Raleigh, Durham, & Chapel Hill - Triangle Area of North Carolina

[scifan57]

The museums you visited are certainly something I would want to see if I were to ever visit Raleigh. Thanks for letting me learn something new today.

 

[giradman]

The museums you visited are certainly something I would want to see if I were to ever visit Raleigh. Thanks for letting me learn something new today.

Well, as you know, I love the state capital buildings and museums - the history museums in North Carolina and adjacent states, such as South Carolina & Virginia all have excellent chronologic histories of their states, and are all worth visiting. The 'special' exhibits at those in downtown Raleigh just gives us an excuse to go to the Umstead Hotel and have some good eats! Dave

 

[giradman]

Raleigh - Government Buildings & Governor's Mansion - Part 1

Not part of our activities during this trip, but Raleigh being the capital of North Carolina has a number of interesting governmental buildings, including the Governor's Mansion and the Old State Capitol (latter two subject of the next post). The North Carolina state legislature (senate & house of representatives) meets in a fairly new building (completed in 1963, so recent 50th anniversary) which is not the usual classical architecture of some of the other state capitals in adjacent states - first quote below describes some of the building's features - self or guided tours available (Source); first five pics below w/ views of the inside and outside of the structure.

Unlike our recent visit to the state capital of Kentucky in Frankfort where their capitol building contained both the state legislature and the supreme court; the judicial branch of the NC state government is located in a separate Judicial Building (shown in the last 3 images) - a little historical description in the second quote (Source) - Dave

The North Carolina State Legislative Building is the current meeting place of the North Carolina General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It was opened in 1963, replacing the North Carolina State Capitol as the home of the legislature since 1840. It is located across from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The building and furnishings cost $5.5 million, or $1.24 for each citizen of North Carolina.[4] Construction required 10,500 cubic yards (8,000 m3) of concrete, 145,000 masonry blocks, and 192,000 square feet (17,800 m2) of terrazzo.

Architectural details include a 22-foot-wide (6.7 m), red-carpeted stair that leads from the front entrance to the third floor galleries for the House and Senate, roof gardens and garden courts at the four interior corners. Each pair of brass doors that leads to the House and Senate chambers weighs 1,700 pounds (770 kg). A 12-foot-diameter brass chandelier (3.7 m) in the rotunda weighs 750 pounds (340 kg). Brass chandeliers in the chambers and the main stair are 8 ft in diameter (2.4 m) and weigh 625 pounds (283 kg) each.[4] The building entrance features a 28 feet (8.5 m) diameter terrazzo mosaic of the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina. The building is open to the public seven days a week and tours are available.

The Supreme Court of North Carolina sat in the State Capitol at Raleigh from 1819-1888. After the Capitol was destroyed by fire in 1831, the court retreated for a short time to the meeting house of the First Presbyterian Church. From 1888 until 1940, the justices successively occupied buildings on the north and south edges of Raleigh's Union Square. Since September 4, 1940, the Supreme Court has presided in the Justice Building, located at 2 East Morgan Street.

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[giradman]

Raleigh - Government Buildings & Governor's Mansion - Part 2

The North Carolina's Governor's Mansion is just a few blocks from the museums and is a beautiful example of Victorian architecture - some information in the first quote below (from the link & the source given at the end of the quote); at 35,000 square feet, the house is one of the largest Governor's Mansion in the United States - first set of pics below show the outside & several inside views of the building; there is also a 'smaller mansion' in the western mountains of North Carolina near Asheville (see the one pic w/ a gorgeous mountain view). Tours are limited and often mobbed by school kids so we have actually never been inside the Raleigh mansion - will continue to try -

The North Carolina State Capitol is my favorite governmental building in downtown Raleigh - second quote below from link given - also, if interested, take a look HERE which describes the many interesting and historic attractions inside the building. The pics show outside and inside views of the structure; the Governor's office is located in the Old Capitol. On the outside, there are many memorial sculptures usually of specific persons or events, such as war dedications - one is of three Presidents of the United States who were BORN in North Carolina - James Polk & Andrew Johnson for certain, and possibly Andrew Jackson who is claimed by South Carolina, also, but that's another story.

This post will end my Raleigh discussions although other interesting topics could be added - so onto the other two cities in the Triangle - Dave

The North Carolina Executive Mansion (also referred to as the North Carolina Governor's Mansion) is the official residenceof the Governor of North Carolina and his (or her) family. Building began in the year 1883 and it was designed by noted architects Samuel Sloan and A.G. Bauer. The first occupants, Governor Daniel G. Fowle and his family, moved into the unfinished building in January 1891. It is an example of Queen Anne style architecture.

