Projects & Construction:
50 West Fourth Apartments & Retail:
A rare view of this adaptive reuse project. According to Brandon, it's almost completed! This photograph shows some of the building's details. Yes, it was originally a courthouse at one time.
Credit: Brandon Carpenter
(MESDA) Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts Renovation: New to This Thread!
This Winston-Salem museum is currently undergoing an extensive renovation that will be completed by October. The museum will also expand with this renovation, adding a new master works gallery and other gallery spaces. I think this is worth adding to our list and following, since MESDA is a major nationally-known (in the decorative arts world) museum, frequently featured in national magazine articles, with a nationally respected collection it rotates and lends to other museums. This museum also has architectural antiques from the 1700s. They contacted the leading experts and spent 6-7 years researching how the renovate this museum, from period accurate paint to the best exhibit lighting. The Metropolitan Museum of Art also consulted on this museum renovation.
The museum's walls are actual walls from 200+ year old houses from around the southeast. You couldn't build a museum like this today.
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Credit: Bruce Chapman / JournalNow
This room (below) was originally in a colonial house in Charleston. The paint was restored to the original color through research.
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Credit: Bruce Chapman / JournalNow
These 200+ year old rooms were saved from demolition in the post-WWII "urban renewal" South. There are rooms from houses in 7 different states. I think most of the rooms are from North Carolina? So, don't scream in horror at this. This museum actually saved part of this region's history from the landfill! The museum houses the work of 127 different artistic trades, from the typical paintings you would see in a museum to silver, ceramics, furniture, textiles/fiber arts, and much more. You will find work from North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky artists. Part of what makes this museum unique in the South are these rooms taken from demolished or renovated colonial homes in the region. The works aren't displayed in glass cases. The works are displayed in actual historic rooms, from their home state, in the museum! Yes, it is open during the renovation, so be sure to visit!
Herbalife Building:
Yes, it was completed a week or two ago, but I found another great photograph of the completed building to share! This is being called an Innovation Center by Herbalife, which fits with the city's Arts & Innovation slogan. It was a $130 million adaptive reuse project.
Credit: Herbalife Spotlight
Wake Forest School of Medicine:
Workers at the university's future downtown medical school are currently removing the paint and damaged concrete from the surface, using hydro-blasting.
Credit: Andrew Dye
My favorite photographer, UrbanMez, has a great update on the downtown medical school, from last week!
Credit: UrbanMez
You can see the water inside the building, from the hydro-blasting.
Yes, this former industrial building will become a Medical School in Summer 2016! It will look similar to the restored building in the background (image below).
Credit: UrbanMez
Credit: UrbanMez
#CityOfAdaptiveReuse
Credit: UrbanMez
You can see where workers are renovating the skybridge between the renovated 525@Vine and the Medical School:
Credit: UrbanMez
I wish they would clad the skybridges in glass, to show the beautiful steel work.
UrbanMez has more photographs of the building and descriptions in his albums. I want to thank him for sharing these.
ARTivity on the Green:
Doug Rice and AFAS Group provided an awesome update on downtown's newest art-themed park!
Credit: Doug Rice / AFAS Group
Credit: Doug Rice / AFAS Group
This is the mural wall's construction:
Credit: Doug Rice / AFAS Group
Credit: Doug Rice / AFAS Group
Big Winston Market:
Yes, it's built, but there is another tenant interested in space there. Look for "Big Winston Lounge" to open there.
Mullen Advertising Agency Adding Accounts and Jobs:
Mullen is moving accounts from Pittsburgh to downtown Winston-Salem, as they close their Pittsburgh office. They are also inviting employees working on those accounts to relocate to Winston-Salem.
Salem College Apartments:
A view from the top! The new building is designed to match the Victorian rowhouses across the street. Yes, you are looking down on historic rowhouses from the 1800s in the photograph below!
Credit: CJMW
Kimpton Hotel & Apartments:
Credit: Christina Mendenhall
120 West Third Building:
The State could bring administrative jobs to this downtown building, while the county discusses what to do with the building. If approved, the State would sign a short term lease for the office space and the lease could be terminated, if Forsyth County decided to move forward with a development offer. Developers are already contacting the county about buying the building, which was built for Winston-Salem Savings and Loan Association. The building is outdated, expensive to maintain, and is located across the street from a proposed park with underground parking, set to start construction later this year. It's also surrounded by apartments, condos, restaurants, and a proposed hotel. This is a very attractive location for a new office or residential development that could bring much higher tax revenue to the County.
