The Corner of Edenton and West St.

The intersection of Edenton and West, with the Clarion Building standing in the background.

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Wake County Court House

Not too long ago I posted a photo with a view of the court house facing Fayetteville St. Here is a more magnified view of the facade.

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Railroad Tracks to Nowhere

If you are not a new reader of this blog, you may have noticed that I have a fondness for railroad related items. Raleigh has a rich history with railroading, and it shows in some of the artifacts around town.
I can't say that I know the purpose of this dilapidated structure. My guess is that it was a direct route in to the warehouse to the last building on West Martin St..

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St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church

A few notes from their web site:

• The congregation which formed St. Paul's Church was originally the slave membership of Edenton Street United Methodist Church.
• In 1853, White Methodists bought the Old Christ Episcopal Church, where the Blacks had been worshipping since 1846. The congregation worshipped under other names, but it was in 1848 that "St. Paul Church" was formally established
• In 1854, the Black membership moved the old church to the corner of Harrington and Edenton Streets
• The Black congregation remained under the guidance of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the South, until Emancipation
• In 1865, the membership severed its ties with Edenton Street Methodist Church and joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church Conference, a Black denomination founded in 1787 by Richard Allen and organized in 1816
• The birth of the current structure was the result of a long building campaign which began in 1884. The church formally opened in 1901
• The record bears that St. Paul was built by the "first independent Black congregation" formed in Raleigh. It is the oldest Black church in Wake County, North Carolina

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Derelikt Diva Art Show, Part II

The Derelickt Diva herself, Jojo, seen here laughing

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More continuation of the art show. I have to say that I did not notice the mannequin heads while I was there, only now as I see in the photos.

Derelikt Diva Art Show, Part I

This past Sunday I traveled to Hargett St., to check out the Derelikt Diva art show. It was an art show, spoken word, and hip hop event with DJ Ski Daddy. The event was held in Club Kirocos, which is above Two T's. For more on Two T's, please see earlier blog posts.
The event was a lot of fun, and had a great vibe. Jojo (the derelikt diva) put the event on herself, which is even more impressive. To find out more about her artwork, visit her myspace page.

Who or What was on the Island?

This is the island that is sandwiched in between Hillsborough St., West St., and Edenton St. I've often driven by and been puzzled as to why there is a chain link fence around a section of it. I've even walked by on a few occasions and poked around, and I didn't see any evidence as to what the fence is currently or was formerly protecting. The only thing on the island is a sign that says something like "parking for sight and sound only".
Does anyone know what used to be here? It seems a bit out of place currently.

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A Night at the Rockford

Rob the bartender, with my martini in the foreground.

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Jason, Glen, and Mike

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Perhaps one of Raleigh's best hidden treasures is The Rockford. I am sad to say I have never had lunch or dinner here, but I have stopped off for a martini on many occasions. If you are in the mood for a martini in a casual but not too casual environment with good music playing, this is the place to be.
Voted best martini and best atmosphere by Goodnight, Raleigh!. Located at 320 1/2 Glenwood Ave, but don't look for a sign. There isn't one.

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Outside of the Oyster Bar

One of the first few posts on this blog was a few of the images I took of downtown Raleigh in 2004, when I first moved here from Asheville. The first image is of the back side of the Oyster Bar, and this image is the side near the rail road tracks.

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Brick Formations at NCSU

So these pictures are of one of the many brick formations at NC State. These in particular are next to Stewart Theatre. If you are interested in Stewart Theatre, check out a virtual tour someone put together.
So, what exactly is the story with these things all over campus? I've heard that there used to be many many more. I've also heard other stories, about an anonymous donor who donated bricks every year to the university, so these things were built all over with the surplus.

The NC State article on Wikipedia says that

Due to oversupply, odd brick statues dot the landscape, a large section of main campus is paved over with brick (University Plaza, a.k.a. "The Brickyard"), and most sidewalks are also made with brick. These sidewalks are also dotted with white brick mosaics.

