Mangum 506 is the first mixed-use residential project in downtown Durham to be built entirely from the ground up. Formerly a vacant parking lot, this kind of infill construction in the urban core is a critical strategy for sustainable development. Retail spaces line the main thoroughfare, and a quiet courtyard between the two buildings is designed as a private tree-lined “street”, giving residents access to private garages. The units are compact and affordable, keeping the vision of downtown within reach of a much larger community. See the portfolio of this project at Mangum 506.

This Trinity Park landmark, designed in 1925 by Milburn & Hester as a residence for elderly women, has been turned into an elegant small hotel. Many layers of remodeling had to be removed, but the most dramatic change was the restoration of the front hall, where a decades-old firewall was removed and the broad staircase opened up. The 17 guest rooms have all modern amenities with a historic ambiance and the public rooms have even been furnished with original pieces.  See the portfolio of this project at King’s Daughters Inn.

This award recognizes a combination of renovation and addition. The screened porch floor and columns were completely rebuilt. An upstairs interior hall closet was reconfigured to create a functional office area and a closet was consumed into the expanded master bathroom. The addition of space to the kitchen and master suite blend perfectly with the historic structure. See the portfolio of this project at Forest Hills.

Owners Cynthia Hill & Rex Miller received this award for the renovation of their historic home in Trinity Park.  This was our second project for Cynthia (see Movie Star and our 2007 Pyne Award below for our first project with her).  She and Rex uncovered a Transitional Victorian gem when they removed old vinyl siding and rebuilt the wraparound porch. Inside, they preserved the elegant staircase, arched doorways, mirrored mantle, and hardwood floors and woodwork. A new kitchen and family room were floored with boards saved from benches from the recently demolished Minges Coloseum in Greenville. The attic was renovated into a modern home office.

Awarded to owners Reynolds Maxwell and Brad Wiese, this is a rehab of a rehab. The current work first removed 80 years of renovations to reveal the bare bones of the two buildings that make up this complex. The harmony of new construction with the historic building is immediately apparent in the new storefront window system. New tenants can enjoy original construction details and methods not seen today, including restored windows, as well as new features like an outdoor deck on the second floor level.  See the portfolio of this project at Studebaker.

Our first project for Cynthia Hill, this commercial building in the heart of Downtown was restored to accommodate a residence upstairs over commercial space below. Much of the original structure had been destroyed in a fire in the 1970s, and the facade was restored based on old photos of the building. Many of the features in the residence are recycled products from within this building or other buildings, including the sliding fire door at the entrance to the bedroom; cabinets, sinks, and countertops in the kitchen; and the wood doors from Duke University. See the portfolio of this project at Movie Star.

This June marks the fifth anniversary of Center Studio Architecture. Architects David Arneson and Scott Harmon created the studio on June 1st, 2004.

After almost a year working from their respective homes, the studio was given its first official home at 315 E. Chapel Hill Street in downtown Durham. The vintage 60’s office building was then headquarters of the Mutual Community Savings Bank.

In August 2006, with the advent of its first full-time employee, the studio moved to its current location at 339 W Main Street, the historic Five Points Loan Company building. Now totaling six, the studio includes Will Rhodenhiser, Chris Bozzelli, Dawn Bland, and Tom Merrigan.

The practice includes a mix of custom residential design, along with numerous commercial and mixed-use projects in downtown, including The King’s Daughters Inn, Aliva’s Durham Bistro, Vert & Vogue, The Studebaker Building, Ogilvy, Penny Furniture, and Mangum 506 Condominiums.

Toast, the studio’s most recent restaurant design, will be the host for the studio’s five-year anniversary celebration on Friday, June 5th, from 5pm – 9pm. In addition to the famous Five Points Martini (a pomegranate wonder invented by the studio at its grand opening party in 2006), Billy and Kelli Cotter will debut the new Five Points Crostini, created to perfectly compliment the martini.

Center Studio loves Durham, loves downtown, and appreciates all the ways we have been supported by our clients and the community.

Another major challenge will be to create better north-south connection across the railroad tracks that currently segregate the city. Fixing Ramseur Street as the southern half of the loop will help, but only so much. What really needs to happen is to add more ways for people to cross the railroad tracks. There are strong limitations on the ability to do this. Currently the only way to cross the railroad tracks from the within the loop is to use Chapel Hill, Corcoran, Mangum, or Roxboro. None of these Streets are particularly friendly for pedestrians. While each of these intersections can be improved, especially Chapel Hill Street, there is still a long distance between the Chapel Hill Street crossing and the Corcoran Street crossing.

The vibrant and growing Five Points area is located due north of the American Tobacco Historic District, and it is no farther away from American Tobacco (as the crow flies) than it is from Major the Bull at the CCB Plaza. Yet these two neighborhoods feel completely isolated from one another, and all the nice folks at American Tobacco who want to come to Toast for lunch have to either walk the long way via Corcoran or risk a treacherous hike across Pettigrew, up the step bank, across the tracks and Ramseur. Lots of people risk the mid-block route. People usually walk the most direct route whether a path exists for them or not. Why not give them a path where they already choose to walk?

There is a subtle and elegant formal relationship between Five Points and American Tobacco. The southern facade of the South Bank building is on axis with the smoke stack at American Tobacco. If you stand on the South Bank front steps and look south across Five Points, you look straight down the public sidewalk beside Kimbrell’s Furniture which leads to the public parking lot off Ramseur Street. And that view beautifully frames the the Lucky Strike smoke stack.

This is a golden opportunity to connect these two vital neighborhoods. The sidewalk beside Kimbrell’s could include a ramp that leads up to a pedestrian bridge spanning over the parking lot, Ramseur Street, the railroad tracks, and Petigrew Street. On the south side of Petigrew the bridge would connect to the corner of the new parking garage as well as ramping back down to grade as it spills into the courtyard at the headwaters of the American Tobacco river.

This would do a lot of good things for the connectivity of downtown. It would add a vital link across the tracks in the middle of it’s widest block. It would take a lot of pedestrian traffic off of Corcoran street so that fewer people are crossing the tracks at grade. It would activate the massive parking deck at American Tobacco for use by people living, working, and dining inside the downtown loop. It would help stitch together the interior of the American Tobacco fortress with the fabric of the rest of downtown. This will only become more important as more areas south of the tracks are developed, especially the very large University Ford site.

And the pedestrian bridge itself could become a landmark figure in downtown, a functional piece of public sculpture that helps to energize the city. Pedestrians, as well as cyclists and skateboarders, would enjoy spectacular views walking across it. And it would form a dramatic gateway to downtown for those in cars and trains passing underneath it.

All great cities have great bridges, so should Durham.