Book Report: Look Up Asheville

Recently published by local press Grateful Steps, Look Up Asheville offers a unique perspective on Asheville’s architecture and history.

A collaboration between photographer Michael Oppenheim and writer Laura Hope-Gill, Look Up seeks to balance imagery and prose. It’s laid out rather like a collage, with 32 buildings (most of them located in downtown Asheville) each represented by a handful of images. Usually just one image (per collection) shows a given structure in its entirely and the balance dedicated to capturing each building’s details, many of which are not available to the casual observer and the naked eye.

It’s this aspect — the capturing of details — that makes Look Up such a treasure. For instance, did you know that there are blue-patina copper bouquets of flowers around the steeple of the First Presbyterian Church, a Native American-inspired feature motifs on Asheville City Hall and winged horses in bas-relief on the Haverty Building? There’s a certain sense of disorientation from the angles of the photos, looking up at corners and rooflines set against the sky. But with that disorientation, made possible by Oppenheim’s lense, comes the ability to see Asheville differently.

Hope-Gill provides a similar service through text. Each of the buildings selected for the book are historic and storied; Hope-Gill does a nice job of culling the most interesting anecdotes and morsels to accompany the artwork. Of the Kress building she writes, “Almost all Kress buildings are on the Register of Historic Places, including this one. Kress buildings are as resilient as their owner was shrewd: his business actually expanded during the Depression, due to the Woolworth-inspired practice of selling items at low cost.”

And of the Asheville Citizen-Times building: “For a building constructed the same year Hitler invaded Poland and two years after the fall of Nanking and Shanghai, Lord’s Asheville Citizen-Times Building reflects the launching of humanity into a new era, not only of architecture.”

At first, the white type on black pages, and the abundance of imagery is a little bit hard on the eyes. But that’s really the only shortfall of Look Up, and only a minor issue because this is a book meant to be savored rather than inhaled. It’s a coffee table book that will actually be perused cover-to-cover; it’s as much a gift book as it is a keep sake for the people who live in Asheville and see these buildings day after day. Consider Look Up both an insider’s view and a bird’s eye view: You’ll never look at Asheville again in quite the same way.

The book can be found in local bookstores and at Grateful Steps, 159 S Lexington Ave., Asheville.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Alli Marshall
Alli Marshall has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years and loves live music, visual art, fiction and friendly dogs. She is the winner of the 2016 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize and the author of the novel "How to Talk to Rockstars," published by Logosophia Books. Follow me @alli_marshall

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.