Photo by I.F.G. Dunn

I cannot wait until Thursday! Not only will Raleigh’s Visual Art Exchange be celebrating the opening of their new digs at 309 W. Martin St., but the long-lost and forgotten iconic  ’Buddha Wall’ will be made available for public viewing for the first time in more than 20 years.

Photo courtesy VAE

Visual Art Exchange (VAE) has long had an active presence in downtown Raleigh.

Founded in 1980, VAE is a non-profit creativity incubator and gallery that supports and educates emerging, professional and student artists. Each year VAE exhibits the work of more than 800 artists in 60 exhibitions and hosts more than 50 educational programs. VAE also is the force behind SPARKcon, an interdisciplinary art and design festival in Downtown Raleigh.

Since 1996 VAE has occupied cramped quarters in City Market. Now, 15 years later, the gallery is moving to a newly renovated space in the Warehouse District. The former plumbing supply distribution building at 309 W. Martin St., at 4,000+ sq. ft., is more than three times the size of the City Market venue. The Exchange Gallery and main gallery spaces are now doubled in size at the new location. VAE has also added a new exhibition space called ‘The Cube.’ The Cube will allow for a year-round schedule of exhibitions and an expanded opportunity for artists who work in alternative media.

The renovation was designed by Raleigh architectural and design firm, Clearscapes. Their able staff made a significant effort in the development of the necessary construction documents for the project.  Clearscapes’ design was beautifully realized by Emmco Construction, LLC, of Raleigh.

This is how the space appeared shortly after demo had been completed in June.

Work was underway non-stop this summer at 309 W. Martin St.

VAE is ‘the new kid’ on the block, joining  established galleries in the neighborhood such as Flanders, Designbox, 311 Galleries and Studios and the recently opened Contemporary Art Museum. Additionally, architects, artists’ and photographers’  studios, a fashion design studio and an antiques dealer are also located in the area. Clearly, the Warehouse District seems to be emerging as Raleigh’s premier arts destination.

Tomorrow night from 7-10 pm VAE will celebrate the move to their new space with a gala VAE Preview + Celebration. Tickets may be puchased online. A free public reception will be held First Friday on Sept. 2.

But … before it was VAE, 309 W. Martin was the Warehouse District home of The Paper Plant, the central venue for Raleigh’s emerging artists community of the 1980s.

Photo by Raleigh Boy (1973)

I snapped this shot of 309 W. Martin St. in 1973. The Paper Plant moved into this building in 1985.

The independently-owned book store and art gallery promoted local artists, hosted poetry readings and papermaking workshops, and presented more than 30 major exhibitions of local artists during its tenure, 1985-1990. Among these was a collaborative installation show in 1987 by Raleigh artists Ron Ridgeway and Dan Clower.

Ridgeway took on the challenge of creating what has come to be known as “The Buddha Wall.” In the far nether reaches of the Paper Plant is a subterranean and long-abandoned boiler room.  It was here that Ridgeway chose to install his creation.

This is the boiler room where the Buddha Wall was installed. (The boiler itself has been long-since removed.)

The Buddha Wall consists of a patterned series of 225 individual Buddha figures painted onto a brick wall measuring approximately 20′ x 12′. The gridded composition is accentuated by three large ‘cartouches,’ each representing a particular aspect of the Buddha’s life.

The central cartouche represents the Buddha’s Enlightenment.

This cartouche represents a youthful Buddha seated on his lotus throne.

Ridgeway’s inspiration to create the Buddha Wall entered through an unexpected portal  —  an art book documenting the discovery and preservation of a 500 year old wall painting in a remote Tibetan monastery. For the project the artist says “I wanted to do something anti-commercial. It had to be something created for the viewer’s personal joy in the moment” — in other words, an installation.

The repeated, rhythmic pattern of the Buddha figures is meditative — hypnotic, even.

Photo by I.F.G. Dunn

Ridgeway began the work by priming the brick wall with a gesso suface, and then gridded it out in order to guide the creation of the series of figures. The three large cartouches were not a part of the original scheme, but evolved as the ‘series of units,’ as the artist refers to the pattern of figures and arches, came together.

Ridgeway used artist’s acrylic as his medium, and then upon the completion of the work, covered the entire wall with a protective coating of gloss ‘roplex.’ He derived his color palatte from those colors specific to Buddhist philosophy.

Every single one of the 225 Buddha figures is different. Ridgeway would often spend a day or more on painting particular features, such as all the hands one day, and the eyes the next. In that way the artist could develop the individuality of each figure, and not fall into monotonous repetition.

Not only are the Buddhas all different, one from the other, but Ridgeway incorporated facial features of many of his friends into some of them as well. (My portrait is supposedly in there somewhere!)

The Buddha Wall is a fascinating work of art! The brick wall adds a third dimension to otherwise flat paint.

