" hotel is. I will say the getting the angle of the shot above is a nice benefit of the wide end of the 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Tamron lens I was using. 

Above: One of two bench shots I grabbed during my walk. Never had one with an arm rest in the middle like this before. 

Above: Even the Dick's Sporting Goods store in Buckhead looked dignified.

Above: The BB&T building looked daunting, and the skies looked ominous.  

This tall, skinny structure is called Park Avenue Condominium. Park Avenue is a very short and narrow access road off Wieuca Road leading to the condos and strikes me as something was dubbed with such a familiar moniker to upscale its appeal. 

At Peachtree and Roxboro roads, this Jos. A. Bank meanswear store anchors a modest commercial center.

Next: Wieuca Road Baptist Church