Within the past couple of weeks, the giant stone housing a memorial marker denoting the location of the first Court House of Wake County has returned to its original location at the front of Bloomsbury Estates condos. It has been absent throughout the construction procress likely to avoid any possible unintended damage that could have occurred during that time. This is the second such marker to note the historical significance of this area. The first, located on the corner of Boylan Avenue and Morgan Street, marks the area known as Bloomsbury–the namesake of the condos nearing completion near the Boylan Wye.

The inscription reads:

First Court House for Wake County. Built – 1771. The first Court House, Prison, and Stocks for Wake County stood in this area. Erected by The Wake County Historical Society – 1983 –

If you’ve been down by the west end of Hillsborough Street recently, chances are you’ve noticed the rennovations taking place at the former North Carolina Equipment Building. Lulu will be occupying the building in the first part of 2009.
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If you’ve dined at The Mint, Fins, Lucky 32, Margaux, 18 Seaboard, Tavola Rossa, or Solas (among many others), you’ve seen Matt McConnell‘s work in the form of lit sculpture. Matt’s team includes Mac Farrior, Dan Furguson, David Eichenberger, and Greg Palmer. Josh Davis, Jim Appling, and Conor Boing also help out part time. Together, they create absolutely beautiful artwork, lighting, furniture, and a number of other projects for both industrial and residential use.

I first became acquainted with his lighting work which was positioned throughout the restaurant that I worked at a few years ago. Later at the first Downtown Appetite for Art, I was able to see a few of his larger works. Once you’ve seen one of his lit sculptures, you’ll probably start to recognize more around town. Many of his pieces are striking examples of geometry and symmetry, yet his work is so diverse you can’t possibly lump it into any category.
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