Photo by I.F.G. Dunn

The colors are quite brilliant, even after all this time.

Oh, in case you are wondering, the painting of the Buddha Wall required 500+ hours of work over the course of a full year.

On a personal note: I had not seen the Buddha Wall for more than 20 years until this past June, when I and fellow GNR contributor, Ian F.G. Dunn, were invited by VAE board member Jon Zellweger to photograph it. Minor water damage notwithstanding, I was surprised to find it in such good shape. Sadly, part of the original installation, a construction of additional Buddhas at the end of the room, had disappeared. Nontheless, the overall presence of the Buddha Wall emerging eerily from the darkness as my eyes adjusted to the low light of the old boiler room was overwhelming.

The Raleigh arts community will be forever grateful to VAE and Clearscapes for their active role in preserving this unique and remarkable example of an early avant garde installation by a local artist.

Photographing the Buddha Wall.

I would like to recognize, and offer my sincere thanks and gratitude to Ron Ridgeway, John Dancy-Jones, VAE, Sarah Powers, Jon Zellweger, and Mike Martin for their generous cooperation and assistance in helping to bring Raleigh’s enigmatic Buddha Wall back into the light.

Magic at the Buddha Wall. Kinetic light sculpture by Johnny Dickerson, courtesy VAE.

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This weekend the Contemporary Art Museum will officially open with a catered street festival and black tie event Friday, and the free admission official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday.

It’s my belief that CAM’s opening in this beautiful building in the Warehouse District is the greatest thing to happen to Downtown Raleigh since the new Convention Center opened almost three years ago.

What Exactly is ‘Contemporary Art’?

In the simplest of terms, contemporary art is regarded as works created in the present time. Currently, it often explores social issues, new technologies, performance, street culture, or the three dimensional space. Contemporary art also frequently exhibits the items in our environment that we interact with daily.

A Brief History of the Contemporary Art Museum

Founded in 1983, CAM was originally located in the space where Tir Na Nog is now. After losing support and funding from a City Council which had less of an appreciation for the arts in the mid 90s, the name was changed from the City Gallery of Contemporary Art to the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) as part of a plan that included finding a permanent home in Raleigh.

Moore Square in 2008, with Tir Na Nog and the Pour House in the bottom foreground

The following personal account sums up the history of the area around Moore Square where it was once located:

From 1989-1992, I worked in Peden Gallery II as a Gallery Assistant (Raleigh Contemporary Gallery shared the next door space (the two galleries occupied the Caffe Luna space). [...]

The City Gallery of Contemporary Art was around the corner (where Tir Na Nog is now). We used to wake up the sleeping homeless everyday when we arrived at the gallery (they liked to sleep on our doorstep). BANKS Fine Food was across Hargett and they served free meals to the homeless regularly. The fountains in the back were on every day back then. First Friday consisted of four or five galleries and we all served wine to the visitors. The Grove was a great music spot (where Pour House is now) and it also hosted the very first “NCSU Art to Wear” fashion show. [...]

There were some hookers downtown back then and some drug activity in front of the galleries. It was different then but it was great working at a gallery after class at NCSU.

– Nabs K. Lately

East side, before construction

In 1997, CAM purchased the 20,000 sq. ft. brick building in the heart of the Warehouse District for $460,000. Various plans were debated for the space, until eventually the idea of a modern rehab of the historic structure took shape.

North side, before renovations

CAM aimed for a modern museum in a historic building without a permanent inventory.

CAM interior during construction

A New Priority for the City of Raleigh

In 2005, the City of Raleigh committed $1 million to building the Contemporary Art Museum. It has long been a cause Mayor Charles Meeker championed, and was cited by him in the recent State of the City address.

CAM Classroom

Merging with the NC State College of Design

In 2006, CAM merged with the College of Design and moved operations to the college. The programs of CAM have continued from offices there, as well as various spaces throughout the area.

One of the ways CAM will be a part of the community is its ties to Design Camp:

Design Camp is an annual summer design program offered to high school students at NC State University College of Design. Since its inception over 25 years ago, Design Camp has exposed more than 2,500 high school students to the exciting world of design. Design Camp informs students about college study in design and raises awareness of the impact of art and design through a series of weeklong summer programs. In 2007, Design Camp became an outreach program of CAM (Contemporary Art Museum). CAM joined the College of Design in February 2006, becoming the lead component in the college’s Art + Design in the Community Initiative. Design Camp projects challenge students to explore their creativity and critical-thinking skills while pushing them to try a range of techniques and media. The exploration of the design process teaches students to question, make choices, generate alternatives, work collaboratively and ultimately broaden their understanding of the world around them.

Beyond Design Camp, CAM also benefits from the operational structure that exists within the College of Design, and the collaboration opportunities available with the students of the college.