At 35,000 square feet, the house is the third-biggest Governor’s mansions in the country. Its 4.6 acre grounds, which cover an entire block, feature open lawns, a rose garden, beehives, and a vegetable garden that provides fresh produce for mansion meals (Source).

The North Carolina State Capitol is the former seat of the legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Currently housing the offices of the Governor of North Carolina, it is located in the state capital of Raleigh on Union Square at One East Edenton Street. The cornerstone of the Greek Revival building was laid with Masonic honors by the Grand Master of the State Simmons Jones Baker on July 4, 1833. Construction was completed in 1840. It was designed primarily by the architectural firm of Ithiel Town and Alexander Jackson Davis. Often credited solely to that team, the design of the capitol was actually the result of a sequence of work by William Nichols, Sr. and his son William Nichols, Jr., Town and Davis, and then David Paton. The Capitol housed the entire state government until 1888, and the North Carolina General Assembly met in the capitol building until 1963 when the legislature relocated to its current location in the North Carolina State Legislative Building. The offices of the state Lieutenant Governor were situated in the capitol building continuously until 1969, when the Lieutenant Governor relocated to the Hawkins-Hartness House a few blocks away on North Blount Street. The current Lieutenant Governor has reoccupied an office in the capitol building. The North Carolina Supreme Court has also convened in the building in the past, most recently meeting in the capitol's old senate chamber in 2005 while the Supreme Court Building was undergoing renovations. The Governor and the governor's immediate staff has continued to occupy offices in the building.

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[scifan57]

Raleigh - Government Buildings & Governor's Mansion - Part 1

Not part of our activities during this trip, but Raleigh being the capital of North Carolina has a number of interesting governmental buildings, including the Governor's Mansion and the Old State Capitol (latter two subject of the next post). The North Carolina state legislature (senate & house of representatives) meets in a fairly new building (completed in 1963, so recent 50th anniversary) which is not the usual classical architecture of some of the other state capitals in adjacent states - first quote below describes some of the building's features - self or guided tours available (Source); first five pics below w/ views of the inside and outside of the structure.

Unlike our recent visit to the state capital of Kentucky in Frankfort where their capitol building contained both the state legislature and the supreme court; the judicial branch of the NC state government is located in a separate Judicial Building (shown in the last 3 images) - a little historical description in the second quote (Source) - Dave




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Raleigh - Government Buildings & Governor's Mansion - Part 2

The North Carolina's Governor's Mansion is just a few blocks from the museums and is a beautiful example of Victorian architecture - some information in the first quote below (from the link & the source given at the end of the quote); at 35,000 square feet, the house is one of the largest Governor's Mansion in the United States - first set of pics below show the outside & several inside views of the building; there is also a 'smaller mansion' in the western mountains of North Carolina near Asheville (see the one pic w/ a gorgeous mountain view). Tours are limited and often mobbed by school kids so we have actually never been inside the Raleigh mansion - will continue to try -

The North Carolina State Capitol is my favorite governmental building in downtown Raleigh - second quote below from link given - also, if interested, take a look HERE which describes the many interesting and historic attractions inside the building. The pics show outside and inside views of the structure; the Governor's office is located in the Old Capitol. On the outside, there are many memorial sculptures usually of specific persons or events, such as war dedications - one is of three Presidents of the United States who were BORN in North Carolina - James Polk & Andrew Johnson for certain, and possibly Andrew Jackson who is claimed by South Carolina, also, but that's another story.

This post will end my Raleigh discussions although other interesting topics could be added - so onto the other two cities in the Triangle - Dave




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Almost any city has has a great amount of interesting sites and history just waiting to be revealed. Your posts do that in a way that makes you wish you were there.

 

[giradman]

Almost any city has has a great amount of interesting sites and history just waiting to be revealed. Your posts do that in a way that makes you wish you were there.

Thanks Scifan.. for your kind comments! Tourism is a big part of North Carolina's economy, so if I might draw some visitors here to this wonderful State, then fine w/ me -

I'll discuss the Chapel Hill area next - home of the University of North Carolina (i.e. the 'mother' University of the entire NC system) - just putting together some images for a couple of posts - will try to include most of what may be of interest - Dave

 

[giradman]

Chapel Hill & Environs - Part 1

Chapel Hill is the 'mother home' of the University of North Carolina which is a multi-campus public university (brief description below from link) w/ three branches in the Triad, my area of the state (i.e. UNC @ Greensboro, Winston-Salem State University, & UNC School of the Arts in my home town). The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the original institution and is the oldest public university in the country dating back to the Presidency of George Washington - see second quote.

