This is a massive update, with many new projects for us to follow on this thread!
Projects & Construction:
Election Results:
Since you "High Fived the Bonds" on election night, we can now move forward with several new & exciting projects. Included on that list of projects is Civic Plaza (Merschel Plaza), which is a proposed park with amphitheatre that also has underground parking for future high-rise residential and office developments on surrounding sites. Don't forget the new park in the Flat Rock Neighborhood, which is expected to become a regional tourist attraction. City Council wants to move forward with these projects in the next 12 months!
Thank you to every Democrat who voted! Ted Kaplan, who said he wanted a light rail line (LRT) connecting downtown to the airport, won! This appears to be a very liberal county commission! I'm very excited. It's good to see several rail transit supporters in city/county government.
The Village Lofts:
I found a photograph of the bridge I spoke of earlier. You can also see the alley between the buildings.
Credit: The Village Lofts
Credit: The Village Lofts
Credit: The Village Lofts
Kimpton Hotel:
The first rendering, showing the lobby on the Fourth Street side. It appears to be a bar?
ARTivity on the Green: New to This Thread!
Downtown Winston-Salem's newest park is ARTivity on the Green. An art park, located at the corner of Seventh and Liberty streets. AFAS will build and maintain the park. An executive at a Canadian resources company donated the money to build it. Ground breaking is scheduled for December 1, and construction will be completed in May. It appears as if Wells Fargo is also involved in the park? Red lines in the sidewalks will lead visitors into the park. The red lines will meander to create raised setting elements and raised entry portals for art displays. These lines will converge and rise to 50 feet (15.25 meters) in the center of the park and create 13 structures that will emit illuminated (color changing lights) fog formations every 15 minutes, using 450 nozzles. Yes, red is the color of brick used on the old industrial buildings and the tall towers are designed to look similar to Winston-Salem's tall brick smokestacks, which are a visual nod to the city’s industrial past. Other features include an “artist performance shelter,” sculpted from steel bands, to continue the industrial look of the park (anyone can use this performance space for free at any time!), and a concrete mural wall designed to serve as a constantly evolving canvas for local artists. The mural wall will have cascading lighting to be attractive at night and anyone can paint on the wall.
Water feature emits fog, with color changing lights:
http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townn...jpg?resize=960
Credit: JournalNow - STITCH Design Shop
The factory smokestack themed water feature has to be the most interesting water feature I've ever seen in a park. I love it! It's an industrial themed park.
Keep Winston-Salem Weird and Nerdy!
You can see the art display areas, near the arches:
http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townn...jpg?resize=960
Credit: JournalNow - STITCH Design Shop
B/E Aerospace Engineering Development Lab:
Credit: West & Stem Architects
Credit: West & Stem Architects
Credit: West & Stem Architects
Credit: West & Stem Architects
Forsyth County Public Safety Center:
County Commissioners are hiring an architect to complete the adaptive reuse of the Phillips Building. The project will add probation, parole, and judicial offices, along with a crime lab and an emergency operations center to the building.
Convention Center:
TVS Design was selected as the architect for the convention renovation.
414 Northwest:
Credit: West & Stem Architects
Credit: West & Stem Architects
Credit: West & Stem Architects
Credit: West & Stem Architects
Credit: West & Stem Architects
Credit: West & Stem Architects
Semans Arts Library:
It's not completed at this time, but will be soon.
Credit: Lindsay Bierman
Ritz Theatre Restoration: New to This Thread!
Winston-Salem Playwright Lizz Goins-Turner is buying the old 500 seat Ritz Theatre and plans to restore it into a working theater again. Goins-Turner's company, Diamondique Productions, is looking for a permanent space for her shows. The theatre closed in 1975 and has sat abandoned since 1990. She has already started a $100,000 renovation on the 65 year old building and hopes to reopen the theatre in January. She said a number of playwrights have already contacted her about producing a show in Winston-Salem. She plans to preserve as many of the theatre's original features as possible, including the concession stand and the projection room. Goins-Turner said “I just want a lot to remain the same because I know a lot of people that used to go there as a kid and I’ve been contacted by so many people that are ready for the grand opening because they haven’t set foot in there in years.” The theatre will host live shows in addition to film screenings.
It does appear as if the industrial North Patterson Neighborhood is revitalizing! You may remember the post on the Streamline Art Moderne "1800 N. Patterson Building," on October 14. This theatre is within walking distance of that building! This theatre is also near Hot Dog City, one of the best hot dog restaurants in the city!
June 2014:
Credit: GSV
March 1968:
Credit: Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Library
It appears to be fully intact:
Credit: Trulia
Did You Know: Since this was a neighborhood theatre, it was designed without parking. Customers would walk or take transit there.
Credit: Trulia
Bailey Park @ East End:
Credit: Dominic Gray
1775 T. Bagge Merchant Building Renovation
Credit: ndaholt
Credit: Wilson-Covington Construction
Lillybee Building:
Thank you to WSTB for answering the question of who is renovating 705 North Main. It's a women's shoe company called Lillybee. Their clothing is sold nationwide through high-end boutiques.
Reynolda House Indoor Pool:
We haven't seen an update on this project in long time!
Credit: Trish@Reynolda
Nash Building Renovation: Built!
Be sure to visit Design Archives on West Fourth Street, in the former Nash Automobile showroom. They are now open! I would like to buy a "North Carolina is Home" t-shirt on a future visit!
These displays in the store are made from a barn built in 1860!
Credit: Design Archives
Credit: Emily Poe-Crawford
Credit: Dana LeBlanc Designs
This is an example of the Nash cars once sold in this beautiful building:
Credit: Nash Nut
This was actually a very innovative car company, with many firsts in the industry.
Placemaking & Fun:
Reynolda Village:
Have you visited Winston-Salem's 100 year old lifestyle center? Reynolda Village was built between 1912-1917.
Credit: Emily Miner
Winter Weather:
If you're moving to this city, you should know it does snow here. Having four seasons is a major attraction to moving here. How much snow the city has varies from year-to-year. Over the weekend, new city employees practiced with the snow removal equipment. Winston-Salem is among the few cities in this region with all of the equipment and the right people to clear the streets. Winston-Salem has two shifts that plow until the streets are cleared. So what is the most difficult part of snow removal? According to the city workers, it is turning the trucks with the snowplow. The plow also makes the truck longer and you have to keep that in mind when driving a snowplow.
Downtown Photograph of the Week:
Credit: Andrew Dye
Fabians Restaurant:
I found this awesome Streamline Art Moderne building photograph while searching for photographs of another construction project.
Credit: CE Mc
Bug Art:
The bug art is new. I don't remember seeing them before. This one of several around downtown.
Credit: Piedmont Craftsmen
Winston-Salem Getaway:
WRAL-TV 5 in the Triangle is giving away a free 3-day holiday weekend trip to Winston-Salem for a family of four. If you live in the eastern part of the state and want to visit Winston-Salem, be sure to enter. It appears to include everything from wineries to art museums to Old Salem to restaurants to the city's award winning light display, which is ranked as a Top 100 Event in North America.
Pop-up Art in the IQ District:
More pop-up art around the city. This one appears to have a contest of some type connected to it?
Credit WFIQ
Most Beautiful Colleges in the Fall:
Wake Forest University was ranked #1 as the most beautiful college campus in the fall. Best College Values made the list. They said Wake Forest University's campus has an "array of colors" and a "picturesque setting." The site also said the nearby Sauratown Mountains impacted their decision.