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Matt Dudek
Cleveland-Holloway, Durham, NC
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@Will, I think that's an interesting idea. I like the old sign, but I hear your point. Maybe Scott would be willing to host a doodle poll or something on his site for different designs in the future.
(This assumes an awful lot of Mr. Harmon's generosity and patience to be willing to get public input on a private project, but maybe it's feasible).
I'm sure whatever comes of this discussion will be another jewel for Durham.
Gourmet pizzeria, bakery tenants revealed as Five Points building rehab plans advance
With the vote by City Council on March 21 to sell the city-owned building at the corner of Chapel Hill St. and Morris St. to downtown architect/developer Scott Harmon, plans for the renovation of the historic-but-tired structure are moving forward. Harmon announced on Tuesday that four businesse...
@Clif I don't want to monopolize the conversation either. My point earlier was that we, as a city, have already defined ourselves on substantive grounds. The sign isn't replacing substance with style.
And as far as fun goes, I guess we'll just agree to disagree. I think it would be Disneyland if we created a sign to look like it was historic, but I think it's different when you recreate a piece of history.
@Scott, great summary of the restoration rules. Good luck with the sign ordinance.
Gourmet pizzeria, bakery tenants revealed as Five Points building rehab plans advance
With the vote by City Council on March 21 to sell the city-owned building at the corner of Chapel Hill St. and Morris St. to downtown architect/developer Scott Harmon, plans for the renovation of the historic-but-tired structure are moving forward. Harmon announced on Tuesday that four businesse...
@Clif, Maybe "best" is a bit of an overstatement. I think that sign is a fascinating snapshot or artifact of "Durham Exceptionalism." It's a piece of history, and a time I find fascinating. It is all arrogance and pompousness. It makes me picture a barrel chested man in a tuxedo, top hat, and a monocle declaring how great Durham is.
I think for the past 30-50 years Durham has been declaring who we are through RTP, Duke, the ADF, Full Frame, and now the revitalization of Downtown, DPAC, and any other number of projects. The sign is fun and jaunty and connects this high point of Durham's history to past high points.
That's my 3 sentence argument for it. In summary, it's fun!
Gourmet pizzeria, bakery tenants revealed as Five Points building rehab plans advance
With the vote by City Council on March 21 to sell the city-owned building at the corner of Chapel Hill St. and Morris St. to downtown architect/developer Scott Harmon, plans for the renovation of the historic-but-tired structure are moving forward. Harmon announced on Tuesday that four businesse...
@Scott - I bet you could do a kickstarter campaign to raise some of the money for a "Durham Renowned..." sign I would give a few bucks.
Gourmet pizzeria, bakery tenants revealed as Five Points building rehab plans advance
With the vote by City Council on March 21 to sell the city-owned building at the corner of Chapel Hill St. and Morris St. to downtown architect/developer Scott Harmon, plans for the renovation of the historic-but-tired structure are moving forward. Harmon announced on Tuesday that four businesse...
@Cormoran TTA goes to and from the airport. I've used it, and it works. It's not ideal, but that's because we've chosen to live in such a sprawling area with a low population density. There are very few cost effective transit options because of ridership levels.
I live near downtown Durham though, and this works well for me. Give it a shot next time.
http://triangletransit.org/bus/airport/
Back to the future: Regional transit planners show Durhamites the future of travel
Durham residents got to have their say on plans for expanded regional rail and bus service at a Triangle Transit presentation Wednesday afternoon. The centerpiece of the workshop — one of seven being held in Durham, Orange and Wake counties in the third and final round of public meetings before...
@John - If the commute to work is killing you, it would be great if you moved to one of the neighborhoods downtown. That way you'd have the short commute you want, and no one's neighborhood would have to be destroyed to shorten your commute.
win/win!
INC briefing lays out transportation timeline for road, transit, pedestrian needs
City, regional and state transportation officials spent nearly two hours briefing the InterNeighborhood Council on foot-, bicycle-, bus- and car-related matters Tuesday evening. Transportation planners, looking ahead to 2035, estimate that by then the Triangle will be home to 2.6 million people...
Here Here. Mr. Martin. I completely agree.