CAM gives the College of Design the distinction of being affiliated with a proper art museum, as well as a direct link to the continuing resurgence of Downtown Raleigh.

Independent Weekly Gallery

Emerging Artists and the Independent Weekly Wing

The Independent has long been a supporter of the Contemporary Art Museum, and an entire gallery bears the name of the Triangle’s local alt-weekly. The lower gallery will focus on emerging artists, the first artist being New York-based Naoko Ito.

CAM canopy before the clouds were added

Adding Geometry and Modernity to a Historic Building

CAM represents movement and progress for the area in countless ways, but one of the ways in which it shines the most is the building itself.

It’s unclear if the designers had intended this, but the striking geometric canopy on the east elevation is a beautiful nod to the area’s architectural history as an innovator in the field of creative shelters. Dorton Arena, the Catalano House (razed), the Milton Small Office Building, and the domes at the fairgrounds are the some of the most prominent examples of this legacy.

CAM exterior during final phase of construction

The project was a result of the collaboration of local firm Clearscapes and LA-based Brooks + Scarpa.  Originally a 1927 grocery supply warehouse, a railroad spur (still visible today) runs from the area around the Amtrak station to the structure where groceries were once unloaded. It later served various industrial functions, one of the most recent being a chrome bumper repair shop.

CAM interior, showing original elevator shaft

Retaining Original Character

In addition to the railroad spur leading up the alley to the loading dock, the original elevator is still extant. Its location represents the transition from the historical to the futuristic: the cloud pattern on the underside of the canopy continues inside the building, and stops at the elevator.

CAM exterior, during golden hour

The Most Beautiful Building of 2011

More than once I’ve made the “most beautiful” remark about new buildings in Raleigh. The first was the new Convention Center and Shimmer Wall. The most recent was the North Carolina Museum of Art.

CAM is not only a beautiful modern building, but it is also repurposed (the greenest kind of building) and most importantly, it represents an increase in creative capital for the Capital City. CAM deserves the honor this year of being this blog’s “most beautiful.”

CAM interior, showing blend between indoors and out

A Cultural Catalyst for Raleigh

Equally as important as being a beautiful building and shining example of historic preservation, CAM represents a significant leap for Downtown Raleigh entertainment options.

CAM interior

Having an art museum downtown represents a significant shift. Now, there is another before-dinner entertainment destination that is easily within walking distance of the restaurants downtown.

CAM shelter with R-Line in motion

The R-Line makes the museum within a few minutes reach of any of the circulator’s stops. Located near Design Box and Flanders Gallery, the once rugged and desolate Warehouse District is rapidly rising from the ashes.

CAM is actively bringing Raleigh into a new era of innovation, art, design, preservation, and cultural awareness. The new permanent home represents its rightful return to where it belongs: downtown.

The Opening Celebration

Although officially opening April 30th, April 29th is the fancy preview of the gallery and street festival, featuring the culinary treats of the area’s finest establishments, including (but not limited to) Poole’s Diner, bu•ku, Jibarra, and Humble Pie. Handcrafted cocktails will be available from Foundation, and desserts from Escazu, Locopops, and Crumb.

CAM interior, before laid gravel on east side

Tickets will not be available at the door. They are on sale until Wednesday, April 27th.

CAM exterior, before laid gravel on east side

General Information

Located at 409 West Martin Street. Museum hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and first and third Fridays of the month open until 9 p.m. The museum is closed on Tuesday.

General admission to the museum is $5. CAM Raleigh members, children 10 and under, members of the military, and NC State students, staff, and faculty are admitted free.

Related Articles:

• Like a Phoenix from the Ashes: Raleigh’s Downtown Warehouse District
• Construction Begins on the Contemporary Art Museum
• North Carolina’s Newest Wonder (the North Carolina Art Museum)
• The Most Beautiful Building Lights Up (Raleigh Convention Center)

Further Reading:

• CAM Raleigh (official site)
• CAM Informational Brochure [PDF]
• New Contemporary Art Museum aims to stir Raleigh’s artistic pulse (News & Observer)

Welcome back to Downtown Raleigh, CAM!

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Side Street Cafe in Oakwood

The painted advertisement on the side of a building is a rapidly fading artifact of urban life, much in the same way that entryway mosaic is a disappearing commercial art form. There seem to be fewer remaining examples in Raleigh than in other similarly-sized cities, probably due to the historical propensity to demolish rather than renovate and recycle the buildings in the city’s core.

[skip to the 6/14 update]

The Hargett Street Treasure Chest

Hargett Street is home to the largest concentration of fading painted ads. My favorite remaining example is the Raleigh Furniture Store mural above.

Aerial view of the same mural.

