Honoring the Past, Building a Future
“This is the place of places and it is here.” Gertrude Stein Today I am introducing a new category to Main Street Rocky Mount...selling dreams. The name was inspired by a chapter in David Halberstam's book, The Fifties. (Please take a minute and click to read what I have written about the book.) Halberstam writes about Ken … Continue reading Selling Dreams – 304 Pearl Street Rocky Mount, NC – Part 3
There must be a special place in hell for people who vandalize buildings. In taking photographs of Machaven, I wouldn't dream of a photo that shows the front windows boarded up. Such an embarrassment for a historic place that has been holding court at 300 Grace Street these many years. Like a woman who knows her … Continue reading Villa Place Historic District – ‘The Ice King’ Cometh – Part 2
As I begin to write about the Villa Place Historic District, the lines of a song keep running through my mind that I offer as a metaphor when we think about the revitalization of Rocky Mount. Things are mending now I see a rainbow blending now We'll have a happy ending now Taking a chance on … Continue reading Villa Place Historic District – Taking a Chance on Love! – Part 1
People call me Machaven, but I think of myself as a Hines. It seems like yesterday (1907-1908) that I was built for James Hines, a leading businessman, civic leader, and his wife. Of course, I credit the architect, H.P.S. Keller, for the handsome fellow that I am....a 2 1/2-story, Classical Revival style brick dwelling with a slate-covered … Continue reading They Call Me Machaven – Speaking Out About Old Age and Remaining Useful
I admit that the 1984 action-adventure, romantic-comedy entitled, Romancing the Stone, sounds better than the title for this post, Romancing the Brick, but I couldn't help myself. I have had a long-standing romance with architecture that includes lots and lots of brick. I grew up in the beautiful Colonial Revival style brick home pictured here. It sits … Continue reading Romancing the Brick – Osman Bennett Barnes – Part 3
“History is the essence of innumerable biographies.” Thomas Carlyle Osman Barnes's granddaughter, Melissa Barker, took me to Pineview Cemetery to spend time with members of her family that are buried there. It is a deeply moving experience, where generations of families are gathered across time, yet able to tell a story of Rocky Mount and … Continue reading Who Was Osmon Bennett Barnes? – Part 2
