Rooftop Construction

Work, life and building decisions are getting in the way of progress documentation. Oh, and taxes. This has been an extremely challenging year of administration related to taxes owed to the US and Canadian government. Alas, these are not related to Downtown living so I'll keep those stories for my All Things Inevitable blog......

Construction started last week on the rooftop structure and deck. Here are the beginnings of that work; the metal framing that will support it all. Notice the natural slope of the roof. We intend to maintain that by suspending the deck structure above the roof, allowing water to run freely below. Suspending the decking will also keep weight off the roof framing and allow for a level walking surface.

Here is a view from down the street; an area called Five Points. The big blue tarp is the rooftop structure you see framed above. I have one of the best views of the Hill Building (the building with the flag) because my roof is 40' above views from the street. Much more to follow on the rooftop as construction continues.

The New Train Station

Visiting the new train station makes me:

1. even more excited for Durham's potential and
2. wanting to ride and encourage transportation by rail

The place is beautiful. The train pulls up under a metal awning, with awning escorting you to the door of the station. At the door is signage welcoming you to Durham. The outdoor signage is plain in an old school, yet new kind of font. Very simple. Very cool. Inside (photo) the place is awesome in the same juxtapositional (sp?) way. The place seems like it could have been there for 100 years, yet you are certain it's new.

Old photos hang on the back wall showing Durham architectural, train and cultural history. Simple signage shows the Amtrak route and fare options. Benches beg for you to read the paper while donning hat and trench coat.

Thanks, Durham. Thanks, Amtrak. All aboard for a day in Charlotte.

Eno Festival Weekend

Is it graffiti when you write "Hi Mom" on the sidewalk in chalk?

The weekend weather was perfect for the Eno Festival. 4 stages with bands playing rock, country, blues, and bluegrass. There were dozens of artist displaying their wares: pottery, painting, photography, metal sculptures and the like.



Kim and I rode bicycles up to the Eno, which made even the journey fun. Only 2 sketchy points in the trip; one crossing Duke Street and the other Roxboro Road. I've written to organizers asking them to consider posting their suggested bike route next year.

Kim is standing in front of a bike some person fashioned into a camel.


Here's the real reason for the Eno Festival. Entrance fees go to preserving and purchasing land in the Eno River basin. Here is a man-made dam with tree trunks used to climb and dive from.

Great fun.

A View from Bull McCabe's

Nothing much to write except this is a view of my building from my local pub, Bull McCabe's. Click the photo to enlarge it and scroll to the bottom. There you'll see the top of my building behind & beside the green and white street sign.

Now, scroll back up and look at the sky. All this madness and concern are lost when we have days like this in Durham.

The Festival for the Eno

The Festival for the Eno happens again on July 4th weekend. Kimberly and I went to the Eno park over the weekend and noticed a new trail and bridge to nowhere.

Well, it probably goes somewhere we just don't know where. Loving the idea that there's a new pedestrian/bike trail. I can feel an exploratory ride in the near future.

A Great Place to Live: US News and Durham Palooza

Durham's growth as a viable, sustainable city is upon us. Evidence is all around:

The week, US News and World Report ranked the 10 Best Places to Live in America. Durham made the list. Now, they appear on the list 5th but that's because the list was alphabetical. Maybe Durham is REALLY their choice for the best place to live???

Also, last weekend a group of musicians organized "Durham Palooza" where they assembled in the concrete park across the street from where I live and just played music. Banjos, mandolins, juice harps and accordions played past sunset making it clear that Durham has arrived.

OK, tongue-in-cheek doesn't write so well. This isn't evidence at all. But I don't need evidence.......Durham is becoming a GREAT place to live and I know it.

Marketing Weekend

Contracts are signed. Renovation begins on Monday. More on that tomorrow......

The first floor of 308westmain is officially for lease. We kicked off this event by once again taking advantage of Durham Art Walk.

This weekend brought the streets of Durham more life with Art Walk '09. Remember that the fall Art Walk was the event where local youth were invited to paint the storefront construction facade. It was very cool. But repeating that would have seen unoriginal.