INC briefing lays out transportation timeline for road, transit, pedestrian needs
City, regional and state transportation officials spent nearly two hours briefing the InterNeighborhood Council on foot-, bicycle-, bus- and car-related matters Tuesday evening. Transportation planners, looking ahead to 2035, estimate that by then the Triangle will be home to 2.6 million people...
@doug. The revolution will not be franchised.
King's Sandwich Shop featured in nice ABC 11 vignette
King's Sandwich Shop owner TJ McDermott left me a voice mail on Friday letting me know that WTVD ABC 11 was running a package on Saturday morning focused on the renovation of the Geer and Foster landmark, which re-opened last year. Endangered Durham's Gary Kueber (who provides some background an...
I hate it when small businesses open up in vacant buildings and provide jobs. It makes me sick.
King's Sandwich Shop featured in nice ABC 11 vignette
King's Sandwich Shop owner TJ McDermott left me a voice mail on Friday letting me know that WTVD ABC 11 was running a package on Saturday morning focused on the renovation of the Geer and Foster landmark, which re-opened last year. Endangered Durham's Gary Kueber (who provides some background an...
This comment thread is why I love Durham.
So many different opinions from wildly different perspectives, and no one takes the bait on troll-ish comments. I think posting with real names, in a small city, helps that.
Saturday's time to get down on one knee and "Marry Durham"
There's no other town in the Triangle that would, could, should ever try to do a quirky, crazy event like tomorrow's "Marry Durham" fête, scheduled for 4pm tomorrow near the corner of Rigsbee and Geer downtown. But then, isn't that why so many of us who live here love it so much? From the town...
It would be great to see more apartment buildings come online soon to provide more customers for downtown, and more people within walking distance. The Chesterfield will hopefully open soon-ish, and Morris Ridge is planned, but does it have a start date?
Downtown Durham and the wisdom of the crowds: When does more become too much?
“Nobody goes there any more. It’s too crowded,” famed Yankee Yogi Berra was reputed to have said of a certain popular restaurant. With Bull City Burger and Brewery set to debut in a week's time, and a new beer garden expected to open in the Central Park area in the spring, Durham’s once-desolat...
@Andy My partner and I bought an abandoned home in Cleveland-Holloway and have slowly been renovating it over the past 3 years. Yes it takes time, and money, but we lived in one room while working on the rest of the house and it made owning a home a possibility, and much less expensive than buying downtown or in Trinity Park.
www.shaketheframe.com
Baldwin Lofts project goes condo as Greenfire converts first project from rentals to owner-occupied
When the Baldwin Lofts project started in the mid-2000s, Michael Lemanski was the company's only employee, and the former downtown department store's rebirth as residential lofts over a restaurant or some retail was by no means a sure bet. There were some residential units in the so-called "ci...
The abbattoir would certainly add an "air" of authenticity.
City poised to sell 102 Morris to downtown's Scott Harmon; pizzeria, bakery eyed for site
This Thursday's City Council work session agenda reveals that the long process of finding new ownership to own and renovate 102 Morris St. may be at an end. The early 1900s commercial structure is a long survivor through the ages in downtown's Five Points, though in recent years the Downtown Dur...
Matt Dudek is now following Kevin Davis
Mar 15, 2011
@KennyL I agree with you, but something is better than nothing. If the market doesn't support it, then we'll at least have a renovated space.
Rooftop dining goes downtown in proposed Five Points project
We noted here earlier this year that a developer with Wilmington ties is planning to renovate and add a rooftop level to the former Penny Furniture store at Five Points -- proposing, in the process, a mid-block traffic circle on Morris St., which would see a partial two-way traffic flow between ...
I love the commenting culture here that even the trolls couldn't get anyone to get mean.
Duke/Gregson, Cornwallis, parts of 15-501 all up for repaving in spring/summer
Drivers in the Bull City may notice a bit more smoothness in their ride by summer's end, though it'll come at the cost of some initial disruption, it seems. NCDOT has announced that a number of Durham routes are set for resurfacing and shoulder reconstruction. That includes the stretches of Duke...
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Mar 14, 2011
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