“I do have a few points, Chair Martin. First, I just want to definitely thank the folk from over at Old Salem and Cheryl Harry for meeting to talk about the questions that I raised around the Hidden Town Project and its connection with the Shotgun House project. And I think because the questions were raised, we were able to figure ou… More
The 1911 Wachovia Building on West Third Street is getting a facelift. The forgotten Wachovia Building on West First Street is the first of three skyscrapers Wachovia Bank built in our city. It is being converted from an office building into another luxury apartment building.
Architecturally, the often-overlooked Wachovia Build… More
“To build, first you must destroy.” That’s the old adage. But when it comes to the redevelopment of the Cleveland Avenue Homes, apparently, they must be preserved on paper, at least before they can be demolished. That’s what a recent public notice from the City of Winston-Salem says, anyway.
“The pr… More
“How do these buildings get into this type of condition? It looks like years of neglect and deterioration.” -John Larson
“City Council Members approved the demolition of several vacant buildings along Liberty Street. But councilwoman Annette Scipio questioned why the City can’t restore the buildings … More
The W-S Journal’s Scott Sexton criticized the City’s utilization of Union Station recently (Union Station provides context at a cost-11/20/2022). But as usual, Sexton was far too easy on the City of Winston-Salem. Sexton asked, “for $11.1 million – and counting-was the renovation of a building that hou… More
In 2016, the City of Winston-Salem partnered with North Carolina A&T’s Landscape Architecture program. Seniors in the program (with the input of local residents) created various adaptive reuse plans for the Nissen Wagon Works complex. Undoubtedly, these plans would have been expensive to implement. But that is the co… More
Old Salem is a local treasure. It’s a historical time capsule, a sacred historic space for residents of our city. Though the Old Salem history project started out mighty white, in recent years, Old Salem has come clean about Salem’s embrace of enslavement and white supremacy. Old Salem’s Hidden Town project is a f… More
For nearly a decade now, there have been serious plans to ‘transform’ the Cleveland Avenue homes. The process of erasing the Cleveland Avenue Homes and building NEWside has begun. According to HAWS’ documents, the first group of 28 residents has been relocated. On Monday, HAWS Director Kevin Cheshire told HAWS… More
Fifty years ago this weekend, a Downtown Winston-Salem landmark was demolished. On a cold late March morning back in 1972, a crowd gathered in front of First Baptist on Fifth Street to witness the Robert E. Lee Hotel’s demolition. The Robert E. Lee Hotel long ago surrendered to the whims of urban planners. The grand hotel with a p… More
I found this article in the Central Library’s North Carolina Room some time ago. It’s eye-opening. In the article below (that I am sharing for educational purposes) we learn that some prime real estate near Buena Vista has a hidden history. It was once used by Francis Fries to house enslaved Africans who were too old to be e… More