The first half dozen images below show an aerial view of the campus and several sites, such as the business school and the Old Well, a historic landmark; also, the famous Franklin Street w/ shops & restaurants, and w/i walking distance of many other sites. Sports are important here, both football but more importantly basketball (BB) - Dean Smith was a famous BB coach at UNC who just passed away this year; one of this opponent coaches was Mike K. @ Duke (picture of both below); also shown are the sports stadiums. UNC at Chapel Hill has won 5 National BB Championships - in fact putting together three of the main schools in the Triangle Area, there is a total of 12 championships (then add in Kentucky which was a topic of a recent travelogue - WOW! - see last image below).

Coming up next some of the non-sports attractions in Chapel Hill and environs - Dave

The University of North Carolina is a multi-campus public university system composed of all 16 of North Carolina's public universities, as well as the NC School of Science and Mathematics, the nation's first public residential high school for gifted students. Commonly referred to as the University of North Carolina system or the UNC system to differentiate it from the original campus in Chapel Hill, the university has a total enrollment of over 183,000 students and confers over 75% of all baccalaureate degrees in North Carolina in 2008.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, also known as UNC, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, University of North Carolina, or simply Carolina,[14] is a coeducationalpublic research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. North Carolina was one of the original eight Public Ivy schools that are claimed to provide an Ivy League experience for a public schooling price.[15] After being chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolling students in 1795, which also allows it to be one of three schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States.

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[giradman]

Chapel Hill & Environs - Part 2

The Moorehead Planetarium & Science Center is a definite MUST on the Chapel Hill campus - first quote below of Moorehead's dedication - there are permanent and rotating exhibits and plenty of varied shows w/i the planetarium which is an excellent venure (and I've been to those in New York City & Chicago) - just a couple of pics below. Another suggested attraction is the Ackland Art Museum - see second quote - this university museum is one of the better ones that I've visited over the years and always worth a stop to see not only the permanent art pieces on display but the traveling exhibits (couple of pics w/ one gallery shown) - both highly recommended.

The Carolina Inn is the University of North Carolina's hotel/inn offering w/ fine dining - take a look at the link for various room options and the menu which has a 'southern' flare to the dishes - pics of the outside, part of the lobby, and the dining areas. Just south of Chapel Hill (half way to Pittsboro) is the Fearrington Village, a huge complex (see map of just a portion of the property) w/ a cluster of shops & stores, one of the finest restaurants in the state w/i the 'Fearrington House (arrow on map), residential & retirement properties, and a well-equipped fitness center, amenable to guests at the Fearrington Inn - just a few last pics below showing the House where the restaurant is located and the famous Galloway Belted Cows (even the babies have white belts).

Next - onto to Durham and probably 3 separate posts - Dave

“A scientist himself, he recognized that the American people must understand science.”

These were the words the Winston-Salem Journal and Sentinel used in 1949 to describe John Motley Morehead III and his motivation for giving his alma mater the first planetarium on a university campus. Morehead – who had discovered acetylene gas and a new process for the manufacture of calcium carbide – felt a great degree of debt to the University of North Carolina, for his successes in life were so closely tied to his education in Chapel Hill. Consequently, Morehead met with University President Frank Porter Graham in 1938 to find a gift that could express his gratitude to the University and that could open the minds of young North Carolinians to science.

The Ackland presents approximately 10-12 changing exhibitions a year, with more than half the Museum’s gallery space dedicated to special and traveling exhibitions. These shows feature a wide stylistic range of art, from contemporary American photography to European master paintings, video installations to Early Modern portraits. A portion of the Museum’s permanent collection of over 17,000 works of art is always on view. A walk through the Ackland can be an introduction to ancient Greek vases, Eugene Delacroix, and Andy Warhol—all in the same day.

R.B. Fitch started Fitch Creations, Inc. in 1960, and began creating Fearrington VillageTM in 1974. Fitch Creations, Inc. continues to be a family business, run by R.B. and assisted by daughter Keebe and son Greg. Located next to the college town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Fearrington is set on a farm. Fitch Creations, Inc. is focused on the Village Center and real estate.