A puzzling ad is above Holly Aiken’s store on the corner of Hargett and Wilmington Streets. Most is unintelligible, except for the top letters which spell out Cyclone. I am unaware of what product this represented, or if it has any ties to the old G&S Department Store that was once at that location.

The Heilig-Levine Furniture Building in 2008

Chances are you’ve seen the most prominent example, the painted advert on the Heilig-Levine Building. Its location at the near center of downtown’s hot spots could make it the most memorable.

S.H. Kress & Co

Barely visible Kress mural visible from Salisbury Street

I recently spent a small amount of time wandering around downtown in tourist mode–looking up rather than straight ahead. In the process I discovered something new: Raleigh once had a Kress department store.

Kress Department Store in Asheville. Image credit: Jesse Dotson

I was familiar with the store as there is beautiful neoclassical Kress building in my hometown of Asheville. The Kress department stores were known for their unique appearance. The founder  viewed the buildings for his five-and-dime stores as works of art that beautified the urban landscape. Compared to other examples across the country, Raleigh’s Kress store seems rather plain. It is located next to the State Supreme Court Building on the corner of Morgan and Fayetteville Streets.

The Industrial Remnants

A couple of the Dillon buildings in the Warehouse District have green and yellow painted signs. The company has since relocated out of downtown.

The Melrose Knitting Mill is one of Raleigh’s few remaining former textiles buildings. Barely visible in the image above is “Melrose Knitting Mill Co.”. On the right appears to be the word “underwear”. The space is currently being transformed into a nightclub and office space.

Painting Over the Past

Image credit: Ian F.G. Dunn

As businesses relocate, go under, or simply change tastes, these artifacts get painted over. Just recently one such example was painted over on Peace Street (above).

North Carolina Equipment Building in 2007

The North Carolina Equipment Building on Hillsborough Street once had a painted rooftop sign and facade advertising the business once at the location. City ordinances once had the rooftop tractor in jeopardy when ownership of the building changed, but in the end it got to stay. Unfortunately, the original typography and colors of the business name have since been painted over.

No Longer Around

Lawyer's Building Mural, barely visible in top part of the left building

The Lawyer’s Building (former State Theater) was painted as well. It was destroyed last year to make way for the new Wake County Justice Center.

Bringing It Back

Despite the move toward vinyl or other forms of advertisement (heavily restricted by city zoning laws), there are a few who still use paint as the medium of choice. 518 West on Glenwood Avenue has a beautiful modern painted sign.

A bit more minimalist, the Oakwood Cafe sign announces it presence to motorists going down Person Street.

Lincoln Theater during an outdoor Disco Biscuits show a few years ago

The grandest example may the Lincoln Theatre, with a mural of President Lincoln driving a Lincoln automobile.

Side Street Cafe before the Coca-Cola ad was restored

Side Street Cafe after restoration

Side Street is a cozy yet spacious cafe in Oakwood, about a block away from the Governor’s Mansion. A little over a year ago the exterior got a makeover, breathing new life in to one of Raleigh’s oldest restaurants. It occupies a rather unique spot – both a historic advertisement, and in great condition.

I’m fairly certain that there are more examples of these fading ads in Raleigh. What have I missed?

June 14th Update

I missed quite a few. Below are a few historic and several contemporary examples of hand painted commercial art.

An ad for the Carolina Cafe and Coca-Cola

One particularly dated example is the Carolina Cafe above the Berkeley Cafe.

The Village Subway

Above are the painted commercial advertisements for the businesses in the Village Subway. It was an underground series of stores, music venues, and night clubs in Cameron Village that hosted national acts in the mid 70s to early 80s. Some of these included R.E.M., the Police, Pat Benetar, Dead Kennedys, and Black Flag among many others.

If you’re interested in this sort of thing, you should check out a fantastic flickr set of a series of hidden subway posters recently discovered in the London Underground.

After Sanders Ford dealership left downtown for the suburbs in the late 60s, the building sat empty  until Artspace took over in the 80s. They incorporated their logo into the historical painted one.

Clearscapes occupies a building in the warehouse district, with “Water Works Supplies” over their main entrance. Their business name was incorporated to the facade in the same style.

The image above was taken through the prototype for Thomas Sayre’s rings that are currently on the grounds of the NCMA.

Another one of the Dillon Buildings in the Warehouse District

Center Line, in the Warehouse District

Legends Night Club

42nd Street Oyster Bar

The Dive Bar

William Cozart in the Warehouse District

Related Articles

• The Lost Art of Entryway Mosaic
• Echoes of an Era Past

Further Reading

• Late 19th Century Graphic Design in Raleigh (New Raleigh)
• Up There, a documentary about hand-painted advertisements
• Fading Ad Blog

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Construction crews recently began working at the future home of the Contemporary Art Museum on 409 West Martin Street. Within the past few days, the banner in the photo above was put up on the front of the building.

