Q: In your recent answer about the High Museum, you did not mention the June 3, 1962 plane crash at Orly Airport near Paris in which 106 Atlanta arts patrons died. Hasn’t that event had a lasting impact on Atlanta’s art community?
—J.B. Terrell, Atlanta
A: Other readers also wanted to know more about the High history, particularly details on this tragic event. After the crash of the chartered plane claimed the lives of community leaders and artists on a museum-sponsored European tour, the Atlanta Arts Alliance was formed in honor of the victims and raised $15 million to create a cultural center in their memory. The story is recounted on the Woodruff Arts Center's website: "Plans that had existed, or were in the works, prior to the crash were dusted off and re-thought. The concept of a memorial for the Orly victims — something involving the arts — floated through the city. The idea that developed was a bold never-before-tried one. Why not combine the cream of Atlanta's performing and visual arts venues into a center for the arts?" In 1968, the Atlanta Memorial Arts Center opened to honor those who perished. You'll now find the Memorial Arts Building as part of the Woodruff Arts Center campus, which includes the High, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Alliance Theater, the 14th Street Playhouse and Young Audiences.
Q: What is the relationship between President Theodore Roosevelt and Bulloch Hall in Roswell?
A: This Greek Revival home in north Fulton County was all in the family. Roosevelt's father, Theodore Roosevelt Sr., married Mittie Bulloch in the dining room of the home on Dec. 22, 1853. Bulloch was the daughter of Maj. James Stephens Bulloch, a Roswell settler, and Martha Stewart Elliott Bulloch. Imagine what Martha Stewart could do if she had her hands on the home, which the public can tour. But that's for another story. The 26th U.S. president visited his mother's home, which was built in 1839, during a visit to the South in 1905, but there's no word if he spoke softly or carried a big stick with him.
Q: I heard about a St. Patrick’s Day party, the 15th Annual Raising of the Green, a fundraiser at the ART Station in Stone Mountain. What’s the ART Station?
A: It's a performing and visual arts center founded 25 years ago. The center's theatre company, art galleries, children's gallery and other space are housed in Stone Mountain Village's old Trolley Car Barn. The ART part is in reference to an old trolley car photo in front of the building with "Atlanta Rapid Transit" on the side. Now for another year, supporters and community leaders are putting the "art" in party with its St. Patrick's Day event.
What do you want to know?
If you’re new in town or just have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Lori Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
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