Top: Rendering of Apple's new headquarters in Cupertino, CA. Bottom: Model of Columbus Circle Shopping Center in NYC by former NCSU architecture professor Matthew Nowicki. Bottom image courtesy of and copyright NCSU SCRC.

The announcement of Apple’s new campus in Cupertino, California created a bit of buzz amongst the company’s fans as well as architecture enthusiasts. The design has been likened by many to a spaceship. It will feature several technological innovations as well as provide its own power from an on-site natural gas plant.

While many were focusing on how new and different this building is, I couldn’t help but think how similar it is to the Columbus Circle Shopping Center Proposal (unbuilt), drawn up more than 60 years ago by the former head of NCSU’s architecture program, Matthew Nowicki.

Top partial view of Dorton Arena in Raleigh, which also slightly resembles a spaceship. Designed by Matthew Nowicki

The Designer of the Original “Spaceship”

Matthew Nowicki put Raleigh on the architectural map with the construction of Dorton Arena in 1952, the first building with a roof supported by cables. In 1957, the American Institute of Architects declared it one of the 10 20th-century buildings most expected to influence the future of American architecture.

He was a rising star in the international architecture arena, pushing the limits of existing construction methods as well as designing an entire new city from the ground up. His talent was summed up in this way by the architecture critic for the New Yorker:

Nowicki’s dictum that the client makes an important contribution to the building and deserves part of the credit stemmed from his profound respect of ordinary men and their ways [...] Even in the conservative South, long hypnotized by the classic-genteel position, his daring plans for the arena and grandstand for the State Fair buildings in Raleigh met with enthusiastic response from people who, although architecturally unsophisticated, could nevertheless appreciate the quality of man they were dealing with. This sense of specific human occasion is what gives Nowicki’s designs a variety unmatched by anyone this side of Frank Lloyd Wright.

– Lewis Mumford

He was the head of the new architecture program at State College in the late 1940s until his tragic death in a plane crash in 1950.

Plan and section for Columbus Circle proposal. Image courtesy of and copyright NCSU SCRC

Similarity Between Apple’s Proposed Campus and Nowicki’s Proposed Shopping Center

The Dorton Arena roof is two opposing parabolas, and not really a spaceship. The Columbus Circle proposal for New York City bordering Central Park more closely resembles a flying saucer. The shopping center proposal and Apple’s proposed new campus have a lot of similar features. The unique outward footprint allows for a large number of people to occupy it without rising too high above ground level, as well as providing several entry/exit points and views of the outside. People are the focus of the area, with cars relegated to below the people-occupied area.

Site plan for Columbus Circle Shopping Center. Image courtesy of and copyright NCSU SCRC

Mid-century Technology

The 60+ year old Columbus Circle proposal was to be a building with the technology of the day: poured concrete. Nowicki had a strong desire to connect people with their outside environment, so I’d like to think he would have made a similar design decision as the new Apple building (expansive curved glass walls) if the technology available then would have allowed it.

Aerial view of proposed Apple headquarters

Innovation and New Technology

The biggest difference between the sets of plans is the technology which now exists: complex exterior glass forms. According to Mr. Jobs, “there won’t be a straight piece of glass” on the building. Considering that many of the iPhone 5 rumors involve curved glass, it’s interesting to see new manufacturing methods being exercised on a micro as well as macro scale. Jobs cited lessons learned in utilizing large amounts of glass in construction of retail Apple stores as influencing he the unique exterior.

The Jobs Pitch For a Lasting Legacy

Given the standard of perfection and attention to detail throughout the design process that Steve Jobs has historically demonstrated, it seems fitting that the noteworthy architect he selected came up with a design similar to one by the incredibly talented Nowicki. Jobs remarked during the City Council meeting that “architecture students will come here to see this, it will be that good.”

It’s not important whether or not this building received inspiration from Nowicki’s published plans. What matters is that something so similar to his vision will be built. So many of Nowicki’s plans never moved beyond sketches, and it’s great to see that his project for New York City drawn up here in Raleigh was far ahead of its time.

