Christ Church

Christ Church is a wonderful and important structure in the history of Raleigh. It was consecrated in 1854 and the detached steeple was added by 1861. It was designed by notable Gothic style architect Richard Upjohn (most notable church is Trinity Church in New York City). Later additions include a sanctuary addition by Richard Upjohn's grandson Hobart (who also designed the College of Design's Brooks Hall at NCSU) and a wing for sunday school (on the right of the photo). Also, this is the church I spent my childhood attending. Back around 2000 there was a major renovation of the interior of the church, and it looks better than ever. Lastly, there is a weathercock at the top of the belltower that has been up there since 1861, and it's said that after Sherman's troops came through North Carolina, the only chicken left in Raleigh was the one on top of Christ Church.

Contact Info:
120 East Edenton Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
919.834.6259

http://www.christchurchraleigh.org/

also, a brief history of the church can be found here:
http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/raleigh/chr.htm

UPDATED:

here's a comparison - old sanctuary (pre renovation) here.
new sanctuary - here.

a few more photos are here - http://flickr.com/photos/dgmckim/

if you really want an in depth explanation of the things they changed, and why, let me know.

Clyde Cooper's And Progress

I can't say I've ever been to Clyde Cooper's BBQ (not a fan of BBQ), but I have a good amount of respect for a business in operation since 1938 (but only the same owner since 1988). A friend of mine works for Progress Energy and said that everyone there wanted Clyde Cooper's to stay in the same location, despite the massive amounts of construction going on all around it. A good reason is more than likely the great food within such a short distance from work. Whatever the case for it's continued existence, it's a good thing to see.

City Market (1914)

Since I first moved to Raleigh, I had always wondered if the 1914 on the big building comprising a part of City Market was an address or "since" designation. I've posted about City Market in the rain and posted a street level view and until now, I haven't been curious enough to look it up. In fact, the 1914 refers to the date at which it opened to provide a market for seafood, vegetables, home baked items, and other types of food:

From October 1, 1914 until the mid 1940's the City Market flourished. Farmers from the Eastern part of the state came regularly in their trucks and horse drawn carts bringing produce, poultry, seafood and flowers. Home baked goods were also a favorite among Raleigh city wives. On Saturdays you would find farmers gathered at the Market and in Moore Square (known as the "the Grove") visiting and picnicking with their family and friends.

With the advent of supermarkets and the opening of a new Farmers Market off Capital Boulevard in 1957, the old City Market no longer satisfied the need of Raleigh households so in June of 1957 the City Council adopted a resolution to close it. In 1959 the building was sold to an individual who leased it to a furniture store.

In 1980, the City Council secured a grant from the North Carolina Division of Archives & History to study the architectural resources surrounding Moore Square. As a result, the City Market was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. The City then began work to rehabilitate the Market and nearby buildings.

Today City Market is square in the middle of downtown Raleigh's explosive growth of nightlife. Filled with plenty of bars and restaurants, there are also many niche and spelcialty stores.

New Wilmington Street Perspective

Wilmington Street is likely the most photographed street on this blog. For a similar but much lower altitude perspective, check out my post last month of the Wilmington Street cityscape.

White Collar Crime - Part 2

Kelly

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Sean

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Wes

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Mike

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Of all the bars/clubs in Raleigh, the bartenders at White Collar Crime are definitely the most talented. I tended bar for more than two years, and I was no where close to where these folks are in terms of talent and experience. Even though every spot of the bar was filled with people, they don't keep you waiting long for your next drink.
In addition to being extremely attentive, they are also skilled at flair, meaning they are good at juggling/balancing/flipping liquor bottles, bar tools, etc. during the course of preparing a cocktail for a guest. There aren't many of these in Raleigh, but White Collar Crime has almost an entire staff skilled at this art.
The bartenders here are more than service workers tending guests, they are a performance that blended in seamlessly with the DJ and the crowd. While in sync with various buildups/breakdowns of dance tracks, they will throw a stack of napkins in to the air, or blow fireballs against the wall. It is really quite a performance.