So this weekend I incorporated the help of a real artist. Kimberly painted an invitation to vote what the space should become. Then folks started stopping by. And stopping by. And stopping by. I met Europeans here as grad students, local residents excited by the changes, parents, kids, lawyers, council members, renovation specialists, and architects. So many interesting people. Really. And all of them were passionate about how a downtown should be reborn. Here's what we heard about my space:

1. an overwhelming response for a cafe/coffee shoppe.
2. a community grocery/corner market. The number of responses for this surprised me. So did the number of people that knew about Central Market opening but still requesting a market on a smaller scale. Interesting.
3. Retail space......especially of the boutique variety
4. a bar or club
5. gallery space, often coupled with cafe or coffee
6. small bookstore, magazine shop and cafe/coffee (seeing a trend....coffee goes with every request)
7. yoga/day spa
8. bicycle shop and coffee bar. This one interested me because the couple that discussed it had historical bikes and had a friend that was a repair "artist"
   
9. and one each response for boxing ring, Dollar Store, English Smoking Club, an occult shop and a combination martini bar/shoe shop

This really was one of my favorite weekends in Durham. The people made it special. May the space lease to someone who shares the dream of community.

And now to bed to get some rest for a great week.

More news from nowhere

Thanks to those who admonished me for not posting and/or to those who encouraged me to start up regular posting. This will be the first of more to come. I promise.

First, news of the building
Well, there's nothing much new to post. We are still awaiting State and Federal approval on the design. I desperately want to start hearing hammers. They call to me. But, the windows, storefront and new (old) window cut-outs have to be first. And, without State approval on the plans I might either 1) need to redo work or 2) lose out on tax credit opportunity. I'm not so much interested in either; so no meaningful construction right now.

I have uncovered a potential way for me to get capital and a real-estate professional to lower their tax burden. If you know of anyone in the real-estate business that wants to make about 20% on their money......send them my way.

Next, ramblings about nothing (most of you can stop reading)
I still love living in an urban environment. Sunday brunch, coffee and NY Times reading has become a regular event for me and friends at Parker and Otis. I continue to meet people who live in the downtown core and are excited by the potential, while remaining challenged by ways to integrate smartly. The Durham Station opened on Monday. A very European style transportation facility makes me excited about Durham's future and vision. There's talk of a "circular route" for short trips around the Duke/Downtown core. I would love to take the bus for a grocery run. Count me as one who would use the service.

One of my favorite bloggers took part in an urban design and planning exercise in Raleigh with leaders from the Triangle urban and rural centers. This was one of my favorite reads in a long while (including the NY Times articles on how crappy our economy is and will be). You must check it out, especially if you live in the area (defined by Burlington to Zebulon). It also has interesting principles about the challenges of collaboration. Speaking of Cisco.........

Work is going excellent. I (we) are succeeding on a project that I've been working for the last 6 months. But mostly, I'm learning just how challenging it is to work collaboratively. I'm too stubborn at times and at others I should be even more stubborn. I must find ways highlight the important areas and let go of the chaff. 'Tis hard for me though, because caring brings passion and then even the little stuff matters. So, because work is hard it is good. And, I'm thankful to have meaningful work right now.

I hope this for all of us.

Ciao.

Merry Christmas, Mom

Mom and I are sitting here Christmas morning. The gift opening is complete. We're planning food and visits to friends and relatives.

I made the following movies to give her a virtual tour of Downtown Durham and of 308westmain. We both enjoyed them; the movies sparked side conversations. And now, for my final gift from her, I ask that she writes something this Christmas morning to last as part of this blog. My mom.....

Thanks for my special gift. I enjoyed the time spent looking at all of the scenery downtown and hope to come visit and enjoy it with you soon. It looks like you've found a great location. I'm proud of you for upgrading this historical building. Wishing you lots of success in your venture. Love, Mom

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

Tour of Durham Part I: American Tobacco, Durham Performing Arts and Durham Athletic Center areas
Tour of Durham Part II: 308westmain (front, interior and rooftop)

Drawings, Permits and My Hero

The drawings were completed on Friday, the 12th and were submitted Monday morning to the City. Bring me positive thoughts, prayers, karma and good energy that 1) they are approved to begin construction and 2) the approval process is a short one.

And then we'll focus on whether this can come in under budget.

An excellent article was written about Gary Kueber in the News and Observer. He's sort of a local, cult hero of mine. We've exchanged emails and I think we'll meet as he wants to see the interior of 308westmain. Please give this article a read and then check out his blog if you want to see more of his great work on Durham's architectural and cultural history. There's also a link to it in the left column of this blog.

