When Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin visited Greensboro in 2007, he ended his discussion before an audience of over 100 Greensboro citizens with the following directive: “There’s an old saying: You get what you deserve. Well, we get the built environment we deserve, especially in a small city. Chicago, a big city, can take the…
DetailsAccording to an article in this morning’s News and Observer: “President Barack Obama on Monday signed into law a massive public lands bill that includes a small provision to preserve historic landmarks in North Carolina and the rest of the country — the result of work begun in part by U.S. Rep. Brad Miller of Raleigh”…
DetailsTraipse the woods and old fields of the Carolina Piedmont in the month of March, and you will likely discover a lonesome cluster of daffodils randomly sited off the path. Those who work with historic buildings in the region recognize these flowers as reliable signs of settlement that might stretch 100 years or more into…
DetailsGovernor John Motley Morehead, whose home Blandwood is operated by Preservation Greensboro as a museum, would be pleased. North Carolina’s restored and historic railway stations, like ours here in Greensboro (image, right), might soon be getting a workout. With $8 billion of the recent Federal stimulus package reserved for the development of intercity high-speed rail service, our state’s prior investment in passenger rail service has positioned…
DetailsThrough an unprecedented public-private partnership in preservation, a pair of historic houses in downtown Greensboro might avoid destruction and find suitable new homes that will enrich two of Greensboro’s most historic neighborhoods. The joint effort of the City of Greensboro (Department of Housing & Community Development); the Preservation Greensboro Development Fund, Inc.; Greensboro College; the College…
DetailsGreensboro has a long history of historic preservation and adaptive reuse, dating back to the 1887 conservation of the Guilford Courthouse battleground and the 1924 establishment of the Greensboro Historical Museum in the old First Presbyterian Church. Today, historic preservation remains an important part of the Gate City’s identity and character, illustrated by nine exciting…
DetailsPreservation Greensboro has a forty year tradition of engaging the local community with notable speakers at the organization’s annual meeting. Beginning with Jane Davies of Columbia University at the very first annual meeting in 1966, other speakers have included Clement Conger, Curator of the White House; James Biddle, President of the National Trust for Historic…
DetailsHistoric preservation has been an exciting part of Greensboro’s growth for decades, but today’s developers are exploring new ways to preserve our environment by going green. Here in Greensboro, participants of a workshop sponsored by Preservation Greensboro will learn how to accomplish both in one project. The session will be chaired by Carl Elefante, AIA,…
DetailsHistoric districts are not museums. Buildings rise and (tragically) fall, streets get paved and restriped, sidewalks are refitted to correct cracks, and trees are removed when they die. Historic preservation, as we know, is less about the past and is all about the future. For historic districts, context is important. The materials in which buildings…
DetailsGreensboro’s proposed International Civil Rights Museum (originally F. W. Woolworth’s) located at 132 South Elm Street was constructed in 1929 according to plans drawn by architect Charles C. Hartmann. The two-story structure is carefully tailored and detailed by Hartmann, who earned a distinguished reputation in the Gate City by having designed such notable structures as…
DetailsThe voter’s rejection last month of a bond package to rescue Greensboro’s stadium built as a memorial to World War veterans has sent those dedicated to saving the 80 year old monument scratching their heads. How can the city-owned structure be conserved and reused with little in the way of appropriated funds, especially in a tight economy. More…
DetailsIn 1957, twenty three young women from Greensboro’s Woman’s College (today UNCG) oversaw the construction of a house at 2207 North Elm Street. In the process, the students learned about load-bearing construction, material qualities, and the challenges posed by new, state-of-the-art technology such as dishwashers, garbage disposals, and aluminum wiring. In the American South in…
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