319 W Davie St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 828-0055
Get directions

White Collar Crime - Part 1

This was the first time I'd ever been to white collar crime, and I must say I sorely regret not having been sooner. This place is certainly something out of the ordinary, and worth checking out if you are looking for a high energy night with great music and a fantastic vibe. The building itself has always intrigued me, as it has served as something else long ago, and you can see the history in the walls and windows. Outside is the unique identifier--the unmistakable blue thumbprint (sadly not pictured).
From the permorming artist bartenders on staff, to random bursts of napkins exploding in the air, a consistently packed crowd, to outdoor seating, and great DJs--this place has it all. This was probably one of the most memorable spots covered for this blog. The author votes it the best club in Raleigh.
Every Wednesday you get to be the DJ--bring in your iPod with 5 tracks ready or use theirs loaded with 30,000.

319 W Davie St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 828-0055
Get directions

Overlooking Salisbury Street

This image is looking on the same street, but in a different direction as an image from the post titled More Views From The Sheraton. Taken near/on the roof of the Sheriff's Office/Wake County Jail.

Potter In The Park

I was around the Wilmington Street area, and suddenly heard British accents reverberating off the brick buildings that surround it. Turns out I stumbled on the Harry Potter movie playing as part of the Moore Square Movies. I knew the movies were playing again this year, but I didn't think they started until June. Check out The Raleigh Connoisseur for the full event listing (which doesn't have Harry Potter listed).

The Roof Of The Sheriff's Office

This building is also known as The Wake Country Public Safety Center.

Raleigh At Four Hundred Acres

A plate near the sidewalk at the corner of East St and New Bern Avenue reads:

Eastern boundary of the original city of Raleigh. The original city plan, drawn by surveyor and legislator William Christmas in 1792 contained four hundred acres with North, South, East, and West Streets as the boundaries. Christmas's plan called for New Bern Ave and the other streets leading towards Union Square to be 99 ft. wide, the rest of the streets to be 66 ft. wide. Raleigh grew slowly, and by 1891 the eastern boundary was one and one-half blocks east of here.

A reader earlier noted these original boundaries when commenting on the history of the Hillsboro(ugh) St. name.

Seaboard Station And The Villa Real

The car in the first photo has been undergoing restoration for some time (since 1998, according to one account). As recently as last Sunday there was someone doing welding work on the inside of the car.

There's an interesting (old) discussion at Greenspun about the history of this particular car:

The Villa Real is a Pullman plan 3411 10 section 3 double bedroom car. This car is shown on the 1950 Pullman list of cars as not being owned by any railroad. It was one of the cars that remained in the Pullman pool. Interestingly enough, the car is shown as not being air- conditioned, perhaps that being a reason why the car was not sold to a railroad and then leased back to Pullman. The car was apparently sold sometime before 1961, as it is not shown in the 1961 Pullman list of cars, either as in the Pullman pool, or in government storage.

...

"Villa Real" was built by Pullman in 1910 as "Lenover". This was a 12 section, 1 drawing room and 1 compartment sleeper, Lot 3800, for assignment to the Pennsylvania Railroad. In January, 1931 it was converted to a different plan and renamed "Villa Real".

When commenting on my post about the Seaboard Station RR turntable, a reader (Dave) gave the following account of the importance of Seaboard Station in New York to Miami trips:

The turntable was part of the complex used by the CSX predecessor railroad, Seaboard Air Line Railroad for their New York to Miami passenger trains. A set of diesel engines would pull the coaches from Richmond, VA to Raleigh. Then, the trainset would be passed off to a fresh set of engines to continue on to Florida.

The engines from Virginia would be refueled and turned around on the turntable to take a northbound passenger train back to Virginia. And, those engines from points south would be refueled and turned back around to head south again. This was necessary back in the late 1930's because diesel train technology was still very new and didn't have the ability to go the whole distance like engines of today.

