Have you heard this one? A contractor, an engineer and an architect were standing inside their recently completed building looking out at the street when a VERY attractive woman walked by. The contractor whistled.The engineer said, “Look at the legs on that woman!” The architect said, “Did I miss something? I was admiring my reflection.”
There are a million architect jokes like that one (I know. It is sexist because it assumes that the contractor, engineer and architect are all male. But it makes a point.). So, apparently, the architects decided to get in on the jokes themselves, because a bunch of them and their friends threw a party recently to benefit Knox Heritage. It was one of the organization’s Summer Suppers series.
They sent out an invitation asking everyone to wear black, “the architect’s favorite color,” but allowed that white and red accents would be tolerated “to achieve the correct level of contrast.” The invite urged, “Bring your haughty expressions and cerebral small talk and you’ll fit right in!”
Wow. I didn’t know architects had such a bad reputation! But at least they have a sense of humor about it.
Anyway, the evening was quite festive. It was held in Louisville at the unique lakeside A-frame home of Jeannine and Paul Weeks. I tried to capture some of the home’s features in these photos. I hope you enjoy them.
The house was built on land that architect Felder Weeks purchased for $500 at a TVA land auction in 1950. It was originally built as a vacation cabin on a beautiful inlet of the Tennessee River. In 2009, Paul and Jeannine Weeks finished a renovation to make the retreat a full-time residence, asking architects Bruce McCarty and Brian Pittman to preserve “the soul” of the home. All the original detailing was maintained and a new guest house and covered porch were seamlessly added.
Only one more Summer Supper remains in what was a terrific series this year. It is a downtown dinner Sept. 7 with a Mardi Gras theme. It starts at Kendrick Place and ends at the Emporium. A New Orleans jazz funeral procession will take guests from one stop to the next. If you’d like tickets, click here to go to the Knox Heritage website where they can be purchased. It will be a good one!
Soon it was time for a few remarks. It was no trouble at all to get folks to come out to the lovely lawn to listen.
And then, dinner, a 1950s era buffet!
Get a load of this! It’s the coolest thing. It’s called a Geochron and it shows when the sun sets and rises across the globe. Interestingly, it’s not web-based, but is mechanical. The Weeks bought it many years ago and folks at the Summer Supper found it fascinating.
Here is a complete host list for this event: Michelle and David Bakewell, Carolyn and Chad Boetger, Kristen Faerber and Jeff Scheafnocker, Becky and Steve Hancock, Linda and John Haynes, Elizabeth and Bruce McCarty, Jane and Doug McCarty, Dianna and Peter Osickey, Brian Pittman, Susanne Tarovella and Andy Godwin, Shannon Webb and Jeannine and Paul Weeks. Thanks, everybody!
So glad you and Alan were there, Cynthia! We were so grateful the weather held out. That is one of my favorite houses in the area. So glad those clever architects came together to share their genius with the rest of us. 🙂
I agree, Becky! Glad they can poke fun at themselves! It was a fun night — and I love that Geochron!
What a beautiful piece of property. And Jeannine Weeks’ poodle skirt is a hit with me — brings back memories!
Hey, Rusha: The poodle skirt was very cool. I think she wore it because 1) she has and loves poodles and 2) they were going for a ’50s retro theme. In any case, I loved it, too!
I was sorry I couldn’t be at this one, so I really appreciate the account and photos. What a great house. It looks like a very fun evening. Glad you are enjoying the 2012 Summer Suppers. We are currently putting together the lineup for 2013–lots of great stuff ahead.
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