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The NCSU Special Collections Research Center has a large collection of Nowicki’s drawings, plans, writings, and photos. The images used in this article are copyright of the NCSU SCRC and not for reproduction, but they are also available in the book, The Writings and Sketches of Matthew Nowicki. This book is available in the NCSU College of Design Library.

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1970 Sidewalk Art Show : From the North Carolina State University Library Archives

The College of Design at North Carolina State University is known for its venerable history. However, few relics are as significant and have played such a catalyzing social role as Roy Gussow’s ellipsoidal sculpture.

Designed in 1961 during Gussow’s stint as a professor at the college, the sculpture has affectionately been called “The Egg” by countless design students for half a century. Nested in the courtyard between Kamphoefner and Brooks Hall, its gleaming mirrored exterior and unique shape are impossible to miss.

The Egg unveiled in 1961: From the North Carolina State University Library Archives

For decades it has served as the epicenter and social gathering place for students, including: Design Council meetings, TGIFs, Design Crawl, Design Collective, BBQs, The infamous Halloween Design Bash, dates/coffee outings and countless other existential interactions etc.

After discussing the array of possibilities during a prolonged Clark “brunch”… aka breakfast, fellow design students and I have already theorized of the eggs impact on future societies. Perhaps distant (human or otherwise) beings will discover this structure and contemplate upon its anthropological significance. Noteworthy are the egg-like forms that proliferate visually/symbolicly in contemporary 20th/21st century culture. Ranging from Alien 1979, Microwave egg illumination, Spinal Tap 1984, to contemporary industrial design such as Thor-Larsen’s “egg chair.”

Lady Gaga 2011 (potentially inspired by COD's "The Egg")

Regardless of its future interpretation however, Roy Gussow’s iconic sculpture remains an undeniable part of the design school landscape as it has for decades and for decades/centuries/eons/millennia/cotillionia to come.

Further Reading

• Roy Gussow, Abstract Sculptor, Dies at 92 (New York Times)
• Sculptor of “The Egg” passes away at 92 (College of Design blog)

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In advance of Talley Student Center renovations at NC State, a plan is underway to move the Bookstore to the ground level of Harrelson Hall. It is expected that by the middle part of this year, the current Bookstore (above) will be torn down.

If demolished, it will be one of the most significant architectural losses the city of Raleigh has experienced in many years.

Rendering of proposed Student Service Center dated 1958. Image courtesy of/copyright NCSU Special Collections.

Representing the Roots of Modernism at NC State

Designed by architect G. Milton Small, Jr. and built in 1960, it was originally known as the Student Service Center and is one of the most recognizable buildings on campus. It features distinctive folded plane canopies on both sides, although part of one of the canopies was removed in a 1971 expansion.

Blueprint for Student Service Center. Image courtesy of/copyright NCSU Special Collections.

The Bookstore was built during a time of dramatic change for North Carolina State University, most especially for the School of Design. The first Dean of the new school, Henry Kamphoefner, quickly turned the School from that of obscurity to that of national prominence.

Dean Kamphoefner (second from left) and Milton Small (center, facing camera)

He did this by recruiting some of the best young architects in practice to teach architecture at NC State. By reaching out to the star pupils of modern architecture masters, he was able to find some of the best talent in the United States.

Dean Henry Kamphoefner, Professor Eduardo Catalano, and modern pioneer Richard Neutra. Image courtesy of/copyright NCSU Special Collections.

A few examples of this include George Matsumoto (student of Saarinen), Eduardo Catalano (student of Breuer and Gropius) as well as Milton Small (student of Kamphoefner and Mies van der Rohe). These NC State professors became masters themselves, designing some of the most recognizable and important structures in the south.

Blueprint for Milton Small's own office, near the corner of Brooks Ave and Hillsborough st. Image courtesy of/copyright NCSU Special Collections.