The reason that the Seaboard didn't pull their trains all the way to New York was simple. A passenger leaving Pennsylvania Station on say the Orange Blossom Special would be carried by the Pennsylvania Railroad's electric GG1 engines as far as Washington, DC on PRR-owned tracks. Then, they would be passed off to the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac to Richmond who owned those tracks. Then, the Seaboard Air Line would continue the journey to Florida on their trackage. Even with all of that maneuvering, the travel time from New York to Miami was only 24 hours because the running times at night through the Carolinas would be as much as 100 miles per hour. That's a far cry from what it is today!!

The Death Of A High School [UPDATED]

The gargoyles in the brick structure pictured above once guarded the entrance to Hugh Morson High School. It has long since been demolished, and this was erected in 1978 to preserve the memory of it by alumni. The inscription above reads:

These gargoyles once graced the entrance to Hugh Morson High School. They now face the site approximately 275 yards southeast between Person, Morgan, Bloodworth, and Hargett Streets. Erected in remembrance by former students in 1978

This structure is located on Morgan Street, near where it intersects Blount Street. When doing my routine scientific and exclusive detective work that accompanies each post (a Google search), I found a treasure trove of Raleigh history in the form of a video interviewing the final class of Hugh Morson High School. Some of the interesting facts about Raleigh in 1955 noted by alumni include:

• The population was around 55,000 people
• There were 3 high schools: Broughton, Ligon, and Hugh Morson
• All schools combined their athletic programs to form one team, The Raleigh Camps

The original is hosted on the WCPSS web site but for embedding purposes, I uploaded it to YouTube. There are several incredible photos of Raleigh's past that are worth checking out in the video below.



UPDATE: A reader, Raleigh Boy (Karl) has provided me with the following images of Hugh Morson High School. Thanks Karl!

Revisiting The Legislative Building

This is the third post of the NC Legislative Building made on this blog.

A Pedestrian Footbridge

This particular footbridge connects a parking deck to the complex of government structures including the Archdale Building.


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Another Abandoned Beauty Salon

This is the second abandoned beauty salon that's made this blog.
This part of East Martin Street will be going through a renovation before too long. I don't have any direct knowledge of future plans, but this particular structure lies on the edge of a row of brand new houses towards a slightly less upscale part of Raleigh. If you go to this part of town at night, you can expect to see the RPD in a car nearby, and possibly following you and running your license plate. They have had a presence in this area pretty consistently--at least the few times I've ventured down it at night.


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The Free Expression Tunnel - Part 2

Following up on the last post about the Free Expression Tunnel, here are more recent images. Pictured above are Kyle and Matt.

Someone made a passionate plea in The Technician last year for higher quality graffiti and less of the familiar fraternity/sorority advertisements:

There are few places you can take cans of spray paint and draw or write whatever you want on a public structure, within law and reason, and get away with it.

However, on campus, we have this luxury in the Free Expression Tunnel and should utilize it to the fullest extent.

Advertisements for sororities and fraternities with the occasional "happy birthday so-and-so" message don't cut it. We have a design school and many other programs on campus that are meant to foster creativity, but we don't illustrate that in the tunnel.

Give fellow students something to marvel at as they make the dreadful journey to Harrelson Hall and its extremely uncomfortable seating accommodations.

The Free Expression Tunnel - Part 1

The images above were from 2005, when my friend and neighbor Paxton helped me out with a class project. The idea was to create a movie from still images of something from beginning to end. The last image is of me; he used a photo of me wearing trendy glasses and was taken when I used to sport longer hair.
A description of the tunnel by NCSU says that

Since the 1960's, the Free Expression Tunnel has been the University’s answer to combat graffiti on campus. Located on Central Campus the tunnel connects the two halves of campus split by the railroad track. The Free Expression Tunnel gives students a venue for expressing their thoughts and feelings about anything--from “Happy Birthday” to announcing club and organization meetings.

