Burdell’s Building Bracket: Championship

If we’re being direct, the two most deserving buildings made it to the final matchup. And that’s okay. Sometimes number one seeds win. No double-dribbles or questionable fouls here, though. Sorry Auburn. But the time has come to find out what the readers of this humble blog put first: stealing Ts or football games.

Well, we’ve made it to the end. By now, you certainly know the deal. For a refresher, here’s the bracket: Final Bracket.pdf. Are we surprised that it came down to these two? No. But there’s still one decision left to make.

Jake Grant

Championship:

No. 1 Lettie Pate Whitehead Administrative Building (Tech Tower) vs. No. 1 Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field

Tech Tower:

There’s sixteen illuminated letters on the top, and one of Tech’s most prized-but-unlawful traditions is to take the T closest to the highway, in order around the tower, until they are all gone. Tech’s oldest building has hosted everything (and, yes, for a while, it literally held every single thing at Tech), ranging from the chapel to classrooms, and from libraries to executive offices. Nowadays houses gorgeous administrative offices, thanks to a recent renovation. And, I’d be remised to not at least mention the Bradley Building, a midcentury addition home to the legendary Junior’s Grill and, more recently, campus staple Highland Bakery. Tech would not be the same without its crowning icon, which remains the de facto, if not de jure height limit for buildings on campus, and its status as the symbolic face of Georgia Tech to the outside world, on promotional materials and commercials, letterheads, and as a time-tested staple of the Atlanta skyline will probably never be usurped.

Bobby Dodd:

First home to Georgia Tech Football as early as 1905, the former ravine with a creek in the bottom was flattened by prisoners John Heisman had contracted from the local penitentiary. Though Tech didn’t make the Flats its permanent home until 1913, after bouncing around between mainly Piedmont Park, an actual park, and Ponce de Leon Park, a baseball stadium, the now-graded Grant Field was supplemented by spectator stands built by Tech students. The Hill lorded over the west side, and a baseball diamond graced the far end of the field. Later on, stands would follow on the east side, before the stadium was bowled in along North Avenue and the Naval Armory and Heisman Gym and Pool complex were built along the north end of the stadium. The stadium, home to four national championship teams, lost its bowl during the dark years in the back half of the 20th century, while the Edge Building, Rice Center, and the mammoth Upper North Stands and Football Offices replaced the Works Progress Administration-era basketball and swimming recreation center as the calendar marched into the 2000s. People seemed amazed to find a pool under the Upper North Stands during last summer’s locker room renovation, but attentive students of Tech history make note of the many eclectic uses the block bounded by North, Techwood, and Third have seen. It seems it will just be a matter of time before another miraculous play against Florida State will be named after the place’s street neighbors. Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field, as it is now known, remains Tech’s home to this day, as the oldest on-campus facility in FBS football.

Let me hear your thoughts below and be sure to submit your votes by 9:00 PM on Wednesday and I’ll see you for Rearview Mirror on Thursday morning.