The Small Era

After brief stint teaching at the School of Design and working for William Deitrick, Milton Small started his own firm. He went on to design numerous notable houses, commercial structures, churches, as well as educational facilities at Duke, UNC, and NC State.

Noteworthy projects in Raleigh include:

• WRAL Studios
• Northwestern Insurance Building
• Raleigh Municipal Building (also facing demolition)
• The Carolina Country Club (demolished)
• Burlington Nuclear Laboratories Building

Milton Small's nearby office building he designed for himself, showing koi ponds underneath

His own office building near the corner of Hillsborough Street and Brooks Avenue (above) is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was home to his firm for 34 years (later under G. Milton Small III and Kerry Kane). Small Kane Webster Conley PA is now located at 3105 Glenwood Avenue, a building they designed in 1980.

Small’s former office building is now home to consulting firm NewKind (when are y’all going to put the koi back in the koi ponds?).
View Raleigh’s Modern Corridor in a larger map

At the Heart of Raleigh’s ‘Modern Corridor’

No other place in Raleigh has a higher concentration of modernist buildings as the ‘Modern Corridor’. Clustered around the area where NC State expanded in the 1950s and 1960s, it includes all building types: residential, commercial, ecclesiastical, and educational. The Bookstore is in the heart of this corridor.

The Talley Student Center, also designed by Small, has been heavily modified several times since being built

The ‘Rally 4 Talley’

A little over a year ago, a campaign was launched to renovate and expand the Talley Student Center. Citing the inadequacy of the current building and growing student population, many pleaded for students to approve the measure.

The initiative appeared to fail after students rejected the plan:

Almost 19 percent of the student population cast ballots on Oct. 5, and while 56.6 percent of the students agreed there was a need to improve the Talley Student Center and the Atrium, only 38.4 percent of the students agreed with the proposed student fee increases to pay for the project.

Despite this vote, the NC State Student Senate passed a resolution to approve the fee and move forward with renovations anyway.

Vintage postcard of the "Student Supply Center". Image courtesy of/copyright NCSU Special Collections.

Condemned to Destruction

Well over a year ago a Goodnight Raleigh reader gave a prediction about the bookstore:

You all might be surprised to know that some people at NCSU have no appreciation for Milton Small or his architecture. There has been some discussion about tearing down the NCSU Student Center [...] The NCSU bookstore (which is beside the Horace Farlowe fountain) another Milton Small building is slated to be demolished.

Historical photo of the Bookstore at night. Image courtesy of/copyright NCSU Special Collections.

This was recently confirmed on the Talley Project web site. According to it, the Bookstore will be a part of the newly expanded student center and a “green space” will be where the Bookstore currently is:

The current bookstore will be demolished, providing an enlarged green space for student recreation and relaxation. A new, expanded bookstore will be incorporated into the new construction of the student center.

View from 1971 expansion, with unique brick pattern

It’s not Greener than Preservation

The same page also illustrates how the new building will be “sustainable”:

The Talley Student Center will be a model of environmental, social and economic sustainability. The project will actively advance the University’s commitment to state and national sustainability leadership in promoting and practicing the following principles throughout the life of the building and site [...]

LEED certification doesn’t mean much when you’ve used thousands of kilowatt hours of energy to destroy a building and then send tons of debris to a landfill.

The greenest building is the one already built.

Not Yet Officially Historic

In 2005, while conducting an architectural survey for the City of Raleigh, historian and archivist Ruth Little placed this building on the Study List for the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately, since it does not yet have official historic status, it remains unprotected and vulnerable to being destroyed.

Fitting in with the Master Plan

The NC State Bookstore beautifully fits within the ideas outlined in 2006 Master Plan, A Campus of Neighborhoods and Paths. There are three guiding principles within the 130-page document:

• Shared open space
• Character places
• Hub of interaction

Shared open space – The building is at the base of both campus tunnels, features a green area with fountains to the east, and picnic tables and a common area to the west.