The 1920s-era building in the Warehouse District has had a sign designating it as the future home of CAM for a couple of years, but movement really began late last year, after designs were completed by Clearscapes and Pugh + Scarpa:

Our architectural team of Clearscapes and Pugh + Scarpa have finished their design work. The City of Raleigh has approved our building permit, and we have selected C.T. Wilson as our general contractor. We anticipate starting construction in the first quarter of 2010 and opening the museum in 2011.

- CAM, Dec 09

The loading dock and the awning over it on the east side of the building have already been removed. Below is a rendering of how this same view will look once completed.

The sweeping angular roof line is a bold and beautiful nod to the future resting on the side of a historic building. It will give shade to an outdoor space where a surface parking lot now exists.

This is the only structure in the Warehouse District with the distinct aluminum window shades typically seen on period residential construction in the 50s, and it will be interesting to see if these remain part of the final design. My guess is that they will likely be taken off, much like the ones on the Lulu Building were.

Sandwiched between Flanders Gallery and Designbox, the area is quickly transforming from a quiet relic of Raleigh’s manufacturing past in to an emerging arts district.

Further Reading:

• CAM Home
• The Contemporary Art Foundation
• CAM on Facebook

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The workers inside the North Carolina Association for Plumbing Heating and Cooling Control building at 413 Glenwood Ave. most likely prepared coffee that was barely strong enough to defend itself.  Workers quaffed cup after cup of mediocre coffee and were just fine with it.  Years later, that very same building would house Café Helios, a coffee house on Glenwood South.

Until the late 1990′s it was hard to imagine anything aside from industrial businesses thriving on south Glenwood Avenue.  Before that, the street was mostly residential.  Glenwood was a homely strip of road, at best. It was littered with industrial buildings that brought to mind scenes from a David Lynch film.

All of that started to change when Pine State Creamery closed in 1996 and a few restaurants popped up in the older buildings.  The Rockford was one of the first, followed shortly by the Hibernian and Hard Times Cafe.  In 2001, Gray Medlin bought the old Plumbing and Heating building with the intention of using the second floor as offices for his investment banking firm.  After exploring several possible uses for the ground floor, he decided to open a small coffee shop. Gray wanted Helios to serve as a place where people could enjoy local coffee, art, and music.  Since its opening in June of 2002, Helios has continued to serve as a social hub for Raleigh’s coffee drinkers and night owls.

Glenwood South certainly has been softened and transformed by its new tenants.  The place that was once home to rough concrete and steel is now inhabited by sleek aluminum and decorative lighting schemes.  I’ve always been fascinated by the unique feel exhibited by utilitarian spaces that are converted into aesthetically pleasing monuments of the past.  Helios is a wonderful example of this. The terrazzo floors were undoubtedly intended to be strong and maintenance free, but when placed in a setting where functionality isn’t the foremost concern, they obtain a beauty that is often emulated but rarely convincing.  The naked ceilings exposing duct work and structural details give glimpses of the buildings prior life.  If you look closely on the left side of the building, you’ll notice a bricked up doorway that once led to a set of interior stairs, which incidentally now reside in Gray’s garden at his residence.  I find these architectural scars very appealing as they seem to display the presence of a soul.  However unassuming it may be, the building still has a soul, and that is more than many urban structures in Raleigh can claim.

Helios proudly serves Counter Culture coffee, a roastery out of Durham, and serves breakfast and lunch fare throughout the day.  Six beer taps boast an insightful selection of domestic beers including several local selections complimented by a healthy selection of coffee-related spirits and a competent wine list.

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The demolition of the Garland Jones Office Building could likely be the most discussed urban planning event in the history of Raleigh. Just about every local blog has weighed in since the decision was made by Wake County to replace the office building with a new justice center. The discussion remained mostly online, in print, and in personal circles. Opposition and protest against demolition was largely absent from within the halls of county government. In the end, however, it probably wouldn’t have mattered. The decision likely would have been made regardless of any public outcry, large or small.

Well over a year over since the initial decision was made, and after several months of careful preparation and planning, the building began to slowly come crumbling down late Wednesday evening. The dust and debris created dense clouds over the area, and the sound of the heavy equipment reverberated off of the surrounding structures. The sights and sounds were quite dramatic. Raleigh was losing a landmark.

As an admirer of the Modernist style of architecture embodied in the Garland Jones Office Building, I was quite sad to see it come down. Despite the fact that Raleigh has one of the largest collections of buildings in this style, this was the last remaining example of “high modernism,” representing its most refined and embellished form.

By and large, the most thoughtful and intelligent essay on this particular building was expressed by Clearscapes architect Jon Zellweger at New Raleigh. His piece “Everything Comes At A Price – A Living Eulogy For The Garland Jones Office Building” was quoted and debated by several local media sources, including WUNC’s The State of Things, where he made a guest appearance to discuss the fate of the GJOB.

