Urban Oasis - Raleigh Rose Garden

A recent visit to Raleigh Little Theatre and adjacent Rose Garden, caused me to realize the value of this little-known park. Located on Pogue Street in a well-established neighborhood just North of Hillsborough Street, this urban oasis offers beautifully landscaped gardens, many quite places for repose and a variety of shows and events – both indoor and outdoor.

Its neighborhood location, landscaped perimeter and sunken site make it near impossible to locate if you don’t know what you are looking for. Larger than a pocket park, (but certainly no regional park) the Rose Garden is a park unique unto itself. Moreover, the park serves as a prime example and metaphor for the beauty of the city of Raleigh. Initially there is no overwhelming reason to love the place, but over time, ones appreciation grows as the ease and tranquility of the locality becomes more apparent. A certain depth appears, which was not visible until one truly engages in the everyday life of the place. Both the garden and the city of Raleigh, have more to offer than what initially meets the eye.

The conflation between the two entities – park and theatre – go together like a horse and carriage. The unassumingly appropriate theatre bounds the park and holds the street wall on the East end of the park. (If the garden is viewed from the West stair entry from Pogue Street, the park almost sets up like a Picturesque English Garden.) Meanwhile the Rose Garden establishes an axis beginning with an outdoor amphitheatre on the South, which continues through a small pavilion, an allee (flanked by rose bushes), a small fountain and finally terminates in a colonnade.

The simple lay out of the park works well – the only evidence I have that it works is that I didn’t have to think about it was I wondered through it. It just made sense, and we weren’t busy thinking about how it should have been laid out, but we were able to enjoy the surroundings.

This unexpected encounter in the garden taught me that many of the best architectural spaces – places that bring communities together, where all are equal, and where time seems to pause for a moment - never required anyone to lift a hammer. My only regret about this park is that many of my visits I get to enjoy it all by myself.

AIA Triangle Design Award Traveling Exhibit

The AIA Triangle Design Award exhibit is traveling through the chapter's 10 counties, and will be on display in the Raleigh Urban Design Center through July 15th. For directions and the Urban Design Center's website.

From the AIA Triangle website:

AIA Triangle received 54 project entries for the 2010 Design Awards program. The submittals represented work from architectural firms throughout the Triangle region. The awards presentation was held at Design Infusion on April 17th, 2010 in Durham.

Take advantage of this opportunity to support architecture in the Triangle and go visit the Urban Design Center before the exhibit is gone.

Triangle Firm Increases National Recognition

Frank Harmon Architect PA continues to gain national recognition, this time appearing at number 13 on Architect Magazine's top 50, up from 26th last year. Congratulations to Frank Harmon and his staff for their efforts.

image from frankharmon.com 5/13/2010

From Frank Harmon Architect PA facebook page:

May 12, 2010 (RALEIGH, NC) – Frank Harmon Architect PA, a multi-award-winning firm based in Raleigh, NC and recognized nationally as a leader in innovative, modern, and regionally inspired “green” architecture, has placed 13th on Architect magazine’s 2010 list of the top firms in the nation, moving up from the 26th spot the firm held last year.

Frank Harmon Architect PA, founded by principal Frank Harmon, FAIA, in 1985, is the only firm in North Carolina to make the “Architect 50” this year. The Freelon Group in Durham placed 60th and Little in Charlotte placed 71st.

Unlike many other “top firms” lists, the “Architect 50” emphasizes ecological commitment and design quality as much as profitability as the editors determine the country’s very best firms. In fact, many firms ranking far lower than Harmon’s report revenues in the multiple millions.

Senior editor Amanda Kolson Hurley also notes, “Some commercially focused firms that were prominent last year have dropped off the list; conversely, this year’s biggest upward movers tend to be those with a bedrock of public-sector and infrastructural projects.”

Harmon’s firm has been working on and completing several “green” public-sector projects since the 2009 Architect 50, most of modest size and budget. They include Visitors Education Centers at Walnut Creek Urban Wetlands Park in Raleigh, the North Carolina Botanical Garden at UNC-Chapel Hill, Merchants Millpond State Park (recently featured in Architect magazine), and the N.C. Zoological Park (Children’s Nature Zoo). The firm is also working on oyster hatchery research facilities at UNC-Wilmington and in Northern Neck, Virginia, as well as a new Crafts Campus at UNC-Asheville.

Each of these projects embraces the principles of sustainability, both low-tech and high-tech, within regionally appropriate, modern designs. And each underscores the enjoyable aspects of energy conservation, such as natural light and ventilation; simple, familiar materials; and the use of deep porches for circulation and access to the outdoors.

In an introduction for Harmon at a North Carolina State University College of Design lecture, architecture Professor Paul Tesar stated:

“[Frank Harmon’s] buildings range from houses in the Bahamas to AIA Headquarters in Raleigh, from Eco-Stations to Parish Houses, from Iron Studios to Pottery Centers, and from Dog Boxes to Oyster Hatcheries – commissions, in other words, that most of us only can envy him for, because they somehow seem a little more inspiring than, say, 40,000 square feet of speculative office space next to a K-Mart parking lot.”