The Abandoned Section Of Stanhope Avenue

There is a section behind the old bulldozer building on Stanhope Avenue that has been abandoned for a few years now. Ballentine Properties has been renting out the space for student parking in recent years. Stanhope is one of those parts of Raleigh that are somewhat hidden, as you usually only wind up there out of curiosity or by accident. It's a series of older and mostly modest homes that have been there for some time.
When I stopped to get these pics, I talked to a resident of the road and got a good bit of the sentiment that prevails amongst some of the residents. For the interest of disclosure, I am employed by Lulu.com which will soon be moving into the NC Equipment Building (aka The Bulldozer Building) that makes up a good part of the landscape on Stanhope Ave. From what I understand, they (my employer) are anxious to see the Stanhope Plan come to fruition. Although the resident I spoke with didn't outright state opposition to the Stanhope Plan, I got the impression that the residents of the street were not enthusiastic about it. I'm not sure if it is because of plans for student housing or parking, or the increased amount of traffic which it would bring to the road, or something else. In any event, I can certainly understand the apprehension of new development in one's backyard. The extremely rural area where I grew up is transforming from apple orchards and logging trails in to housing developments and state parks. It's not easy to see the environment you've come to know change in ways beyond your control.
The person I spoke with went to NC State, and has memories of people and friends that lived in the houses pictured above. She said that the last memories she has of people living there were those of a shady nature, being associated with drug dealing and other nefarious activities.
So the question remains, what is the best way forward? I can't say I have the answer. Although I have a great passion for historic preservation, sometimes development comes and you are powerless to stop it.
It appears that the bone of contention isn't that these old and decrepit houses are getting knocked down, but what will appear in their place--that which is more friendly to students, or something that is more friendly to long term residents.


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The History Of The Hillsboro[ugh] St. Name

Pictured above is the only example (that I'm aware of) that uses the the particular spelling of Hillsborough Street without the 'ugh'. I first got curious about the subject when a reader began giving detailed historical descriptions with the street name's spelling minus the 'ugh'. The only other place I've seen this spelling was on the famous bird's eye view map of Raleigh in 1872.
After doing a bit of online sleuthing, I came across a very interesting historical account [PDF] by the Hillsborough Historical Society that says the following:

When originally founded in 1754 as the seat of Orange County, the town merely had the name of Orange. It was quickly changed to Corbin Town, and then again to Childsburg (or Childsburgh). In 1766 the town was renamed Hillsborough, in honor of Irishman Wills Hill, the Earl of Hillsborough. Four years later, the use of the term “borough’ was strengthened when the town was made an official English pocket borough. This designation gave the town a vote in the North Carolina Colonial House of Commons. It also recognized the town’s stature in Colonial political life, and probably aided in its being used as the meeting place of the North Carolina General Assembly several times before the establishment of Raleigh as the capital in 1792.
As early as 1800, the name had been shortened to Hillsboro’ and then to Hillsboro. By the middle of the century the Hillsboro spelling was widely recognized as the “official” spelling of the town’s name, though no documents in the town or state government record a name change. Every official building in town from Hillsboro High School to the Hillsboro post office used the shortened spelling in 1962, when the Society was formed. The Hillsborough Historical Society was an exception to this rule and an early herald of the return of the original 1766 spelling. When the Society was formed in March 1962, the spelling of Hillsborough with the ‘ugh’ was used. It made sense for the organization, which took on the challenge of preserving the history of the town, to take on the original spelling.
At the same time, others interested in returning the ‘ugh’ began working to accomplish this. In December 1962, the Society newsletter included a report that town postmistress Louise R. Clayton had petitioned postal authorities to return the “proper spelling” of Hillsborough to the post office and the postal stamp.

Within 13 months, other groups began using the ‘ugh’ spelling, at the urging of the Society. These included the News of Orange County and the Hillsborough Lions Club, who also updated their road signs.

The July 1965 [Hillsborough Historical Society] newsletter joyously announced the news that
"THE HILLSBOROUGH SPELLING, reaffirmed on May 4, 1965, by a special bill passed by the General Assembly, will soon be seen everywhere. The Highway Dept. states that it has made estimates and is now proceeding with new State Highway markers to replace all "Hillsboro" ones. Postmaster Louise Clayton has applied for a new cancellation die and this should come before long. The town of Chapel Hill voted to change the spelling of "Hillsboro" Street to Hillsborough Street and the new signs are already in place. Durham and Raleigh are considering similar changes. Newspapers in the area made the change promptly. By the end of the year the Hillsborough spelling should be in general usage.