Cheers.

I'm in Love

This post is not directly related to 308westmain but certainly has a connection......

Today I felt even more a part of the community. Scott and the folks at center studio architecture invited me to be their guest at the Downtown Durham Inc. Annual Meeting. The meeting was hosted at the new Durham Performing Arts Center, making this the third day in a row that I visited (dinner with Wayne before B. B. King on Sunday - Ashley, Chris and I went to the grand opening on Monday - then this afternoon).

I'm back from that brief commercial break.

Anyhow, the meeting was very informative and renewed my interest in Downtown Durham. I learned:

• residents of downtown have grown from 180 in 1996 to 1470 in 2008. Nearly a tenfold increase in 12 years
• # downtown employees has grown from 5,851 in '96 to 13,500 today
• office occupancy rates remain in the high 80 percentile (88% this year)
• resulting from downtown's renaissance, properties increased in value an average of 135%, compared to the county average of 30% (results of 2007 reevaluation)
• folks are committed to keeping the downtown SAFE, DIVERSE and full of the arts
  

Downtown Durham: Find Your Cool (new slogan)

Most importantly, my connection to the community was deepened because of the people I met and hung out with. Thanks to:

• David Downie for his continued friendship and dedication to construction
• The folks at DDI for their vision of Downtown Durham
• Joni Madison, the outgoing DDI chair and COO of McKinney, for a moving salutation
• Congratulations to Kelli and Billy of Toast for winning this year's "Outstanding Retail Entrepreneur" award
  
• Cheers to my new friends and neighbors; Lindsay, Rachel and Nicole
  
• And finally, a BIG THANKS to Scott, David, Will, Tom, Chris and Dawn for inviting me and putting up with the noises that come from above their studio

A Building Birth Story.......Part II

In the first part of the story, Durham's Main Street grew west with my building being built circa 1907. Druggists, working for R. Blacknall, moved to my building and opened their own drug store, sharing space with a physician and an art shop. The westward movement continues......

1911
King, C. E. & Sons are the only business listed at 224 West Main (my buildings address in the early years)

The King brothers, Charles E., Charles H., and Harris L., are still living at 505 Duke Street and listed as druggists. Blacknalls Drug Store is still at 130 West Main (corner of Corcoran and Main) along with Five Points Drug Co. at the corner of Main & Chapel Hill, Main Street Pharmacy at 202 West Main and Rexall Pharmacy on the corner of Corcoran and Main. There are 16 Drug Stores listed in the Directory. Clearly this was a booming business, and perhaps one heading for consolidation.

Furniture also seems to be going through some considation because Herring & Elliott Furniture is now listed at 126 West Main. The Elliott name has moved onto the marque. It's still not tied to my building, I'm using him as the character to drive interest........

1915
My building is still labeled as 224 West Main on the Sanborn maps and Herring & Elliott Furniture Co. is listed in Directory as the tenants. H. H. Herring and B. W. Elliott are listed after the building name, maybe meaning they are co-owners. Benjamin W. Elliott lives at 905 Yancey so he's moved out of living where he works. H. H. Herring is listed as a resident of Spartanburg, SC.

Why B. W. Elliott is interesting to me is he is the great-great grandfather of Kristy, my friend and hair stylist. I've known Kristy for 17 years and even dated her for a time. She remains one of my favorite persons on this planet. Having a connection to her past gives me great pleasure.

C. E. King and Sons are listed at West Main corner Market. I'm not sure which corner, but I suspect what is now known as the Temple Building. Charles H. and Harris L. are still listed as proprietors.

1919
Now my building takes on its current address of 308 West Main. Elliott Furniture Co. (not Herring and Elliott) is listed as the tenant. B. W. is noted as sec-tres, with H. H. being the president.

Benjamin W. moved his home to 114 E. Geer.

1923
Elliott Furniture Co. has moved to 416 West Main. H. H. and B. W. are still proprietors.

Benjamin C. Woodall Sporting Goods moved into 308 West Main.

The building is 15 years old and Durham is growing. The building was home to 3 shops; druggists, furniture and sporting goods. Not an exact parallel to my life but oh well. I've got enough information now to decide how to brand the building.