Character places – I’d make the argument that the bookstore is one of the buildings on campus with the most character. The zigzag canopies represent the era of Googie-style roadside architecture. These architectural traits were often employed by business owners to get the attention of passersby and draw business. The strategy works here too – it’s one of the few retail buildings on campus.

The Bookstore showing two levels of outdoor pedestrian thoroughfare

Hub of interaction – This building incorporates pedestrian consideration around the entire perimeter, providing access to multiple parts of campus across two stories. Very few other buildings on campus have such considerations incorporated in to the design.

Demolition Would be a Step Backward

One of the driving principles of all future NC State development is to create an urban feel to campus. This is to make best use of available land as well as provide an interesting pedestrian landscape for students.

What makes an environment have an ‘urban’ feel is a series of new and old buildings, representing different eras of campus history. If we demolished all buildings once they reached the 50 year age mark (making them “outdated”, according to some) what would campus look like?

The original structure is on the left, the 1971 expansion on the right

‘Architected’ and not ‘Engineered’

So many buildings at NC State are chunky brick boxes with undersized windows and no otherwise interesting features. It comes as no surprise that it made the Princeton Review list as #10 Least Beautiful Campus. The Bookstore stands out as an exception to this with well proportioned features, floor-to-ceiling glass in some areas, and a low and unimposing profile.

Modernism as an architectural style is rapidly making a comeback. This is the type of structure that illustrates the role of the School of Design in shaping modern design throughout the southeastern United States.

How to Help Save the Bookstore

To be sure, it’s late in the game and the wheels are already in motion to move forward with demolition. However, it isn’t necessary to destroy the Bookstore in order to improve the Talley Student Center.

We should let NCSU officials know how important this building is to making campus unique and interesting. If you’d like to get involved, here a few ways in which you can reach out:

• Contact university officials with the Talley Renovation Project via email: campusenterprises@ncsu.edu
• You can join the Save the NC State Bookstore campaign on Facebook to get updated information on efforts to save the building
• You can also help by commenting on this article with memories, opinions on the building, or your thoughts of the looming destruction

Closing Thoughts

One of the first things I remember about NC State was walking out of the Free Expression Tunnel to see a building with an interesting brick pattern and atomic-age retro shelters. There are only a few interesting structures on such a large campus, and this is one of them.

This building has character, it has purpose, it is historic, and it is worth saving. An opportunity was squandered when Eduardo Catalano offered a generous gift of building a hyperbolic paraboloid pavilion on campus. Let’s not make another mistake with regard to honoring the legacy of the School of Design.

Copyright Information

All images labeled as “copyright NCSU Special Collections” are protected by copyright and are not to be distributed or reproduced without permission from the Special Collections Research Center. I kindly ask you respect this and not distribute copyrighted material.

All other images were taken by me (John Morris) and are not under similar copyright restrictions. I encourage you to distribute, reproduce, or otherwise share those images.

Related Articles

• A Reflection on the loss of Modernist Architecture in Raleigh, NC
• G. Milton Small – My Favorite Architect
• Let’s Not Repeat Mistakes: Don’t Destroy the Municipal Building

Further Reading

• Milton Small bio at Triangle Modernist Houses
• Guide to the G. Milton Small Papers, NCSU Special Collections
• Letter to the editor from Preservation NC in defense of Small’s Municipal Building, N&O

I’d like to give a big thank you to the NCSU Special Collections Research Center for being so helpful in locating the historic multimedia items used in this article.

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For the next three months, the Gregg Museum on NC State’s campus will host the Southern Roots of Mid-Century Modern exhibit. Featuring examples of modern design in furniture, art, architecture, and clothing, visiting the exhibit is a bit like stepping back in time a few decades.

Form, Function, Modernism

Modern design is often summed up with the phrase “Form follows function”. This is but a small part from Louis Sullivan’s essay, The tall office building artistically considered:

It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic,
Of all things physical and metaphysical,
Of all things human and all things super-human,
Of all true manifestations of the head,
Of the heart, of the soul,
That the life is recognizable in its expression,
That form ever follows function. This is the law.