A few of the contributors to this blog reached out to friends within city government, in hopes they could put us in touch with county officials. The idea was that those in county government could ultimately connect us with the Superintendent of the project at Barnhill Contracting Company, so that we could get a tour of the building before it came down.

Luck was on our side, as the chain of communication happened far more quickly than we had expected. Within a week or two after making initial contacts to Greg Hallam and Dan Becker from the City of Raleigh, we were in touch with Ken Cass (above), the Superintendent of the project. We were lucky to have such a person give us the tour. He told us upon our first meeting that “I went to the top for you guys,” meaning he had cleared our visit with executives at the contracting company.

After filling out the necessary paperwork and donning safety gear, we were on our way to taking a look at the former office building’s last days.

This was the first (officially sanctioned) time I had been on a construction or demolition site, and it was certainly an exciting and interesting experience. Buildings are like the multitude of electronic devices we use every day: we don’t care how they work or why, we just care that they do. When you see a building being stripped down to the bare elements that hold it together, you get a good appreciation for what it is that makes it work.

Most of the remaining electronic and mechanical systems inside the GJOB dated back to 1960, its year of construction, when it was originally known as First Federal Savings and Loan.

Pictured above is the electric switching mechanism used by the elevator system. I won’t pretend to know how it works, but it was quite fascinating to watch. As the elevator descended or ascended to its destination, each of the mechanical switches would click off and on, making sounds as well as moving as it made contact. Contemporary elevator systems certainly do not have the tactile or auditory feedback as this system does. It was a living relic, reminiscent of when transistors ruled the day, long before the ubiquity of silicon computer chips.

The “time + temp” sign itself is a landmark. Other than perhaps the distinctively-patterned curtain walls, comprisied of panels in differing shades of blue, translucent glass, the clock was the most recognizable part of the Garland Jones Office Building. At the time of demolition, it still clung to the side of the structure, like a captain going down with his ship.

The beautiful white marble slabs that covered the corner and end walls of the structure were salvaged, although I can’t say what their final destination was. For the past several weeks, the building has consisted of internal i-beams and support structure, the curtain walls, and not much else.

Although construction of the new Justice Center that will serve as an extension to the Wake County Courthouse has been delayed by about a year, there’s no question that the project will get underway. Barnhill is in this for the long haul. This is a $200+ million dollar project not slated to be ready for another 5 or 6 years.

The once proud lobby of this former bank, with its matching sculpted ceiling and patterned terazzo floor, is no longer there — soon an empty surface lot will be all that remains of this fine example of mid-20th century architecture.

Despite my sadness over the loss of this architectural gem, I fully understand that a city, county, or state government will move forward with new construction to accommodate a growing population base. We can sit back and debate the merits of how, why, and when — but with every bit of new construction there will be those who lament the loss of the previous structure as well as those who welcome a new one.

It’s been the nature of human progress since the beginning of recorded history. When a building is obsolesced and metropolitan population grows, we build something bigger and more modern in its place. After all, Raleigh residents lamented the loss of the 19th century Academy of Music Building, the former occupant of the site on which First Federal erected their new flagship bank building in 1960.

All we can really do is to record the past with words and pictures, and grab architectural artifacts to keep as relics of an era past. Not all the iconic multi-colored glass panels are heading for the scrap heap, however. Around 20 to 30 panels still exist somewhere – in the living rooms and closets of several Raleigh residents. Pieces of this structure will live on, and serve some sort of purpose, however far removed from the original intent.

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Many of those who spend their workday in a Modernist style building may consider it to be ugly, dated, or simply boring. A twelve year veteran of the News & Observer referred to the paper’s 1950s office building as “beautiful in it how grotesque it is”. There are few architectural styles as divisive as Modernism is.

The National Park Service refers to Raleigh as a “proving ground for the architectural movement known as Modernism”, and for good reason. Henry Kamphoefner, the first dean of the College of Design, was instrumental in recruiting several Modernist architects to the area as both faculty members as well as practicing architects.  Among these pioneers were Matthew Nowicki, Milton Small, Carter Williams, George Matsumoto and Edward Waugh.

In recent years, some of the most prominent examples of commercial Modernist architecture in the area have been demolished or are currently slated for demolition. Typically resting just shy of the 50-year life span which would allow protection as a historically significant structure, it is often decided that the prime real estate they occupy would be better suited for a more imposing building. Raleigh’s landscape is dotted with the scars of architectural gems already lost –the ubiquitous surface parking lot.

However, preserving these structures isn’t simply a matter of protecting the reminders of the past, it’s also about urban planning and design that creates less of an impact on our environment. Each time we construct something new rather than adapting or building on to it, we harvest more resources from the Earth as well as waste more economic resources in the process.