A Revised Building's Birth Story

Today the Durham Performing Arts Center opens with a show by B. B. King. The weather is "cold and rainy"; hopefully it won't dampen the mood of the evening (I crack myself up).

Tom (the architect) discovered from the Sanborn Maps that my building wasn't always addressed as 308 West Main. In its first 10ish years, the block west of Corcoran was the 200 block, with my building being at 224 West Main. So, here's the Directory search information for 224 West Main, including my cross-references of the business/persons names......

Summary:
From the Directory it appears my building was built pre-1907 and post-1905. The druggists who were employed at R. Blacknall & Sons on on Corcoran and Main in 1905 moved a block west and started their own pharmacy in my building pre-1907. They gave the business their family name. In 1907, the building also contained a physician, an art shop and a person of unknown profession. I've got later years information that I'll save for another post.

Now here's the detail for those freaks like me:

1903
224 West Main was not listed. Nor was "B W Elliott or Herring". (stay with me on the names, they start to make sense in the coming years)

Searching on King I found:
King, Charles E (Haywood and King), home 505 Duke
King, Charles H, drug clk R Blacknall and Son, home 503 Duke
King, Harris L, druk clk R Blacknall and Son, home 503 Duke

Searching on Blacknall I found:
R. Blacknall and Son, Druggists, northeast corner of Main and Corcoran Sts.
I even found some ads so maybe this was a big, important business in town. It was certainly on a prominent corner of the community, what is now a vacant lot.

1905
224 West Main was not listed.

Searching on Elliott I found:
Elliott, Benjamin W, mngr Herring Furniture Co. home 126 West Main

Searching on Herring I found:
Herring Furniture Co, 126 w Main, B W Elliott mngr - phone 473 (so BW lived where he worked?)
I also found this list of salesmen, including some with the "colr" notation. This denotes "colored" which at times had a seperate listing in the Directories.
Cannon, Joseph P (colr); Case, L Baseom; Robinson, W Prince; Thompson, Wade W (colr); Walsh, William E (colr)
I don't know when integrated workforces began in the south, but it seems Herring Furniture Co had one.

1907
Searching on 224 West Main reveals:
Durham Art Shop (Owen Z Wren, William S Marten)
Felts, Robert L. physician home 409 n Mangum
King, C E and Sons (Charles E., Charles H., and Harris ), druggists - phone 106
Woodard, Charles A

So, the building dates 1907 and its first collection of merchants were physicians, druggists and an art shop.

Searching on Elliott reveals:
Elliott, Benjamin W, mngr Herring Furniture Co., home 126 W Main (so he still lived where he worked)

Searching on Herring reveals:
Herring Furniture Co., 126 W Main and East Durham, B W Elliott mngr

Searching on King reveals:
King, C E and Sons (Charles E., Charles H., and Harris L.) druggists 224 W Main - phone 106

Herring and Elliott become part of my buildings history in later years. I'll write more about them in the future, as well as cross-reference the above with the Title search Lynn ran. Gotta run now so I can meet Wayne before he heads off to the show.....

Alive with the Sound of People

Brian and David came up with a great idea on Friday - "Paint the Storefront".

So yesterday, Brian is on the street soliciting folks to stop and decorate the plywood that is the temporary barrier of the building. And folks did. Kids would paint and then giggle with glee; spraying paint all over themselves and parent. A father stopped by to see what we were doing and then asked if he could go home and get his family. Four teenagers spent 2 hours painting flowers, characters, slogans, lyrical lines and "The Hendrix Company" slogan. Even Otis, a white poodle mix got in the action. Brian painted a picture of Otis on the temporary door and Otis signed his approval with his paw prints. In RED! The paint is water soluble but poor red footed Otis. What fun.

David is coming back today to bring his daughter. He'll put up scaffolding and paint the top portion that couldn't be reached from ground level. I'm suspecting a different kind of art today. Yesterday's was "real" because of the fun it gave to people. I suspect today's will be more "professional". I'm sitting here on Sunday morning and can't wait to see what they come up with.

This really is brightening Downtown. I hope others agree.

More History/There's Friedman's

Most of the demolition is complete. The storefront is coming down. Pulling up the wood planks that were the entrance reveals this tile walkway.

