“Don’t it always seem to go -That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone: They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” – from “Big Yellow Taxi.”- Part 1

“There may have been a time when preservation was about saving an old building here and there, but those days are gone. Preservation is in the business of saving communities and the values they embody.” Richard Moe - Retired president of National Trust for Historic Preservation Rocky Mount, NC has not had an inventory of … Continue reading “Don’t it always seem to go -That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone: They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” – from “Big Yellow Taxi.”- Part 1 →

“Historic and Worth the Trouble” – Tap @ 1918 – A Preservation Success Story

What is deemed historic, and worth saving, often depends on whose eyes you are looking through. I like the definition "old and worth the trouble," when applied to structures that are under consideration: should they be preserved or torn down? With each individual decision, we need to ask ourselves what part the structure has played in Rocky … Continue reading “Historic and Worth the Trouble” – Tap @ 1918 – A Preservation Success Story →

Station Square – Lynell Bynum: Are You Committed to Downtown? – Part 2

"In my opinion, cities have got to be committed to downtown if they are going to save it. If they aren't committed, they can't expect other people to be." -Lynell Bynum … Continue reading Station Square – Lynell Bynum: Are You Committed to Downtown? – Part 2 →

Telling The Station Square Story – Mr. Lynell Bynum -Part 1

Why would Mr. Lynell Bynum, (1924-2002) decide in the early 1970’s to buy up an entire block of buildings in downtown Rocky Mount NC? How is this connected to real estate investor and general contractor, Ben Braddock, and his business partner, who have purchased from Chambliss and Rabil Commercial Reality, Station Square, a 65,000 square … Continue reading Telling The Station Square Story – Mr. Lynell Bynum -Part 1 →

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House In Historic West Haven – Part 1

There is nothing better than watching an old Cary Grant movie, and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, a 1948 comedy, is no exception. The film is based on the novel Eric Hodgins published in 1946, a fictionalized account of a house Hodgins built in New Milford, Connecticut. Movie mogul David O. Selznick and his publicity man, … Continue reading Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House In Historic West Haven – Part 1 →