The most significant of these doomed structures is the former First Federal Savings and Loan building (aka the Garland H. Jones County Office Building). It is the last remaining example of high modernism in downtown Raleigh. Clearscapes architect Jon Zellweger penned the article  “Everything Comes At A Price — A Living Eulogy For The Garland Jones Office Building” on the blog newraleigh.com, and offered the following commentary that explains the appeal to those who wish its fate weren’t resigned to destruction:

“Its modest scale relates more to historic Raleigh structures like the Briggs Hardware Building or the adjacent Lawyer’s Building.  Its windows also recall historic proportions without superficially copying them. A lively dance of colored panels is more painterly and mural-like than a stolid building wall.  It should be noted that the new Convention Center will have a high tech, kinetic version of these panels when it opens later this year. Really just a glorified ventilation louver, it calls upon our desire to create something energetic and unique to make our places special. As a counterpoint to the blue panels, white marble adorns the Salisbury street façade which originally provided a lavish backdrop for the First Federal’s dramatic, razor-like sign.  Softened by the stone’s veining, the panels are at the same time sensual and commanding.”

There must be a way to preserve the architectural heritage of our great city while still looking toward the future, however. But when preservation is impossible, we can still document our losses through photography and the written word to reflect on a historic era in urban design in Raleigh.

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At 8:45 Thursday night, a crowd gathered to see the most beautiful building in Raleigh have one side illuminated by thirteen hundred LEDs funded by Cree to create the most awe inspiring piece of public art to grace an urban area.

Fireworks kicked off the ceremony to create bursts of light from the ground to the sky.

A gaggle of pedacabs from the Raleigh Rickshaw Company were lined up to give onlookers a complimentary ride back to their vehicle or residence.

This was perhaps the largest gathering of journalists, photographers, bloggers, local elected officials, developers, real estate moguls, architects, and artists Raleigh has ever seen.

Pictured above is the most covered police officer on this blog, Officer Keen and fellow equestrian patrol agent, Officer Foster.

Two thumbs up go to Jedidiah Gant, Thomas Sayre, Steven Schuster, and everyone else at Clearscapes for creating something that Raleigh residents can truly be proud of. The Shimmer Wall is the cornerstone of Raleigh’s renaissance.

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From left to right: Julia Demarre, and Allyn Stewart, Avi Wenger (author of the performance), Katherine Myers, Ronnie Ruedrich, and David Sedaris

The cast of  “Openings Windows and Passages” peering up from the floor of Lot 13 in this promo shot by Mark Herdter in 1979.

Just as Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street is currently undergoing a Renaissance, likewise is the city’s old industrial warehouse district located between downtown and the railroad tracks. New housing units intermingle with nightclubs; lofts are filling long empty warehouse spaces; and it is emerging as a focus of downtown nightlife. The warehouse district is awaking from the long slumber it had fallen into after the hustle and bustle of its industrial glory days had faded.

The freight depot between Cabarrus and Davie in 1971.

The freight depot today.

For more than half a century, and well into the 1950s, the warehouse district bustled with activity. It was the home of many rail-dependent industries such as machine shops, foundries, ice plants, coal yards, oil and feed mills, and bottling plants. And of course, there were the warehouses — dozens of them!

This is the old Capital City Ice and Coal plant at the corner of W. Hargett and the train tracks.

This is a view of the warehouses behind the ice plant being torn down in 1972.

When I was a freshman at N.C. State in 1970, I moved into my first apartment in the old Page House in Boylan Heights. If I needed to go downtown for anything, I made my way along the Martin Street viaduct. The bridge spanned the tracks and rail yards from Boylan Avenue to West Street, and deposited you right into the middle of the warehouse district. By that time, however, Dillon Supply and Peden Steel dominated the area. Their massive brick buildings exuded a lonely drabness, which in my young mind I associated with the Soviet Union. It wasn’t a place you wanted to linger, and certainly not to pass through at night. Nevertheless, it wasn’t long before I was beguiled by the rail yards, empty buildings and architectural curiosities. With my trusty Kodak in tow, I set out to explore the area. I explored a long-closed ice plant and the adjoining frame and brick warehouses, and investigated the underground chambers of a burned out Civil War era warehouse. I discovered a “secret” entrance to the catacombs beneath the old Coca Cola bottling plant and, accompanied by a friend, explored that dark and scary place. For just plain fun we would sometimes hop a slow-moving string of railcars for a short trip through the switching yard.

This is how the Martin Street viaduct looked in 1971. It was originally built in 1913.

This is the 2008 view. The viaduct is no more, but notice how much the skyline has changed!

Part of the train switching yard with some of the warehouses surrounding Lot 13 on the left.