Title Searches

Lynn Harder did some Title searches yesterday. While the information is interesting, it unfortunately did not get me closer to the name I'll attach to the project. "The Radcliffe" might win by default......

Detail for posterity (not interesting, so read at your own risk). I need to research these parties to find anything interesting about them:

• No record of how John Sprunt Hill acquired the property but he did own it. This is interesting because John Sprunt Hill married into the Watts family (American Tobacco family) and built many buildings in Durham/Chapel Hill including the Carolina Inn. His bank later became CCB. This information is exciting to me, but since he owned so many properties, mine is not unique and can't acquire his name.
  
• 17APR 1905 - John Sprunt Hill to E.P. Wharton.
  
• 30JUN 1905 - E.P. Wharton to Southern Real Estate Company
  
• 17MAR 1906 - Southern Real Estate to E.J. Parrish. Might be Parrish of Parrish Street. Interestingly, the property was sold for "that for and in consideration of the sum of ten ($10) dollars and other goods and valuables....".
  
• 24FEB 1912 - E.J. Parrish to H.H. Herring
• 17APR 1918 - H.H. Herring to James S. Perry and devised by said James S. Perry to Mary Susan Perry, now Sudie Barbee Lindsey (whatever that means)
• 27JUN 1956 - Sudie Barbee Lindsey to Trustee for Sudie Barbee Lindsey (The Depositors National Bank of Durham). Perhaps part of a will?
• Then it seems to go into the hands of Alice Lee Barbee Perry because
• 23JUN 1967 - North Carolina National Bank (successor by merger to the Depositors National Bank of Durham) to Alice Lee Barbee Perry. Deed says, "was devised to Alice Lee Barbee Perry by Last Will and Testament", so perhaps Alice Lee got the property some years later when she became an adult?
• 08JAN 1979 - Alice Lee Barbee Perry to George C. Love, Jr.
• 15JAN 1998 - George C. Love, Jr. to Owen D. Wade
• 15JUL 2008 - Owen D. Wade to Barry Radcliffe. This is the date of the Deed filing, closing was actually on 12JUL 2008
  

History of Durham: from 1907 Directory

"Thirty years ago an insignificant village with a population of some five hundred. To-day a city of twenty thousand inhabitants; containing more wealth, larger manufacturing enterprises and greater school facilities than any other city in the State of North Carolina."

I found this Preface from the Durham Directory to be an interesting account of the history of Durham: considering Durham to be a "result" of the Civil War.

Directory accounts are provided by Durham County Library as part of the North Carolina Collection.

Found: First Tenants of 308 West Main

A search of the Durham Directory from 1903 reveals the business listed at 308 West Main to be Standard Mercantile Co. Here is the page from that Directory (click to enlarge). Earlier Directories do not list this address, and instead stop at 302 West Main (the corner of Market and Main). Perhaps the street didn't extend west past Market until 1903.

My research didn't find much about "Installment Houses" other than they appear to be loan companies for personal merchandise; unlike banks who loaned for business reasons. Would like to know more.

Raymond J. Davis was the proprietor of Standard Mercantile Co. and lived at 418 Warren. I tried to find more, but the business was gone from this location by 1905. I found a Raymond J. Davis listed as manager of Masters & Agee Co. of Charlotte, NC., some years later. Perhaps he continued moving south and west?

The 1905 Directory shows William J. Carter, an electrician, to be running a business in my building. Later in 1907, two business owners are listed at 308 West Main: Benjamin T. Tingen, a confectioner whose home was at 111 Jones; and Jacob H. Wheeler, a shoemaker who lived at 209 Morris.

I hope to find someone to run a title search for the land in these early years. That will complete some of these stories.

I DID discover the answer to what comes after "ELLIOTT" on the back of the building. Stay tuned.

It's Official

Downtown Durham has a new building owner. Last Friday, I purchased the building formerly known as Ringside or Boxer's Ringside or Friedman's. Well, I financed the building formerly known as......purchased implies ownership and that applies to my friendly, neighborhood banker.

Anyway, a search for a new building name is underway. I need help in finding the original owner or occupant. I hope to market the building name back to its origins. "Don't forget where you came from" as Aunt Jannie used to say. Advice that's often useful and sometimes forgotten.

I intend this blog to document my progress. I suppose it will be more for my own catharsis, though I hope my mom and friends also find it useful.

Welcome to my journey.