So there you have it. After almost one hundred years of Raleigh's most famous street being spelled 'Hillsboro', it was changed to 'Hillsborough' in the mid 1960s due to the hard work of a postmistress and a historical society many miles away.

I'd also like to know when Hillsboro Road became Hillsboro[ugh] Street.

Raleigh National Cemetery

The Raleigh National Cemetery was created in 1865. The Veterans Administration [PDF] says that

Located in a neigh­borhood of mixed residential and commercial develop­ment, the cemetery is a nearly seven-acre, largely flat, grassy rectangle on a north-south axis. The main entrance is off the west boundary defined by Rock Quarry Road, and is located in the northwest quadrant of the acreage that is further defined by an enclosing brick wall erected circa 1875.

...

The site of the national cemetery was originally designated as “Camp Green,” an army post used as headquarters of the occupation forces stationed in the Raleigh area [during the Civil War]. This is evi­denced by the establishment of a “post” cemetery, wherein a total of 32 burials were made of troops and members of their families. The post cemetery is now Section 10 of the Raleigh National Cemetery.

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What Is This Place?

I've never noticed this place until last night. There are no signs indicating what type of business or gallery this is. The address is 400 East Martin Street, and searches yield nothing.

Anyone know?

UPDATE: Reader jbroome points out that this is the home to Bryan Regan Photography.


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Life Slows Down As The Semester Winds Down

Did you hear that? It was the sound of Raleigh deflating its population by about thirty thousand people. Almost overnight, Hillsborough Street becomes much more friendly to cyclists, late night pizza joints and bars suddenly cut their hours back, and the amount of open space and peacefulness around NCSU campus seems to open up threefold.

Pictured above is Jacob. He's an R.A. (and Eagle Scout), and like the rest of them he found himself with a bit of time on his hands as the semester is over and most students have gone back home for the summer or off to their jobs somewhere else. I bumped in to him as he was walking about campus essentially because there wasn't much else to do as everything suddenly became quiet.
He's a sophomore majoring in Materials Science.

For the next couple of months there's a noticable absence of noise and traffic, in addition to the lines at Harris Teeter becoming shorter. There are outdoor festivals and gatherings every weekend.

Regardless of what the Gregorian may tell you, summer has arrived in Raleigh.

The Bamboo Gazebo Outside Of Kilgore Hall

I don't know the story behind the bamboo structures in front of Kilgore Hall. There are several benches and seats which make a beautiful outdoor picnic area.


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Tough Love Boutique

Tough Love Boutique is a relatively new ladies fashion store open on Hillsborough Street. They have a web site, but it doesn't have much information other than the labels/brands they carry and a blog. I stopped by and talked to the owner out of curiosity one day, and she was extremely nice. Tough Love Boutique is also a pet friendly establishment.

3114 Hillsborough St
Raleigh, NC

(503) 239-3837

Get Directions

Raleigh Fire Department - Station Five

John, Donald, and Aaron are pictured above at RFD Station Five. A local historian, Mike Legeros (who also publishes my favorite online Raleigh read - Hidden Raleigh) has the following information on RFD Station Five:

Fire Station 5 opened on November 18, 1926 at the corner of Oberlin Road and Park Drive. The two-story, single-bay station was addressed 1914 Park Drive. By the late 1950s and due to the need of an aerial ladder at the station, planning for a replacement facility was underway. On July 24, 1961, Engine 5 relocated to Station 6 as construction of a new Station 5 was nearly complete on the same lot. On September 26, 1961, Station 5 opened at 300 Oberlin Road. Demolition of the old station was performed by firefighters and the bricks were saved and later used to build a smokehouse next to the training tower.

Be sure to check out his site as it has many photos of Raleigh you won't find anywhere else.

A Classic Limousine

This classic Cadillac limousine is one you won't see on the roads too often. It has six doors!

