Honoring the Past, Building a Future
#I - THE WRONG ANSWER FOR MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Affordable housing in historic districts and Wards should be looked at as a sustainable method of housing development. Buildings are durable commodities that can be used for decades. The addition of historic districts, which Rocky Mount has seven, into the housing equation is a win-win for … Continue reading Saying NO to Tarboro Street Housing For At Least 3 Reasons
The overall #1 seed team in the tournament WINS! Well, that's what the ladies in my story would say. Some years ago, I drove from Chapel Hill to Durham to the beauty shop. Waiting my turn during the NCAA Tournament, I listened to four ladies talk Duke basketball. It was a Norman Rockwell moment. In … Continue reading The talk around town – Basketball, New Leadership and Housing
Many years ago Princeton University's basketball team came to Chicago to play the DePaul Blue Demons, coached by Ray Meyer. My husband (a Princeton graduate) and I went off to see the game. Princeton's slow and deliberate offense was in sharp contrast to the fast break basketball the University of Kentucky plays. It was at … Continue reading Reasons Why This Housing Development Game Should be Cancelled – A Team of Ineligible Players – Part 2
It's been a great weekend for shotgun houses after publishing on Saturday morning my belief that they are a preferable alternative to government-owned housing. Social Media got busy commenting on what I'd written and added additional ideas and wonderful support for the need to save and preserve this vernacular architecture. There were many 'shares' spreading the word … Continue reading Hold Up A Minute -This Downtown Housing Plan on Tarborro St. Is Not a ‘Zion’ Slam Dunk – Part 1
“Converting an existing property into a new use is fiscally friendly. If you create a building of value, where before the building was of no value, you’ve added to the overall economic worth. You’ve made something viable that wasn’t viable before, a place people can live or work.” … Continue reading We Don’t Need More Low Income Housing -Getting it Right With What We’ve Got
"If you have eyes to see past the broken glass and boarded facades, if you look up as I do, you will see what I see. Commercial architecture holding the heartbeat and stories of Rocky Mount." -Stepheny Houghtlin This quote of mine is one approach to preservation. There are many avenues to pursue when considering … Continue reading ‘Planting Your Flag in the Ground’ – Another City Council Meeting
Main Street Rocky Mount 