Long before Kirkwood became a neighborhood of tidy post-War housing, the area featured scattered semi-rural farms and estates with notable homes and varied recreation areas. Development of neighborhoods north of Cornwallis Drive began during the roaring 20s, and spurred by the success of Irving Park to the south. One by one, small family farms were…
DetailsCan we give new meaning to the name Greensboro? In April, Preservation Greensboro will host the National Preservation Institute’s workshop on combining efforts of green design with historic preservation. The session, entitled “Green Strategies for Historic Buildings” will be led by Boston architect Jean Carroon, AIA, LEED, principal of preservation at Goody Clancy. The April…
DetailsWhen constructed in 1844 -1846, A. J. Davis’s charmingly Spartan façade for Blandwood was groundbreaking not only for North Carolina, but for the United States. Researchers long ago established that Blandwood was among the earliest, if not the earliest, residence designed in the Tuscan style (there was no Italy in 1844 – Tuscany was a…
DetailsArchitecture enthusiasts have observed for some time that Greensboro’s progressive design prowess reveals itself in fits and starts. Periodically the avant-garde of North Carolina architecture (exemplified by A. J. Davis’s Blandwood 1844, Walter Gropius’s East Market Street Factory of 1944, and Odell Associates Burlington Industries Headquarters 1972 [destroyed]), some would opine that Greensboro has fallen…
DetailsThe answer to the title of this article depends on how you ask the question. Greensboro has been around for almost 200 years, and in that time houses have been modified, restored…and often have changed uses. Early preservation efforts resulted in the creation of museums, or involved relocation of buildings in order to preserve them.…
DetailsBlair Kamin, the Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic for the Chicago Tribune, made many key points last month during his visit to the Gate City to challenge our thinking of architecture and urban design. Architecture matters to Greensboro’s citizens in many ways, both in defining our day-to-day lives, as well as the perceptions others have our…
DetailsIf you want a chance to peek into one of High Point’s classical homes, you will have a special opportunity on Saturday. The Junior League of High Point has just completed renovations to the Briles House on North Main Street in time for its 100th birthday. The neoclassical-style house is now the home of the…
DetailsOuch, that hurts. Greensboro fared poorly on two recently published lists by the American Institute of Architects of North Carolina ranking North Carolina’s Favorite Architecture (List A was solicited from the general public, list B was drawn from AIA members). Our beloved Jefferson Standard Building was the only mention, coming in at number 22 of…
DetailsSometimes, you don’t realize that the greatest treasures are those you already have. This morning, I have had the privilege of walking around downtown Greensboro with Blair Kamin, the architectural critic from the Chicago Tribune and keynote speaker of today’s program Architecture Matters: Downtown Greensboro and Beyond. Needless to say, his insights on the Gate…
DetailsPreservation Greensboro will be holding a series of architectural tours of the city this fall. Established in 1808, Greensboro has the good fortune to have examples of nearly every American architectural movement, ranging from First Period Log Houses, through elaborate Italianate, Queen Anne, Prairie, and Period Revival styles. Join your friends at PGI for a…
DetailsFor the first time in recent memory, architecture will be the topic of a public workshop and presentation here in Greensboro. The October 18th event, entitled Architecture Matters! Downtown Greensboro and Beyond will feature Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin, who will make the case for the importance of architecture and design in our city.…
DetailsThe Guilford Preservation Commission, recently spotlighted in newspaper headlines due to staff cutbacks, has continued its quiet and steadfast work of saving Guilford County history…as well as steering new development to be compatible with existing architecture. The most recent review, the redevelopment of the William Fields House property, has resulted in a project makeover. In…
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