Archive for March, 2010
Raleigh’s Nash Square, A Lovely, Historic and Under–Used Downtown Park
Nearly all residents who live Downtown today report that they see Raleigh as lacking open space. This need is recognized by city officials within the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, yet it wasn’t always this way.
You might be surprised to know that Raleigh, like Philadelphia and Savannah, was one of the early American cities incorporating squares of green space in their original city designs. Though Raleigh started with five squares, today only Moore Square and Nash Square remain.
Here is the 1792 plan of Raleigh with its 5 squares.
So what happened? In addition to one square that was lost to development, one is now home to the governor’s mansion and the other is Union Square, setting to the Capitol Building. Moore Square has gotten some love by the city lately, starting with the redesign project now underway, but sadly, Nash Square has not received as much attention.…
[ Read More → ]Downtown Living Advocates (DLA) Begins Year Two
As the DLA begins our second year, we are very happy to have so many of you joining us. We can measure our growth in terms of the increase in “fans” on Facebook, Twitter “followers” and blog visitors. Though we’ve only just started on our mission, it’s already evolved and grown in accordance with the interests and talents you all bring.
We are always looking for ways to continue to build our relationship with the City Council and Planning Department, and currently have DLA members serving on the Advisory Group for the Unified Development Ordinance, and expect to have a member also join the Mayor’s new Train Task Force.…
[ Read More → ]Now, One More Way to ‘Buy Local’ in Downtown Raleigh
When St. Saviour’s Center, a community outreach ministry in Glenwood South, asked me (as a volunteer) to help them strengthen their connections with the surrounding community, I immediately thought of Britt Farms and their fresh produce delivery service. What better way to bring people together than through food, which nourishes bodies and relationships?
Saint Saviour’s, 616 Tucker Street, RaleighTogether, we decided that a local produce delivery service could be just the right solution. Fresh fruit and vegetables delivered weekly would support local business, promote healthy eating, and build the relationship between the Center and its neighbors.
Last spring, I got to know Britt Farms, a family-owned business from Mount Olive, when my husband and I decided to purchase a share of fresh, locally grown produce through the farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.…
[ Read More → ]Faces of Downtown Raleigh: Meet Kalesia Kuenzel
What’s situated between the Joel Lane House and Bloomsbury Estates, nearly a hundred years old, yet new this month? It’s ARTHOUSE, the first of many creative projects housed in architects, Chris and Nasim Kuenzel’s newly renovated 1920’s home, they call “Post Suburbia Project”. Curious? So were my wife and I as Kalesia Kuenzel, the daughter of Chris and Nasim and director of ARTHOUSE, greeted us this week.
The old and new theme continues… “Post Suburbia Project” is a reference to the movement back Downtown after the massive migration to the suburbs starting back in the 1950s. Kalesia shares her parents’ dedication to Downtown life, which until now has focused in Fayetteville where the family supports the arts through projects like the ten year old art theater, Cameo. Yet with ties to Raleigh through Kalesia and Nasim’s graduate degrees at NC State, their presence in Raleigh is a natural.…
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