Of the higher ranking in this year’s “Architect 50,” Harmon said, “The usual rating of firms by gross billing, number of employees, etc., does not include our firm. But when we are rated on design recognition for our clients, sustainability, and financial performance, our firm shows up well.”

To see the entire 2010 Architect 50 list, go to www.architectmagazine.com.

For more information on Frank Harmon Architect PA, visit www.frankharmon.com.

CAM Groundbreaking Event at 5:00 p.m. TONIGHT (MAY 11)

May 5, 2010

CAM ANNOUNCES GROUNDBREAKING AND MUSEUM COMPLETION PLANS

Public invited to May 11, 2010, Groundbreaking Event at 5:00 p.m.

Raleigh, NC - Raleigh’s Contemporary Art Museum (“CAM”) will officially break ground at its future home, 409 W. Martin Street, on Tuesday, May 11, 2010, at 5:00 p.m. The renovated 20,000 sq. ft. historic warehouse-turned-museum will serve as the only non-collecting museum of contemporary art + design in North Carolina.

Jay Gates, CAM Interim Director, City of Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker and Dean Marvin Malecha, NC State College of Design, will lead the ceremony. Predicts Mayor Meeker: “The opening of the Contemporary Art Museum will be key to the revitalization of Raleigh’s Warehouse District. Its location near the City’s Convention Center and planned Union Station Transit Center, in addition to its innovative art and design exhibitions, will make the new museum an important cultural destination for our region.”

The movement of the project from concept to reality has been made possible by many individuals, foundations and a special initiative launched last year to obtain valuable Historic and New Market Tax Credits for the museum’s redevelopment. The tax credit programs will provide a direct subsidy of more than $2 million for CAM, or about one half of the cost of the museum’s redevelopment.

The new museum will house three galleries as well as dedicated educational spaces. Additionally, it will host changing exhibitions and the critically acclaimed Design Camp for high school students, while expanding the existing, community-wide adult and youth art and design programming.

News Facts:

• The Contemporary Art Museum was established in 1983 in Raleigh as the City Gallery of Contemporary Art.

• In 2006, the museum merged with the NC State University College of Design, becoming an extension of the College’s “Art and Design in the Community” Initiative. The merger expands the College’s K-12 outreach and introduces students and the larger community to a broad range of new creative and learning opportunities.

• CAM is a non-collecting museum of contemporary art and design. Its exhibitions reflect the leading edge of visual arts and design practice, while its educational programs offer a unique perspective on the role of contemporary art and design in our everyday lives.

• The museum is eligible for Historic and New Market tax credits based on the historic nature of the warehouse building being rebuilt and on the demographics of the census tract in Raleigh where CAM is located. The same programs have been used in North Carolina recently at the Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro and at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham.

• The architectural team of Clearscapes and Pugh + Scarpa has overseen the design of the new museum. Raleigh-based Clearscapes is well known for its local projects, including the historically sensitive Exploris Museum, the new Raleigh Convention Center, and the mixed-used revitalization of Pine State Creamery. The 2010 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Firm Award winner, Pugh + Scarpa has offices in Santa Monica, CA, and Charlotte, NC.

• For more information, please visit the CAM Website: http://www.cam.ncsu.edu

NCSU/UNC students win Urban Land Institute competition

Yesterday we received the news that the team comprised of NCSU/UNC students did in fact win the Urban Land Institute's Gerald D. Hines competition. Not only does that mean big things for the students -- $50,000 and great portfolio material, but it's also a big deal for both institutions as well. A huge congratulations to those guys.

Say it ain't so Raleigh.....

Tuesday night I got the news... It's funny how the closing of a small upstairs restaurant can have such an effect on so many, but damn... it did. The Rockford was the scene for many of my most cherished memories over the past 15 years and it's hard to believe that it's really gone. It's the little things in life that truly make a difference and the Rockford was full of those. Whether it was the bartender who went out of her way to make a drink "right" for the pain-in-the-ass customer, the waitress who was seemingly always in a bad mood but yet somehow profoundly human, the "specials" menu dedicated to keeping music lovers entertained, or just the simple comfort of a meatloaf sandwich... The Rockford always just seemed right somehow and made me feel at home. I think an anonymous letter taped to the door sums it up best...

"Thanks for the good times, food, drinks, and friendship..."

Through the years we've lost our share of great places; the original Humble Pie, Vin & The Sting Ray to name a few. Hopefully the reopening of Kings will help bring us back to where we need to be. As things stand now though, Raleigh just got a lot less cool.

Vollis Simpson featured in the NY Times

Local Folk Art legend Vollis Simpson featured in the New York Times

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