Any time an organization or establishment uses the phrase “the oldest ___ in ___”, there is bound to be controversy. The title “Oldest bar in Raleigh” is no exception. Mitch claims as much for his bar, near the spot on the menu that also mentions the appearance in Bull Durham. While it may be the oldest bar that is still in the original structure, the Jolly Knave was sold to Mitch after the PR was established. Red’s, also owned by Mitch, has been closed for more than 30 years. Another local bar that claims the title is The Office Tavern. There seems to be dispute because they relocated from five points to the Johnson Street location long ago.

It seems as though any person that has lived in Raleigh for a significant amount of time knows the inside of Player’s Retreat. The web site states that it is a Raleigh tradition since 1951.
While I haven’t lived in Raleigh very long, this place is special to me too. Once I had an instructor who moved class to this location to discuss topics over drinks–before noon! In addition to the history of the place, there is something special about the atmosphere too. Similar to Mitch’s, it is chock full of eye candy attached to the walls with phrases such as Our waitresses go from zero to bitch in four seconds. It is quite large inside, especially given the location. It has a decently sized pool room, a separate dining room, outdoor seating, and a spacious bar.

One of the most interesting parts of the PR is the computer with free internet access and printer. The internet (Google in particular) has made us realize that any disagreement over a fact, figure, or history item can be settled in a matter of seconds with almost zero effort. Coffee/tea houses, restaurants, and bars in particular have always been filled with people having philosophical debates of every variety. This frequently leads to one person disagreeing with another person’s presentation of the facts of an event. By placing a computer with internet access and a printer for free public use, you are assured there will never be a conversation’s completion left hanging upon promises of future consultation with Google or Wikipedia. As far as I know, it is the only bar in the area with a free public computer.

Bert, one of the PR’s bartenders, was wearing a shirt that said Beer – it’s not just for breakfast anymore. He’s been around for quite some time and has some unique information on the cultural history of Raleigh. He told me stories of a bar on Hillsborough Street with a swimming pool, the old headshop underneath of Daryl’s (now Red Hot & Blue), and some of the large name musical acts that came through Raleigh in the mid 70s to early 80s. When asked about Mitch’s claim about being the oldest bar in Raleigh, he stated that

Mitch’s isn’t the oldest bar and he knows it. It’s been around for 30 years. There is some debate about The Office Tavern, but they moved across town.

With an established reputation for great food, vegetarian options, the largest selection of single malt scotches in North Carolina, fantastic drink specials, and a well designed web site–they have all of the ingredients for the the best bar in Raleigh.

What are some of your memories of the Player’s Retreat?

This historic marker is located on the corner of Boylan Avenue and Morgan Street. The inscription reads:

On and around this spot stood the old town of Bloomsbury, or Wake Court House which was erected and made the county seat when Wake County was established in 1771.
This place was the rendezvouz of a part of Governor Tryon’s army when he marched against the regulators in 1771. Here met the state revolutionary assembly in 1781, and to this vicinity was removed the seat of government when the capital city of Raleigh was incorporated in 1792.
This memorial placed by the Bloomsbury Chapter Daughters of The Revolution A.D. 1911.

Even in an incomplete state without the lighting, it is something truly fascinating. Currently without backlighting, colors still roll and move across the surface like the reflection of a bird flying over water. Once the illumination switch is flipped, Raleigh will have one of the most awe inspiring pieces of public art that is part of an urban landscape.

If you have not been keeping up with new developments in the area, this is the Shimmer Wall, an enormous piece of art on one side of the Convention Center covering an entire city block. It was designed and is being assembled by Clearscapes, an architectural and design firm located downtown.

“We wanted a wall that would be dynamic, that would move, that would shine,” said Thomas Sayre, principal with the Raleigh architectural firm Clearscapes.”So all afternoon, every afternoon, this surface gets bathed in light.”

The idea is to take thousands of steel strips, maybe more than a million, each about the size of a shirt pocket. Half would be buffed shiny, the others would be dull, dimpled metal. They would hang on rods along an entire side of the convention center, covering a city block.

When the wind blows, they would swing, creating a wavy, glimmering image, reflecting sunshine during the day, and letting light show between their cracks at night.

Sayre said the shimmery strips would be spaced to form a larger picture. Light and dark tiles would function like the ones and zeroes of binary code — a nod to the region’s tech sector.

“Part of our job is to think, ‘How can this be an interesting wall?’ ” Sayre said. “I hope when you go home and your kids say, ‘How was the convention, Mom?’ you can say, ‘There’s this really cool thing out front.’ ”

News & Obsever, 2005

To see convention center construction at various stages of progress, check out the façade in Janurary, the entire convention center (from a viewpoint now blocked by construction), and at a distance from the Boylan Avenue bridge (second photo).

Note: These images were taken the day before completion. Head over to New Raleigh to see images of it now that it is complete as well as a time lapse video of construction.