An alumni association web page talking about the brickyard has the following Q & A:

An anonymous donor gave NC State the bricks for the university plaza.
FICTION. The bricks were donated but not secretly. The N.C. Bricklayers’ Association provided them. The original design by landscape architect Richard C. Bell ‘50 called for the Brickyard to be built with Belgian block, a hand-cut, granite cobblestone. But that was too expensive. He altered the plans and solicited donations from the brick industry. “Ever since the shift of campus activities in the early ‘60s to the catacombs of the roundhouse and the busy hubbub of the union, people have been screaming about the muddy paths around Harrelson and the bleakness of the quadrangle. Technician editors, student leaders, design students, even secretaries in open-toed sandals have begged, pleaded, and demanded the building of sidewalks in place of the donut’s rickety wooden thresholds and gooey, gray pathways.”
-Technician, May 13, 1966

I can't help but wonder if the anonymous donor to the brickyard story spawned the ones about the structures. Why was there an oversupply in the first place? Was it left over from building the brickyard? Or just from other donations?

Heading Down South McDowell Street

The Wake County Public Services building, as seen near the base of the Raleigh Convention Center.

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Two Old Cars

These are two old and abandoned cars on West Johnson street, between Peace St. and Capital Boulevard. I have no idea of the make and model of either.

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Old Building Near West Morgan Street Bridge

I'm not sure if this building is in use. I'm pretty sure it's vacant. It's neat the West Morgan Street bridge.

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319 West Martin Street

The sign above the door says Intervolve, yet the DXR.06 letters are still on the door. This is odd because Design Expo Raleigh was held here in 2006 (which I ended up volunteering time to help with), and then the place sat vacant for some time. I am unsure of when Intervolve took over this location. They either decided they liked the DXR letters or thought it too much trouble to scrape them off.
Their web site states that

Intervolve, Inc. is the pioneer in providing supply chain software and services for the beverage industry that leverage web and mobile technologies.

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The Garland H. Jones Building, Revisited

This building has been in the news a bit lately. It has, at least, in the local blogging scene. The Raleigh Connoiseur, New Raleigh, among others all ran interesting pieces discussing the approaching destruction of this unique and historic building.
Have you ever had a case of regret after insulting someone or something and then something bad happened to the object of your ridicule? That's a nice analogy to my current feeling. During my first post of this building I kept a somewhat neutral tone. However, during a subsequent post about the Clarion Building, I made a jab at the Garland H. Jones building by saying it was easily recognizable because it was so ugly. However, I also mentioned that

It is a unique piece of downtown history and isn't plain and boring. I would much rather have an ugly but _interesting_ building. It has character and I do agree that it would be a shame if it were destroyed.

as a comment in response to RaleighBob's statement about its possible demise. I'm sad to say that although the new proposed building isn't ugly, it certainly isn't inspiring either.
I liken it to a comparison of the apartment I lived in for a while in Asheville, and the duplex I live in now. The apartment was brand new, had nice looking appliances, a gas fireplace--but was generic and dull. Where I live now is a bit more run down (was built in the 1930's), has dated styling, and kind of quirky (sometimes must stomp on the hallway floor for the light to come on). Given the choice between the two, I'd pick my current residence any day. I feel the same about the Garland H. Jones building. Knocking down this building just doesn't make sense to me.

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RBC Plaza Construction

Sometimes words just aren't necessary. More RBC construction pics to come soon.

The Odd Fellows Building

The Odd Fellows building, or as it says on the column, Commerce Building. It's 11 stories and was built in 1923 for the Grand Lodge of the IOOF (Independent Order of Odd Fellows). This building is owned by Empire Properties. Given the fact that the owner of Empire Properties is a member of the Preservation North Carolina Board of Advisors, it is no surprise that

Hatem (Empire Properites) has focused not on erecting shiny new skyscrapers that are meant to impress, but instead has been steadily refurbishing brick and mortar buildings with character that have been central to Raleigh's past.

The IOOF website says that

In 17th century England, it was odd to find people organized for the purpose of giving aid to those in need and of pursuing projects for the benefit of all mankind. Those who belonged to such an organization were called "Odd Fellows". Odd Fellows are also known as "The Three Link Fraternity" which stands for Friendship, Love and Truth.

I can't find too much information on the history of the IOOF in Raleigh. There are 9 chapters left in the US, with the only one in the south east being in Florida.

For more information about other buildings owned by Greg Hatem, check out the very interesting Raleigh Chronicle article from last May.