Fitch Creations, Inc. also owns and manages most of the businesses in the Village Center, including The Fearrington House Inn and Restaurant, The Spa at Fearrington, McIntyre’s Books, other restaurants including The Fearrington Granary Restaurant, The Belted Goat deli, a beer garden, boutique shops (Dovecote and Haven), and a weddings and meetings business.

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[scifan57]

Chapel Hill & Environs - Part 1

Chapel Hill is the 'mother home' of the University of North Carolina which is a multi-campus public university (brief description below from link) w/ three branches in the Triad, my area of the state (i.e. UNC @ Greensboro, Winston-Salem State University, & UNC School of the Arts in my home town). The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the original institution and is the oldest public university in the country dating back to the Presidency of George Washington - see second quote.

The first half dozen images below show an aerial view of the campus and several sites, such as the business school and the Old Well, a historic landmark; also, the famous Franklin Street w/ shops & restaurants, and w/i walking distance of many other sites. Sports are important here, both football but more importantly basketball (BB) - Dean Smith was a famous BB coach at UNC who just passed away this year; one of this opponent coaches was Mike K. @ Duke (picture of both below); also shown are the sports stadiums. UNC at Chapel Hill has won 5 National BB Championships - in fact putting together three of the main schools in the Triangle Area, there is a total of 12 championships (then add in Kentucky which was a topic of a recent travelogue - WOW! - see last image below).

Coming up next some of the non-sports attractions in Chapel Hill and environs - Dave




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Chapel Hill & Environs - Part 2

The Moorehead Planetarium & Science Center is a definite MUST on the Chapel Hill campus - first quote below of Moorehead's dedication - there are permanent and rotating exhibits and plenty of varied shows w/i the planetarium which is an excellent venure (and I've been to those in New York City & Chicago) - just a couple of pics below. Another suggested attraction is the Ackland Art Museum - see second quote - this university museum is one of the better ones that I've visited over the years and always worth a stop to see not only the permanent art pieces on display but the traveling exhibits (couple of pics w/ one gallery shown) - both highly recommended.

The Carolina Inn is the University of North Carolina's hotel/inn offering w/ fine dining - take a look at the link for various room options and the menu which has a 'southern' flare to the dishes - pics of the outside, part of the lobby, and the dining areas. Just south of Chapel Hill (half way to Pittsboro) is the Fearrington Village, a huge complex (see map of just a portion of the property) w/ a cluster of shops & stores, one of the finest restaurants in the state w/i the 'Fearrington House (arrow on map), residential & retirement properties, and a well-equipped fitness center, amenable to guests at the Fearrington Inn - just a few last pics below showing the House where the restaurant is located and the famous Galloway Belted Cows (even the babies have white belts).

Next - onto to Durham and probably 3 separate posts - Dave






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If you hadn't gone into medicine, you could have made a living as a travel writer. In every post I learn new things, which is what a good article should do for its readers.

 

[suenc]

Raleigh, North Carolina (The Capital) & the Umstead Hotel & Spa

Susan & I just returned from a 2-night trip to Raleigh to see a number of exhibits at several of the North Carolina State Museums - we stayed in one of our two favorite hotels in the state, the Umstead Hotel & Spa, and I noticed that there are no travelogues on the major municipal areas of North Carolina - these include the Triangle, the Triad (Greensboro, High Point, & Winston-Salem, the latter our home town), and Charlotte (see the chart below for the most populous cities in the state). So, this thread will start w/ our recent trip, discuss more of Raleigh and then continue w/ the other Triangle Cities.

Raleigh is named after Sir Walter Raleigh, who sponsored the first English settlement on Roanoke Island (next to the Outer Banks) in the 1580s - the small town 'disappeared' and is hence known as the Lost Colony - the first capitals of what was to become the state of North Carolina were coastal cities, the last being New Bern (a visit there to Tryon Palace is a MUST if you're on the Carolina coast). The city became the state capital during the presidency of George Washington - quoted below some more facts on Raleigh, its origins, and the Triangle name; also a map showing the relationship of the three cities (others pointed out w/ blue arrows) & the skyline of Raleigh.

As mentioned and linked above, we stayed at the Umstead Hotel & Spa (yesterday Susan had a spa appointment and I spent an hour in their excellent fitness center), one of our favorite spots in the state - the area has some very nice hotels & inns (more in upcoming posts) and many excellent restaurants, including Herons in the hotel (I left a post in the 'eating thread' about our meal there the first night) - below some pics of the hotel (aerial and grounds views) - we always reserve a room on the back which faces the pool area and the wooded lake which has a short but pretty walking trail (on one of the pics below, a brown circled is about where we were located this time).