Theatre In The Park

According to the plaque in the lower right corner of the third image, the old North Carolina National Guard building was built by the Works Progress Administration during the years of 1935-1937. The Ira David Wood III Theatre In The Park web site says that

Theatre In The Park is located in the northern end of Raleigh’s scenic Pullen Park and is internationally acclaimed for its outstanding theatrical achievements—more than 40,000 people attending our programming last year alone. TIP is second only to the celebrated Louisville Actor’s Theatre in original works premiered— producing over 40 original plays during the last two decades (two of which moved to off-Broadway).

Originally chartered in 1947, TIP started out as The Children's Theatre of Raleigh, Inc. During the early 70s, its name was changed to Theatre In The Park in order to reflect its expanded programming, location and new "home" in The National Guard Armory building located in scenic Pullen Park. In 2004, the building was renamed as “The Ira David Wood III Pullen Park Theatre,” to reflect the decades of work done by Executive and Artistic Director, Ira David Wood III.

The facility includes a beautiful garden (named for its caregiver, John Bento, a fellow City of Raleigh employee), Season Member Lounge, administrative offices, costume shop, technical workshop, dressing rooms, lobby and totally flexible (black box) performance space. The theatre is in-door, air conditioned and has a seating capacity of approximately 250. Year-round programming includes no less than four mainstage productions, classes, workshops and independent productions.

Between TIP, Stewart Theatre, and The Raleigh Little Theatre, this little patch of Raleigh sure has quite an array of performing arts options.

107 Pullen Road
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 831-6936
Get directions

What's The Future Of This Building?

This building is located across from the Days Inn on Dawson Street. It's obviously very old, but I couldn't find any evidence of what this building is going to become after restoration is complete. Does anyone know its future is or what business or other entity once existed here?


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Raleigh Little Theatre

Raleigh Little Theatre, located at 301 Pogue Street, is a very old and well established home to some of the best stage theatre in the state. According to their website,

Begun in 1936, Raleigh Little Theatre is now one of the oldest continuously operating community theatres in the country. We offer entertainment, education and community programs year-round. RLT showcases 11 productions each year, with more than 150 performances. No other theatre in North Carolina produces as many shows.

I have seen several productions there, and I have always been impressed with their quality of work in all aspects of the show. For a complete 2008-2009 season schedule, check out the show list.

Contact info:
301 Pogue Street
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-821-3111

East Martin Street Groceries

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Blackbeard's Crew Invades Raleigh

The folks pictured above are a part of Blackbeard's Crew. According to the web site,

Blackbeard's Crew is a living history performance group dedicated to the accurate representation of seafaring life in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, specifically 1690-1720. Blackbeard's Crew was founded in the year of our lord 2000.

They weren't gathering for raiding and/or pillaging, but to celebrate the publishing of Kevin Duffus's book, Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate, available on his web site. There are quite a few pirates in Raleigh. If you haven't seen them, you aren't looking hard enough.

Watkins Shoe Shop

Peering in to the window of Watkins Shoe Shop is like looking in to a time capsule. I honestly had no idea there was a place in Raleigh where you could still get your shoes shined. I've driven by this place hundreds of times, and assumed it was only a shoe repair place. Despite the sad and somewhat dated note on the door, the place is still open. It first opened for business in 1973.
Anne Blythe wrote an outstanding article on Willie for the News & Observer, shortly after his death:

As an African-American man, Watkins had to overcome many obstacles to build his business. As a young husband and father, he worked two jobs -- early mornings at a creamery moving crates of milk from the refrigerated area to the loading dock, then at a white-owned shoe shop in Raleigh's Five Points where he only was allowed to shine shoes.

Through his time there and at other shops and companies, Watkins soaked up enough about the business to teach himself the intricacies of shoe repair.

Once he took apart his daughter's little patent leather shoes just so he could stitch them back together. He made leather book bags and suitcases that his children still have.

"He used to say he was a jack-of-all trades and a master of none," Elaine said. "I dispute that."

Watkins worked hard to afford his children any opportunity. He helped them pay for college and chipped in for other relatives in tough times. That generous spirit carried over into his shop. "People would come through a little down and out on their luck, and he would do their repair work and not charge them," said son Reggie, a lawyer in the state Attorney General's Office.

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