Reynolda House Indoor Pool Restoration:
We haven't seen an update on this in a while. This project isn't officially on our main page construction list, but I've posted on it every time I've found an update. The house was designed in 1912 by famed Philadelphia architect Charles Barton Keen (1868-1931), who would later relocate from Philadelphia to downtown Winston-Salem (8 W. Third Building), due to the large number of projects here and the central location between projects in the Northeast and Florida. Charles Barton Keen designed homes for many of Philadelphia's wealthiest families along the Philadelphia Main Line. Northeast forum members who are fans of Keen's work should visit Winston-Salem. He planned neighborhoods in Winston-Salem like West Highlands and Buena Vista and designed everything from performing arts centers to mansions to shopping centers to churches to hospitals to art galleries to schools in Winston-Salem.
Credit: Reynolda
Neurology Center ICU Expansion:
Construction has started on this project's first phase. The first phase will move the Neurology ICU to Ardmore Tower and double its size. Frank L. Blum Construction is the General Contractor and construction should be completed by this fall. This is only a quarter of the work planned, so this should be a big project to follow.
U.S. Olympic Cycling Center:
The USOC is currently in discussions with the developer of this project and it is now moving forward. This adaptive reuse project is fully financed. It likely won't officially be named a USOC Center until it's completed, inspected, and can be fully approved as a finished project. Then developers can install the massive "five rings" Olympic logo on the downtown building's facade. The building will have apartments, allowing U.S. Olympic cyclists and coaches to live downtown at the Cycling Center. USA Cycling will select those cyclists for the apartments. The building will also include indoor training equipment and a sports nutrition program. As you can see in the renderings (previous post), it does include a two-storey "Health Food" grocery store with cafe, that is open to downtown residents. I'm excited to see what this grocery store is. The cyclists who will train in this building are road cyclists, mountain bikers, and cyclocross. Very exciting! I think I also read anyone can use the training center? It's also exciting to have bike routes, around the city, that Team USA will use to train! I may have to bring my bike on my next visit!
Placemaking & Fun:
Movable Literature Feast:
Did you know downtown Winston-Salem has events allowing you meet authors from across the country? One of these events for book lovers was Sunday at downtown's Biotech Place Building. You could meet a different author every 10 minutes, as the 21 authors move to different tables during the event. Each table had 8 book lovers waiting to meet a new author. It was a chance for authors to introduce their work and for readers to discover new material. Jamie Southern said “Our mission is to connect readers with writers, so we like this because it’s more intimate where the attendees get to actually talk to the authors and learn more about them and learn more about their writing.” Every 10 minutes, the author shares a brief synopsis of his or her book with a new set of people and answers questions.
# Keep Winston-Salem Weird and Nerdy!
Winston-Salem's Pop Festival:
You know "Festival Season" is almost here, when you see these posts! Winston-Salem's annual free "Pop Festival" will be held March 27, 28, and 29 on downtown stages and at downtown music clubs. Hear everything from Folk to R&B and Hip-Hop. Yes, I said FREE! If you attend any after parties, they cost money, but the concerts are free! The festival will feature 50 local and national acts. We should know what bands are performing, as spring festival season nears. They will also have a mobile app. This festival is organized and operated by people aged 21-22 years old, so expect to hear younger music acts.
Camel City Elite:
See the fastest college track stars and several Olympians at the Camel City Elite Track Meet on January 30-31. There are Olympic record holders in this event! Craig Longhurst said "The quality of the field makes it one of best indoor meets on the east coast." Some of the athletes at this event are currently ranked among the top 5 best in the world! They are expecting records to be broken in Winston-Salem!
Photographs of the Week!
Credit: Ashley Turner
Credit: Beers n' Gears
The building above was completed in 1849! Yes, it is 166 years old and has 29 apartments. When it was new, the building was used as a retail store, with two floors of residences.
Talbot Hamlin, an expert on American Greek Revival architecture, said: It is one of the most original Greek Revival structures in the nation! It is seen as an important example of the style. In addition to this building, Belo also owned an iron works and started a railroad company. All of the building's iron work, including the hitching posts and the large cast iron animals on the steps, were cast in Belo's iron works. Interesting Fact for Texans: The house the Dallas Bar Association is located in was based on the design of this building.