This was often interpreted to mean that the design of an object was secondary the ability of the object to perform its intended function.

This is more easily visible in architecture than in other disciplines such as fashion,  industrial or product design, but the minimalist aesthetic is often prevalent in these as well.

Model for Catalano's paraboloid roof house

Raleigh and the Modern Movement

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you’ve probably seen some of the many examples of Raleigh’s legacy of modern architecture. On display are original blueprints, digital exhibits, and 3D models from architects at NC State’s School of Design.

Model for the livestock judging pavilion on the NC State Fairgrounds

Many of the works featured (esp. in architecture) are from local designers considered pioneers in their field. A few featured artists are Joe Cox, Matthew Nowicki, Milton Small, George Matsumoto, and Eduardo Catalano, to name a few.

The Influence and Perception of the South

Much of Raleigh’s development in the field of modern design is a direct result of Henry Kamphoefner (above), the first Dean of the new School of Design at North Carolina State College. He was instrumental in recruiting professors that were talented and distinguished in their field.

Most tourist outsiders, having been fed on the propaganda of Williamsburg, Tryon’s Palace, and the New Orleans French Quarter, have written off the culture of the Southeast as inferior to their own provinces. … Williamsburg is now, however, coming into proper focus in the South as an authentic documentation of the South’s architectural heritage, and the enlightened Southerner is ready to use the lessons of Williamsburg to continue and build onto the building culture of our time.

–Henry Kamphoefner, 1960

The National Park Service has labeled Raleigh as a “proving ground for modernist architectural innovation” and the exhibit explores how Raleigh earned this reputation.

Talley Student Center, home of the Gregg Museum

Quite fittingly, the Southern Roots of Mid-Century Modern exhibit is in the Gregg Museum, located in modernist Talley Student Center on NC State’s Campus. The Talley Student Center was designed by Milton Small, who served a brief stint as professor of architecture at NC State and later went on to design many of the buildings on campus and around Raleigh.

There is no charge for admission and the museum is open from noon until 8PM on weekdays, and 2PM until 8pm on weekends. It’s located at 2610 Cates Avenue.

Further Reading:

• About the Gregg Museum of Art & Design
• Current Exhibitions at the Gregg Museum
• Triangle Modernist Houses

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Goodnight Raleigh has received  reports about some colorful activity observed on Hillsborough St. last night. “I saw hundreds — make that, thousands — of colors emanating from the D.H. Hill Library book tower. They were moving back and forth, to and fro, mixing and blending — it was quite a sight!” one passerby told us. No, our source was not experiencing an encounter of the third kind, nor an ‘encounter’ of any other kind. What he witnessed was the first testing of the lighting sequencing of the famed Joe Cox Color Wall.

The Hillsborough St. public art landmark underwent an extensive restoration over the summer. The centerpiece of the project was the installation of a Smartswtch digital light sequencing controller. It has been programmed with Cox’s original 1972 design for the Color Wall. On Thursday night the restored system was tested for the first time since its installation. By all accounts the test was a success. Among those in attendance was Raleigh architect and College of Design professor, Frank Harmon, who exclaimed, “This is beautiful — perfect.”  

And it indeed is. In case you missed Thursday night’s brief colorful display, do not despair. You can partake of the Color Wall experience at the official relighting in a couple weeks. The event will be a part of the greater Hillsborough Street Reopening Celebration to be held on Sept. 25.

Two Hillsboro St. passersby enjoy the full Color Wall experience Thursday night.

 Photos by John Morris (except for the last one, which is by Raleigh Boy)

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The hallway between the Learning Commons and the Special Collections Silent Reading Room in NC State’s D.H. Hill Library is used to exhibit various artifacts from the NC State Library’s special collections.

Among other things in the new display is what is believed to be the world’s first fully electric guitar.

The blurb from the Department of Physics reads:

At the NC State Engineering Fair in 1940, first prize went to NCSU physics professor Sidney Wilson for his invention of the world’s first fully electric guitar. The instrument was also the first to have single-string pick-up. Clearly the sensation of the fair, the guitar was played by physicist Mickey May.

