Assignment 3: Lydia

Image One:

This building on Roswell Road was originally most likely a Pizza Hut due to the building’s pyramidal style of windows and roof. It was sometime since converted into the Happy Hocker Pawn Shop, which serves a different clientele than the family oriented pizza restaurant. As the restaurant and the surrounding apartment complexes aged, the pizza restaurant and the nearby businesses left the aging area and buildings for other locations. Another restaurant and store south of this location have also since converted into a bar and a liquor store. This combination of turn over and recycling of space reflects the economic and social changes of the area. The clientele of the building has evolved from the family to appeal to the tenants of the apartment complexes in the area.

Image Two:

This Starbucks on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs was once a bank that outgrew this location. Patrons can still drive through to the window and the bank’s drop box is still evident. The clientele of the Starbucks, which is a training location for the chain, is a mixture of people of different ages, however it is likely that there are now more young people present in the coffeehouse than would have been present in the bank. While the smaller size limited the functionality of a chain financial institution, the lobby area was compatible for an intimate coffee house feel. The former bank offices in the upstairs area are now used as training facilities and offices for the Starbucks.

Image Three:

This Mediterranean restaurant also on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs is a former Church’s Chicken fast food establishment. This entire strip along Roswell Road features many recycled and repurposed buildings. This recycled building added an awning to encourage patrons to linger on the patio, however on the day I was there, customers were scarce. The only person I saw was an employee, and a person in a car cutting through the parking lot to make a quick turn onto a side street. Older fast food buildings such as this one are cheaper for local restaurants to adapt and recycle.