The September/October issue of the National Trust’s Forum News provides a solution to a problem we experience here in Greensboro in a weekly basis. The Forum News states “It has long been a cause of frustration for preservation advocates, and misunderstanding by the public, that there are no formal preservation protections for properties listed in…
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.…
DetailsTo paraphrase a popular proverb, “it takes a village to raise a cigarette”…or a tobacco product. Nineteenth-century Greensboro was certainly one of those villages, with all phases of tobacco manufacturing (growing, brokering, and manufacturing) represented here. Certain phases of development grew in importance in the village, but in the end, consolidation changed the profile of…
DetailsThe 1890s was a time of change for Greensboro, as the sleepy county seat with a smattering of manufacturing facilities grew into a small city laden with industry. Shaded village lanes (such as Elm shaded Elm Street) lined with ample Queen Anne-style residences gave way to hot dusty streets lined with brick tobacco warehouses, small-scale…
DetailsGreensboro doesn’t have cavernous brick tobacco factories like Durham and Winston-Salem. The observation has merit, considering Greensboro has been a tobacco center for over 100 years. Since the city has a tobacco history, why doesn’t it have great old buildings to show for it? Unlike Winston-Salem and Durham, Greensboro’s tobacco industry was not dominated by a single…
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…
DetailsThis summer, preservation groups across the nation are working with members of Congress to follow through on a proposed increase to core national preservation programs. Both chambers have recommended increases for the Historic Preservation Fund this year. On the House side, the proposed increase is a nearly $10 million increase from last year’s level: $45…
DetailsCertainly most people enjoy creative competition, including architects. A good time was had by all on Friday, July 27th, where I served alongside Brigitte Blanton (Greensboro Public Library) and Mary Young (Green Hill Center) as a judge for a design competition open to staff at J. Hyatt Hammond Associates (JHHA). JHHA is a leading architectural…
DetailsAn historian could make a strong arguement that Greensboro has sought suburban design standards since it was developed in the early nineteenth century. Images from the late 1800s show the city brimming with gardens (in fact, it was named the “City of Flowers” long before it was the “Gate City”), shaded streets, and large houses…
DetailsReskinning, also known as recladding, is big business here in Greensboro and other places. Notable examples include the old Wachovia Tower on North Elm Street, but also the 230 South Tryon building in Charlotte and the Verizon Building on Bryant Park in Manhattan. New skins on old buildings are not new to Greensboro, where several…
DetailsIn light of the recent disbandment of staff for the Guilford County Joint Historic Preservation Commssion, and in light of recent threats to do the same to the staff of the Greensboro Historic Preservation Commission, citizens need not take these government programs for granted. If you benefit in any way from these services (enjoy historic…
DetailsHistoric Barns Threat: Demolition by Neglect Rural Guilford County Since the earliest days of settlement, the family farm has been a vital image in Guilford County. As the main structures of farms, barns evoke a sense of tradition and closeness to the land that seems to diminish each year in our county’s rapidly suburbanizing landscape.…
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