The Gibson Corporation had introduced a converted acoustic guitar – the ES-150 – in 1937 that used a single bar to pick up the signal from all strings. The instrument achieved some popularity, but was plagued by unequal loudness across the six strings.

Professor Wilson reasoned that: 1) individual pick-ups could remedy the unequal loudness problem, and 2) the acoustical body was not necessary for a fully electric instrument. He developed the guitar shown in the figure and entered it in the annual engineering fair. The highlight of the fair was the playing of the guitar by Mickey May, and the invention won the fair’s first prize.

Patents from academia were quite unusual in the 1940s, so it is not unexpected that Professor Wilson did not patent his invention. Had he done so, it would have been one of the first patents granted to NC State faculty. In 1949 Gibson incorporated both the individual string pick-up and the cut-away body in its model ES-175. The design was attributed to Ted McCarthy of Gibson Corporation, but the features were first conceived and implemented by NC State physicists.

The display guitar is part of the 50 Years of PAMS: A Legacy of Discovery exhibit, which includes a cast of a T-Rex femur and a variety of vintage physics equipment as well. According to the Special Collections librarian I spoke with, the display exhibit will be available for another month or so.

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Goodnight Raleigh is happy to announce that the celebrated light sculpture, Color Wall, created in 1972 by renowned Raleigh artist and beloved College of Design professor, Joe Cox, will soon once again bedazzle Hillsborough Street. The Color Wall will be relit at a public event during the official reopening and dedication of Hillsborough Street celebration to be held on Sept. 25. You can visit the Color Wall Web site for more information. Goodnight Raleigh will keep our readers posted as details of the public re-lighting are finalized.

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On Sunday night around midnight, several thousand NC State students converged on the Brickyard for a Flash dance party/rave which spread via word of mouth and Facebook. It was quickly shut down by Campus Police, citing a lack of permits.

The point at which it changed from rave to mob was when this red truck blasting some tunes attempted to make up for the loss in music. Campus Police were quick to keep people back and escort the truck out of the crowd.

While sound couldn’t be heard via an amplifier and speakers, many in the crowd brought their own beats.

Road cones and barrels made quick targets for those upset that the party wouldn’t go on.

The barrels the sole casualty of this rave turned mob.

By the time the crowd reached the Bell Tower, the RPD had arrived to form a wall in front of the new roundabout to contain the crowd.

Considering how spontaneous the event was and the size of the crowd, both the Campus Police and RPD acted in a professional manner. Most realized that the decision to prohibit the gathering likely wasn’t made by law enforcement personnel.

After gathering, chanting, and dancing for around half an hour or so at the Bell Tower, most of the crowd dispersed. Students have a lot of pent up energy this time of year, and it’s kind of sad they were shut down. Maybe next time the organizer will get a permit–but that may defeat the point of a “rave”, right?

Further Reading:

• Flash rave takes over Hillsborough Street (Technician)
• Brickyard Flash Rave Slideshow (Technician)
• NC State Glow Stick Flash Mob (New Raleigh)

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The gem on Hillsborough St. in 1962 — at night, the way Joe Cox intended it. (Photo courtesy the NC Office of  Archives and History, State Archives.)

Forty-seven years ago next month, Branch Banking and Trust Company  opened its  “State College Office” at the corner of Hillsborough St. and Oberlin Rd. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held with great fanfare, with the mayor of Raleigh, the chancellor of NC State and the president of BB&T in attendance. Though the pick and shovel groundbreaking had occurred several months earlier, the bank’s opening “broke ground” in another, more significant way — it was the first Raleigh bank to feature a work of public art as an integral part of its design — a dazzling stained glass mural. “The mural represents the growing cooperation between artist and architect that is rapidly spreading throughout the country,” the N&O reported in an article on the event in 1962. The architect of the State College Office was F. Carter Williams; the artist who designed the stained glass mural was none other than the renowned Raleigh artist, color theorist and School of Design professor, Joe Cox.

