Nestled between a stretch of convenience stores and empty lots on South Street lies an architectural gem built a half century ago that served as one of the first in the area to offer drive-through banking. Originally home of First National Bank, the structure now serves as a house of worship for The Prayer of Deliverance COGIC (Church of God in Christ).

Much of the fenestration and landscaping elements have long since been removed or altered, but the building still stands proudly today in a long neglected corridor just slightly removed from the downtown revival taking place to the East. As the now absent sign in the first photograph shows, it was a “Drive-In” bank – a concept that was just beginning to emerge in the mid 1950s and early 1960s.

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A forgotten N.C. State University landmark, a 7-foot tall granite drinking fountain, stands hidden behind Primrose Hall on campus. The monument was a gift of the class of 1914 and originally stood in the quad between Holladay and Leazar Halls. Leazar was the dining hall back then, so it made sense to place the 4-sided fountain in a space that was essentially a student hangout. Photos in old year books show the fountain in the center of a well-worn network of paths running through the barren dirt yard. I’m not sure how or when it was moved to its current location, but it has been there for as long as I can remember. Read more »

As I sit here reflecting on this past weekend, listening to The Picard Song and eating some chips and salsa, I can’t help but think what an amazing few days it has been. The weather has been perfect, I played a lot of disc golf, and most importantly, Friday had perhaps the best First Friday experience I’ve ever encountered.

My evening started at 5:00 PM when I rode my bike down to the College of Design to check out the student work, as well as the things posted by Alumni of the College as part of their 60th Anniversary celebration. Studio Collective was Friday, and as part of the celebration, they had a competition to see who had the best looking bikes in the following categories: Scraper, Fixed Gear, and Open Category (anything goes). All this explanation is really just setup for describing the bike ride – due to a ‘perfect storm’ of conditions (bike competition at studio crawl, beautiful weather, great shows, First Friday, a scavenger hunt), First Friday was hopping like I’ve never seen it!

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