The Graves-Fields house is a fine example of the Queen Anne style of Victorian architecture that was dominant at the time of its construction in the mid 1880s. Located in the Oberlin Village area, it was built by freedmen following the Civil War.

With its steep pitched roof, square turret and fish scale siding covering each gable, this is one of the architectural gems of the area. It is one of a few remaining remnants of the Oberlin Village area.

If you are ever walking in the area, you should check out the dooryard of this house. The owner always has the most beautiful flowers growing, and is very friendly and engaging in conversation.

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The Court House is in the foreground, and the Wake County Emergency Services Building is in the background of the image above.

One thing I’ve been somewhat surprised at with regard to activity in and around town is the lack of skateboarders. There are plenty of them out there, and the hub of the local online skateboarding community is run by someone local to Raleigh. 

The skateboarders pictured are Quintin, John, and Austin. 

It was only about 5 minutes before someone called the Raleigh Police Department to complain about the noise caused by the skateboarders at 8 PM on a Friday night.

This is the side of the Convention Center as seen from Fayetteville St.

The Relocation of Raleigh’s Merrimon-Wynne House

On Saturday movers will relocate the historic Merrimon-Wynne House to a site about two blocks from where it has rested for more than 130 years. This will be the largest structure in Raleigh to be moved since the 3-story, solid brick Raleigh and Gaston  (later, Seaboard) Railroad office building made a similar trip in 1976. (The Seaboard building was relocated to accommodate construction of the Halifax Mall — but that is another story.)

Although it had been awkwardly sitting up on blocks for the past few weeks, the boldly-ornamented Italianate villa still maintained a grand presence over the surrounding area. When it was originally built in the early 1870s the Merrimon House commanded the entire block and presented itself as a symbol of gracious Southern living. Even as Blount Street developed into a neighborhood of large, stylish Victorian homes during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, the Merrimon House continued to exert its elegant prominence.

The Merrimon-Wynne House as it appeared in1968, in its original setting under a canopy of magnificent oaks.

The Merrimon House will join two other historic Raleigh landmarks that were moved to Blount Street when the entire neighborhood between Wilmington and Salisbury was cleared for the state government Mall (Again, — another story!) These are the antebellum Lewis-Smith House (ca 1855) and the fanciful Queen Anne-styled Capehart House (1898). At their original sites, the Lewis-Smith House and Merrimon House faced each other across Wilmington Street, and the Capehart House was just up the block. There is a certain irony here, for after more than 30 years of separation, these three architectural jewels will once again be neighbors. I just hope the magnificent oaks that remain in the Merrimon House yard can be preserved, as they certainly can’t be moved, too!

The Lewis-Smith House, being moved to Blount Street in 1974.

A view of the Merrimon House, across the street from the just-moved Lewis-Smith House. You can see the remains of its stone foundation in the foreground.

The Capehart House at its original location on Wilmington Street. This view is from about 1972.

Located deep in the heart of the Warehouse District, William-Cozart is a family-run antique store that has been a cornerstone of downtown Raleigh retail for 30 years.

They specialize in various flavors of Asian art and antiques. Items available in the catalog include Japanese woodblock prints, ceramics, paintings, and metal work. They also carry a diverse selection of American and European antiques as well.

I don’t know the history of the two buildings they occupy, but I was incredibly intrigued by the building-within-a-building as shown in the image above. I liked the way it was incorporated into the presentation of the artwork they offer.

To find out more about the types of art and antiques that are offered, please be sure to check out their online catalog.

Medianera is a Spanish word used to describe a wall shared by two buildings. In Barcelona it is frequently used to describe a wall of a building that retains characteristics or artifacts of an adjacent building that has been torn down. One of the most easily noticed is the one off of Wilmington Street, as seen above.

Another one is the ghost staircase off of Salisbury Street, near the Court House.

Another one, visible on a building next to Lot 13.

These are the only examples that I am aware of. Do you know of more? Comment on this article and I’ll cover it in a follow-up.

There is an exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of History titled A Thousand Words: Photographs by Vietnam Veterans that is one of the most moving I have ever witnessed. It was a project started in 2003 by Martin Tucker, a Photography instructor at the Sawtooth School for Visual Art in Winston-Salem.

His initial thought was that it would be a great project that would allow his students to learn history along with the elements of photography and print making. It evolved into something much larger in scope, and is enabling many North Carolina veterans of the Vietnam War to tell their story. Each framed image contains some contextual information on the image itself, and frequently has commentary on the war from a higher level. It ranges from philosophical observations such as “The most valuable item in my posession was my ballpoint pen”, to thought provoking statements about other soliders: “An Army man once told me he’d never met a Marine that thought he was going to die”.

One of the most interesting elements of this collection of stories and photos is the communication that was a direct result of the exhibit itself. The veterans in the photos or behind the camera who donated their negatives as well as the ones viewing the images initiated a dialogue or conversation that may not have ever been otherwise. While making my way around, I heard a gentleman behind me talk about his experiences with his wife. From the way he described it and her reactions, it appeared to be the first time he had talked about the things he had.

A Thousand Words is a very personal look at what the soldiers experienced and how they chose to document it,” explains Martin. Each of the 60 compelling images selected for the exhibit has a description from the veteran who took the photograph. Topics include camaraderie, jungle combat, the Vietnamese people, and a soldier’s private moments.

Martin says an important, unforeseen benefit emerged as the exhibit progressed. Through the photographs, the veterans found a way to express what they could not say. Silences about the war were broken between husbands and wives, family members and others.

“Photographs weren’t just dropped off at my office,” he states. “The men wanted to talk. Three decades later, their experiences remained fresh and often just below the surface.”

… Their gripping words range from the anguish of fighting near the Cambodian border to enjoying a 1966 Bob Hope Christmas show or finally taking a field “shower” in a rice paddy in 100-degree weather.

– NC Museum of History

For me, and I’m sure others who were born far after the end of hostilities between the two countries, that era exists in portrayals made by Hollywood in various movies over the years and other recreated versions of history. Seeing these photos first hand gave me a sense of connection with the soldiers and a better understanding of what that time was like.

The exhibit runs until mid November of this year. I recommend going during one of the more quiet times (very early in the morning) to really absorb the story being told. It’s one I won’t forget.

As mentioned last week, the Lump Gallery Benefit was on August 15th at their studio/gallery on South Blount Street.

Your favorite beer was there, provided that your favorite beer is PBR.

Schooner playing their set.

Bill Thelen grinning behind a pile of money in a paint can. He’s one of the three artists who run Lump.

More of Schooner.

Med (as in Club Med) showing off a crisp five dollar bill that someone just gave him as he was thanking everyone for attending.