Today I am pleased to feature the headquarters building of the City of Wilmington Fire Department.

From an architectural point of view, I feel this structure is a great example of quality urban infill development. If fits into and does not overpower the neighborhood, despite its size. Its excellent design is an attraction. Most of the parking is hidden in the rear, out of sight from Market Street.

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The Murchison Building is one of my favorite structures in downtown Wilmington. It is certainly an historically and architecturally significant structure, greatly contributing to the thread of other historic structures downtown.

The building is an eleven-story brick and marble building.

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Several years ago, I wrote this recipe book to commemorate my love for white bread sandwiches. I pulled it out of my old files and thought I would share it with you. I would like to update this recipe book with your help.

After reading this piece, please feel free to send me your own white bread sandwich recipe and I will include it in my updated version.

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This unique structure, located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Castle Street in Wilmington, NC is one of my favorite buildings in the city. I love the architecture.

Formerly the headquarters of Engine Company 2 of the City of Wilmington Fire Department

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I am pleased to announce that I have incorporated Eastern Carolina Rail, a North Carolina non-profit corporation. The purpose of the corporation is to promote the successful establishment of passenger rail service from Raleigh to Wilmington. Steve Unger will serve as President, and I will service as Vice-President. We will be filing soon for tax-exempt status to allow individuals and businesses to make tax-deductible contributions to support our marketing efforts.

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At this stage of my life, I am constantly looking for cleanliness, greenness, and beauty. There is no better example in my mind, of those attributes, than the Wilmington National Cemetery on Market Street in Wilmington.

I have always admired how well they maintain their grounds.

This week, I am pleased to feature the cemetery in my weekly blog.

Featured below is historical information on the facility, provided by The Wilmington/Cape Fear Visitor’s Guide. I hope you find it interesting.

I hope you, like me, will visit the cemetery on occasion. It is a very calming experience.

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If you are traveling down Princess Street in Wilmington, heading toward the river, don’t forget to check out the beautiful house located at number 515. It caught my eye several months ago and I must admit that I was totally impressed by its beauty and presence. I decided to investigate who was responsible for such a spectacular residence.

What was previously a single unit office space and a parking lot for a local law firm has been transformed into a lovely residence with a swimming pool.

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Growing up in Wilmington, my family spent a lot of time at Wrightsville Beach. Over the years, my father and mother owned several beach houses, one on the ocean. We had wonderful, memorable times on the beach.

During my earlier years, my mother often took me to Lumina Pavilion. We used the bathhouse and went out to enjoy the beach. It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed our visits.

Later, in the 1960’s, I enjoyed going to the Upper Deck, an addition to Lumina. I remember having a great time listening to the band, the Chosen Few.

Susan Block, a friend of mine, was a very good historian and writer. I am pleased to present the story she wrote on Lumina in 2008.

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Completion of the new mural for Bijou Park in downtown Wilmington is expected to be completed around the end of this month, according to Arts Council Executive Director Rhonda Bellamy.

Ano’n, a husband-and-wife team of Jhonattan and Samantha Arango, has been hired to create the Bijou Park mural. Their proposal was one of 34 submissions received by the Arts Council to create a mural to occupy the north side of 221 North Front Street, facing the newly renovated Bijou Park.

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The Temple of Israel in Wilmington, North Carolina is pleased to announce renovation of its historic building at 4th and Market Streets after a successful fundraising campaign.  Restoration is now underway with a late summer target for completion. It is the oldest Jewish house of worship in continuous use in the state of North Carolina and one of the few Moorish Revival style architectural structures remaining in the U.S. from the 19th Century.

Closed to the public since 2020 because of moisture intrusion and other deterioration, the Temple’s Restoration 150 Committee embarked on a successful half-million-dollar fundraising project in 2021. Constructed in 1876, the Temple was built for one of the state’s oldest Reform Jewish congregations. The campaign’s name, “Restoration 150”, recognizes the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Temple’s congregation.

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If you have not already heard in the local news, the Cape Fear Public Utilities Authority, in cooperation with the City of Wilmington, is going to remove virtually all the trees on the historic Fifth Avenue median to accommodate the installation of new underground water and sewer lines. Duke Energy will continue to “trim” trees on the sidewalk areas to accommodate their power lines. The current utility infrastructure is very old, in bad shape, and in need of replacement.

 

On the positive side, they are going to convert Fifth Avenue to one lane on each side of the median and create a bike path and a parking lane. This will slow down traffic and will likely get most big trucks off the street.

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Let’s Illuminate the river

Let’s be maybe the only city in the south and one of the few in the United States to light their bridges, thereby illuminating their river. Let’s be special. Doing so would be good for business and would become a tourist attraction. The outcome would be an aesthetic wonder and a source of pride for the people of southeastern North Carolina.

I envision both the Cape Fear River bridges lighted and maybe even the battleship. Can you imagine the view crossing either bridge?

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I was the co-founder and first Executive Director of DARE, Inc., now called Wilmington Downtown, Inc.

When I started work in 1978,  things looked bleak for our historic business neighborhood on the river. Urban sprawl and suburbanization had sent Belk-Beery, Penny’s and Sears to Hanover Center and Independence Mall. Many other smaller retail businesses had followed them. The major retailing had left downtown.

But there was clearly a ray of home. Local Realtors and entrepreneurs Joe Reaves and Mal Murray purchased and renovated a group of buildings on North Front Street and adopted the name Cotton Exchange. The historic buildings were carefully adapted to honor their historic architecture. I helped Joe and Mal gain permanent financing for the facility in 1978.

The Cotton Exchange is a stunning example of preservation of the Cape Fear region’s deep-rooted history in trade. Visitors will find themselves on a historical adventure as they visit the various unique shops and restaurants houses within the eight-building complex.

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The Kenan Memorial Fountain at Fifth and Market Streets is an architectural icon in the City of Wilmington. There are buildings and structures and places all over the world that connect you with a particular location, but the Kenan Fountain connects me to Wilmington. The fountain is an irreplaceable treasure and cannot be removed or replaced. Our City mothers and fathers must always remember this. 

According to published sources, The fountain was given to the City of Wilmington in 1921 by William R. Kenan, Jr. in honor of his parents, Civil War veteran Captain William R. Kenan, and his wife, Mary Hargrave Kenan.

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