The NC State University BB&T branch as it appears today.

The “striking, three-dimensional stained glass mural” measured 9 x 14 feet, and comprised an entire wall of the bank’s glass-enclosed entry foyer. Stained glass panels of varying sizes and colors — reds, greens, yellows, orange, blues — formed a pattern in a wall of white cast stone. A grid of fixed anodized aluminum vanes placed in front of the glass panels on the exterior of the wall diffused light passing through the stained glass.

This is a view of the stained glass mural from inside the bank foyer in 1962. (Photo courtesy the NC Office of  Archives and History, State Archives.)

Although Cox designed the mural specifically for nighttime illumination, it played on natural light throughout the day. As the N&O article described the display: “Morning light streaming through the stained glass openings casts a beautiful pattern of variegated color. The rich colors are reflected faintly in the glass doors that lead from the foyer into the bank itself. In the afternoon, the vanes modulate a pattern of light and shadow …”

The State College branch under construction in 1962. The cast stone framework is ready for the installation of the stained glass panels. (Photo courtesy the NC Office of  Archives and History, State Archives.)

Few people today are aware that Cox created this bejeweled Hillsborough St. landmark. Even fewer remember it. As a freshman at NC State, I myself vividly recall the day I was in the bank, standing at a teller’s window, when I overheard behind me a young man compliment the female assistant manager: “Forgive me, but you have the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen!” She thanked him politely as their transaction concluded. After completing my own transaction I walked past the assistant manager’s desk and made a furtive effort to see for myself what had so smitten the young man. And sure enough, her eyes were a clear, deep emerald green. As I passed through the foyer on my way out, I lingered by the mural with all its sparkling colored glass. I focused on a bright green glass panel and thought—wow!

Another view inside the foyer. (Photo courtesy the NC Office of  Archives and History, State Archives.)

Sadly, the Joe Cox stained glass mural, the gem on Hillsborough St., has been lost. In a building renovation 20 or so years ago, the bank remodeled the foyer, and an ATM machine now fills the space this incredible work of art once occupied. Since that time I have always wondered: Where is the mural today?

With the generous assistance of the current branch manager, I am attempting to track down the mural’s fate. I’ll report back with my findings, whether the news be good or bad.

A recent nighttime view of the 1980s remodeling of the entry foyer. The brick walls were lowered, the ATM was installed and the original space occupied by the glass-enclosed foyer was reduced significantly.

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The composite of photographs of the Color Wall seen above was created by Libby Levi (College of Design '07) for the summer 2007 issue of the NC State University alumni magazine, NC State. The photos were taken by Daniel Kim, CALS Communication Services.

A partial restoration in 2005 brought the colors back to life, but by the end of 2007 the Color Wall had once again gone dark — this time due to an irreparable breakdown of the 35 year old mechanical system.  Acquisition of a modern, computerized digital switch system was underway last fall, but the worsening statewide budget crisis effectively prevented public funds from going toward the restoration of the Color Wall. The new system was estimated at the time to cost in excess of $6,000.

Our readers’ response to that article has been overwhelming, with offers of repair and financial contributions coming in from all corners. So, after much behind the scenes work, we are proud to announce that Goodnight Raleigh has teamed up with the NC State University Libraries Advancement Office in an effort to raise funds for purchase of the computerized switching system. Thus,  this treasured work of public art, Color Wall, might be  restored on a permanent operational basis.

Goodnight Raleigh has set up a Web page dedicated to telling the Color Wall story, and through which online donations may be made  to the NCSU Libraries’ Art Preservation Fund toward the purchase and installation of the new switching system. Designate your tax-deductible contribution “Color Wall.”  To learn more about the Color Wall, and how your contribution will help to restore permanently this important work of 20th century public art, please visit www.TheColorWall.org today!

This is how the Color Wall looks today. Won't you please help turn the switch back on?

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