Last weekend the Carolina Colours Pavilion was filled with enthusiastic dealers and customers at the 32nd annual Antiques Show and Sale. The Pavilion’s warm ambiance and delicious café food helped make this smaller show a hit with crowds nearly as large as last year’s Convention Center show. A big thank you goes to all the volunteers and sponsors who helped with the show—and to all those who attended. Every dollar we raise is used for preservation efforts in and around New Bern.
In other news, Phase II of our Union Station Depot project should be completed by the beginning of May. After a long delay due to Hurricane Florence, craftsmen are again at work. Over the next few months you will see the first floor windows restored to their original beauty. This may not seem a huge project, but it actually will be. Each window must be painstakingly disassembled and new pieces crafted where needed. Then each window will be reassembled, finished, and finally set in place.
Phase II is just one restoration phase for our Depot. A similar project in Salisbury took this same phased approach to renovation. The Historic Salisbury Foundation began restoring their 1908 “gateway to the Piedmont” station in 1984. Work was done in three phases at a cost of $3.1 million over two decades.
When completed, the revitalized Salisbury train station created a ripple effect of growth and renovation in their downtown. Office and retail spaces were constructed within blocks of the station. An Arts Walk connecting the station to a section of downtown Salisbury attracted $11 million in additional renovation. The Waterworks Visual Arts Center and a Rail Walk were built as well, showcasing the area and stimulating business growth.
The New Bern Union Station Depot graces the northern section of the New Bern Historic District. Along with other projects in the Queen Street corridor—including restoration of the grandstands at Kafer Baseball Field and development of the 25-acre former silo area—the restored and repurposed Depot will help transform that part of downtown into a lively and vibrant neighborhood. Our goal at the Foundation is to deliver a beautiful and thoughtful rehabilitation of the structure and to find uses for the building that make our community proud.
Finally, the Foundation is working hard to find a new location and caring owner for the house currently located at 907 North Craven Street. This 2800-plus square foot house was built in 1918, retains a number of fine architectural details, and is structurally sound. It obviously needs some serious TLC, but it could be a showplace.
For more information on any of the Foundation’s projects or for volunteer opportunities, please give us a call.