Last evening, the City of Greensboro Planning Department held a public meeting for input on the proposed downtown design manual. The manual has been a multiple-year effort assembled by a citizen committee composed of developers, civic leaders, city-staff, downtown property owners, and nonprofit professionals. In developing plans, the committee reviewed similar initiatives in cities as far-reaching…
DetailsThe future of the Holleman House in Fisher Park does not look promising, but some who rally in support of Greensboro’s historic places remain cautiously optimistic. The 100-year-old house is located at the Greene Street entrance to the Fisher Park Historic District. The house was once part of an intact block-face of equally historic homes…
DetailsUNCG’s university quad, our classic American ballpark, Greensboro’s grandest house, and a mid-twentieth-century modern icon represent just a few of the diverse sites named to the Preservation Greensboro’s 2009 Treasured Places Watch List. This list, released this week in Landmarks newsmagazine, profiles the Gate City’s most endangered historic sites. The 2009 List recognizes the diversity of architecture…
DetailsThe sounds of hammers and saws were commonplace in Greensboro during the 1890s as the Gate City grew from a village to one of North Carolina’s largest cities by the turn-of-the-twentieth century. Aside from population growth, many key institutions that remain icons of the city, including North Carolina A&T, UNCG, and Revolution Mills, were established…
DetailsOnly 311 miles separate Greensboro from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC, but despite the relatively short distance between the two places, Greensboro shares a chapter of history with the history of the White House. The link is found in the career of one of the most influential architects in the history of the White…
DetailsWe can only imagine what Greensboro’s Downtown Greenway will be like when completed, though workers have laid asphalt for the path through the Warnersville neighborhood already. The complete experience remains a few months away when the “softscape” is installed once the summer’s heat has faded (image, right). In the meantime, linear park enthusiasts in Greensboro can look to…
DetailsAn architectural style called Brutalism? Just what were they thinking? Without a trained eye, Brutalist buildings are aptly named. Hard concrete walls, minimal windows, harsh lines and a scarcity of decoration are hallmarks of the style. Greensboro has several notable examples of the style, including the Governmental Plaza (image, upper right), arguably the best example of…
DetailsOne of Greensboro’s most interesting historic houses is getting a major makeover. The William Fields House at 447 Arlington Street near Southside was constructed between 1875 and 1879 (image, right). The two-story brick structure was designed in the Gothic Revival style of architecture, an unusual theme in the American South where steep-pitched roofs and narrow…
DetailsI have never heard someone from Charlotte say “I went to Greensboro the other day and their roller coasters are so cool.” I have never heard someone from Raleigh say “I was in Greensboro yesterday and the mall there is so cool.” I have heard people from both cities (and others) say “I was in…
DetailsWhat’s your North Carolina architectural IQ? Who is your favorite local architect or builder? Chances are, your IQ will skyrocket and your favorite designers will multiply after visiting the new Biographical Dictionary of Architects and Builders in North Carolina website. The effort to record biographies of Tar Heel architects began during the research for the…
DetailsButte goes by many nicknames – The richest hill on earth; The Gibraltar of unionism; The ugliest town in the world; The most pictorial place in America, and most recently, The nation’s largest Superfund site. It is the home of the Butte-Anaconda National Historic Landmark District, the National Folk Festival, and was host to the…
DetailsA touchstone to Greensboro’s commercial past now enjoys an extra level of recognition…and protection. Last night, the Meyer’s Department Store building at the corner of South Elm Street and February One Place was designated as a Guilford County Landmark Property by the Greensboro City Council. The owner-requested designation was unanimously approved by council following a…
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