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Progress Energy 1 & 2

I read about Raleigh's Coverage by Google's street maps over at New Raleigh, and probably did what every other Raleigh resident did and I typed in my own address. It was awesome, to say the least. I can say that this feature is especially exciting for this blog.
The first thing a friend of mine (who also used to be a room mate) did was retrace steps from our house to class. I did the same thing, and was just absolutely blown away. The idea of an experience on the computer that is this close to real life is a pretty intense one.
I think the idea of a Raleigh street view with a Grand Theft Auto flavor is a bit unnerving. If you mix Raleigh street view and a Tony Hawk Skateboarding franchise, then you've got a hit.

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Hard Times At The N&O?

I have directly referenced the News & Observer at least once or twice on this blog. At that time there were a few workers out back on a smoke break. Recently I ended up walking by the same area, and bumped in to a few workers again.
An individual (who wouldn't let me take a pic of them) stated that the number of press operators working during a specific shift had been reduced from 1/2-2/3, on average. Basically, one way or another 3 people are now doing the job that recently as many as 6 or more would, and that it represented a trend. This person also referenced the buyout of Knight Ridder by The McClatchy Company on several occasions as contributing to the reduction in staff. The USA Today article says about McClatchy:

Although it owes its birth to the California Gold Rush — the chain began in 1857 with The Sacramento Bee— the company takes few risks. It focuses on small to midsize newspapers in its core markets in the Northwest or in growing communities in North and South Carolina.

And a bit more ominously:

Pruitt [CEO] says he expects to cut costs by about $60 million a year.

These quotes were references to the buyout in 2006. There really is no way to verify that this person's claims have anything to do with what's happening now, two years on.

More Moving Trains

I've decided to stop appending these moving trains post titles with roman numerals. The hope is that I will continue to make these posts, and it doesn't make sense to try and keep the running tally in my head. These photos were taken in front of the Raleigh Amtrak Station.

Fayetteville Street, near the Court House

The facade is tinged a slight purple, from the flashy blue lights coming from across the road.

West Martin Street

This photo is actually pretty old, and I happened to stumble upon it by accident. You can see the blue Berkeley Cafe sign in the background.

Cruising City Market

Andy cruising around City Market on Saturday night.

East Martin And Fayetteville Street

Nothing in particular, just a view of Fayetteville Street.

North Carolina Medical Society

It's an impressive looking building, right across from the governor's mansion.

According to the History of the NCMS,

The North Carolina Medical Society first met in 1799. Through a charter from the North Carolina legislature, the Medical Society was formed as an incorporated body with the right to sue and be sued and the right to hold any property it may acquire. On
April 16, 1800, the North Carolina Medical Society met to elect its officers.
James Webb, MD (1774-1855), of Hillsborough, was a leading merchant, philanthropist, and physician in Orange County. Later in his career in 1822, Webb took the groundbreaking step of providing free smallpox vaccinations, and he also provided free care to poor white and black patients.
The leadership at the second meeting of the Medical Society developed a Board of Censors to determine who was fit to practice medicine, a step that laid the groundwork for the formation of the Board of Medical Examiners in 1859. North Carolina was the first state in the Union to enact such laws.
Annual meetings of the Society were held from 1799-1804. In 1804, members resolved to hold the next meeting in Chapel Hill on July 5, 1805; however, no such gathering is recorded thereafter until the formation of the Medical Society of the State of North Carolina in 1849.

222 N Person St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 828-0046

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Patrolling The Streets On A Segway

Officer Rob in front of Tir Na Nog on a Segway.

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So yesterday was the first time I've ever noticed the RPD out on Segway patrol. I've documented Officer Keen previously on this blog on bicycle patrol as well as on equestrian patrol. When asked how long the RPD has been patrolling on Segways, I was told that the department has had been for a few years now. Have I just not noticed them? Have they been out on these for a while now?

Carmichael Gymnasium

I initially had some mildly interesting things to say about Carmichael. However, when trying to find more factual information, I discovered that Carmichael Gymnasium is also the name of a complex at UNC. I've asked a few current and former students both here and at Chapel Hill, and no one seemed to know there was a similarly named building at the other campus. I should probably mention that my scientific poll consisted of the number of people you can count with one hand.