Raleigh’s Contemporary Art Museum at night– CAM

Long before CAM came onto the scene, the warehouse district was a magnet for many of Raleigh’s artists and designers. At least by the late ‘70s, the area was attracting the avant garde art crowd and artistic endeavors such as performances and installations were experimented with. One of the sites used was the Civil War warehouse lot. Only two walls were then standing above ground level and the exposed concrete floor. This site was reborn as Lot 13. Beginning in 1978 a friend created a series of installations there. One of these involved fabricating a mock steel truss modeled after that of the old Boylan Ave. bridge, which was within sight of Lot 13. It was constructed of black-painted 2×4s mounted high up on the wall, and was visible from the bridge itself. The truss remained there for many years afterward. In 1979 in an empty warehouse adjacent to Lot 13, another artist friend staged a performance piece he called “Openings Windows and Passages.” Among the cast of that troupe was a young David Sedaris, now author extraordinaire.

This is a night time view of the only remaining portion of the Civil War era warehouse, aka lot 13.

The early 1980s saw the William-Cozart woodshop and sales gallery on S. Harrington Street, and Anthony Ulinski’s Dovetail fine woodwork on Commerce Street enter the scene. Both are still in their original locations.

John Dancy-Jones relocated his Paper Plant bookstore to W. Martin Street in 1985. It was a popular venue among the Raleigh art crowd of the time and featured Thursday night poetry readings, among other events. John invited artists to show their work in the Paper Plant gallery and the associated Sunday afternoon receptions became a mainstay. I remember two events at the Paper Plant that stand out in particular: One was an installation by artist Ron Ridgeway called The Buddah Wall and the other was a pefrormance piece by Clyde Smith and Ginny Webb. Way in the back of the Paper Plant was a dark and windowless room, on the walls of which Ron painted hundreds of small Buddah figures. Lit by candlelight, the effect was rather eerie. I wonder if it is still there today. The performance piece was acted out in the front window of the shop. I don’t remember too many details of the piece itself, but I’ll never forget the look on John’s face as he contemplated the real possibility of the two performers crashing through the plate glass window! Photographer Doug Van de Zande opened his studio next door to the Paper Plant about 1987. He was renowned not only for his artistic photographs but for his annual Halloween bashes, as well. His studio is still in the warehouse district, having moved over to S. McDowell Street 10 or so years ago. Thomas Sayre established his sculpture studio above the Paper Plant by the late 1980s, joined by architect Steve Schuster.

Bill Hickman ran his metal sculpture studio out of a warehouse on S. West Street for a number of years in the early ’90s. Fine artist Nancy Baker operated the Tire Shop Gallery and studio on S. Dawson from the mid to late ’90s. And architect Kurt Eichenberger opened his business in a remaining section of the old Allen Foundry complex about this time, too.

These days the warehouse district is becoming known as a burgeoning urban nightclub scene. Ever since a low-end live music venue, the Embers Club on W. Davie Street burned down in 1970, the area had been devoid of any nightlife at all. Then the The Berkeley opened on W. Martin in the mid ‘80s. To quote a friend: The Berkeley “absolutely pioneered alternative culture in 1980s downtown Raleigh.” Around this time, too, the granddaddy of Raleigh’s gay clubs, The Capital Corral (aka C.C.s) opened its doors. On the fringe of the warehouse district were the short-lived Culture Club on W. Morgan and the raucous Fallout Shelter (aka the Fall Down Shelter) on S. West.

So, what goes around comes around, I guess. And although its glory days as a zone of industrial activity are no more, the warehouse district is certainly rising from those ashes as a center of downtown Raleigh’s arts and club scene — not without thanks to those early visionary urban pioneers who were willing to take a chance.

300 block of W. Martin St. in 1973. The Paper Plant later occupied the storefront in the left center of this view.

Same view a few nights ago. Not much has changed, has it?

Raleigh’s skyline as seen from the rail yards in 1971.

Raleigh’s skyline as seen from the rail yards in 2008.

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Gyre is a simple yet impressive and surreal set of rings created by Thomas Sayre of Clearscapes. Back in April I photographed the prototype of these rings, although I didn’t know it at the time. During the day, the rings are something to behold. At night, it is almost magical.

Although I didn’t know who Mr. Sayre was until somewhat recently, I’ve been fond of his work for some time now. The prototype for the World Wall at the Marbles Kids Museum was the very first thing I photographed in Raleigh after relocating from the mountains years ago.

Cast horizontally in the earth, each piece is then stood vertically with a large crane. Gyre derives its name from the Irish poet, W. B. Yates, who conceived of history as the complex movement of a spiral.

– Thomas Sayre

If you haven’t seen Gyre in person yet, I highly recommend it. It straddles the Capital Greenway at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Going there at night is a real treat, as the sounds of crickets and wind blowing is all that is heard as Gyre lights up the night sky like three burning rings of fire.

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