Subsequent posts will discuss our museum visits on this particular short trip and then many of the attractions of the other cities; hopefully, those who may be traveling in North Carolina will be enticed to visit the Triangle Area. Dave

P.S. the 'red pin' on the map is the location of the Umstead Hotel in Cary near Raleigh.


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The Umstead is a destination in itself. Classy but not pretentious.

 

[suenc]

North Carolina Museum of Art - Introduction

Before checking into the hotel, we first visited the North Carolina Museum of Art, about a 90 minute drive from our house and just 10 minutes or so from the Umstead Hotel (thus, a great location). The complex now consists of the older 'East Building' (where the traveling exhibits are shown on a lower floor - see pic) and a much newer 'West Building' which looks rather boxy & industrial from the outside but just glows w/ ambience when inside the many wings. The purpose of our trip was to see two exhibits in the older building (again pics below) - one on Escher and another on a Leonardo da Vinci manuscript owned by Bill Gates (of Microsoft fame) - each will be separate posts - views shown of portions of both buildings, mainly the newer one including the entrance and outdoor sculpture garden - the Rodin exhibits are outstanding, but the museum includes art from multiple continents and spanning thousands of years.

We first had lunch at the museum's restaurant Iris described briefly in the quote below - a rather varied and eclectic menu sure to please - both of us ate light w/ the:

FRUITS DE MER SALAD
shrimp, scallops, calamari, roasted sunchokes, pumpkin seeds, arugula, Dijon tarragon vinaigrette

We then look at the Rodin sculptures and visited the small gift shop and headed over to the older building for our 1 PM reserved tickets for the two exhibits describe above - really a lovely day. Dave


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I was blown away by the quality and variety of Escher’s work, especially the prints. He was a master of thosevery difficult and exacting techniques. I had only known of his optical illusion drawings.

 

[suenc]

Well, I've been online looking for Escher prints to buy for the home - found a site w/ originals, but the cost for the larger more famous ones in GOOD condition seem to be in the thousands of dollars range, so not that interested. However, found Art . com which offers poster type prints inexpensively but will also providing framing (which of course is much more than the prints) - SO, I picked out two (shown below w/o the watermarks) of my favorites seen @ the exhibit - they were running a 40% discount, thus framed for both w/ shipping came to about $250 - Susan agreed and we should be happy - arrival likely in early December - NOW, only to find a place in the house to hang the prints - YIKES! Dave

P.S. I picked the black frames w/ the inner silver highlight - just liked that appearance although being slightly more expensive - now I make picture frames in my basement workshop and could have went in that direction, but this will be easy and should look good!
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Coincidentally, my review of Escher, posted elsewhere, are almost identical to Dave’s. Amazing exhibit.

 

[giradman]

If you hadn't gone into medicine, you could have made a living as a travel writer. In every post I learn new things, which is what a good article should do for its readers.

Hi Scifan.. - glad that you're enjoying the thread - a lot to do & see in the Triangle Area - putting together my pics for Durham @ the moment and thinking about the number of posts needed? Dave

 

[giradman]

I was blown away by the quality and variety of Escher’s work, especially the prints. He was a master of thosevery difficult and exacting techniques. I had only known of his optical illusion drawings.

Coincidentally, my review of Escher, posted elsewhere, are almost identical to Dave’s. Amazing exhibit.

Well, looks like Susan is 'chiming in' - she did enjoy the Escher works along w/ many of the other attractions described, and we always enjoy eating in the area - Dave

 

[giradman]

Durham, North Carolina - Introduction

Durham is one of three cities that comprise the Triangle Area and is about the size of my hometown, Winston-Salem. Durham's location is a result of the needs of the 19th century railroad industry and was first known as Durham Station - at the end of the Civil War as "both armies passed through Durham and the surrounding Piedmont communities, they confiscated the area's Brightleaf Tobacco, which had a milder flavor than other tobacco varieties. Durham's tobacco was far more pleasant to smoke or chew than any tobacco they had ever had and when they returned home and couldn't get anything like it, they started sending letters to Durham to get more."

Thus, in the post-bellum period, the cultivation and processing of tobacco, especially for smoking became an important part of the Durham community and economy, which was spearheaded by Washington Duke and later his sons - see quote below from the link. Of course with changes and then the decline of the tobacco industry in more recent decades (same was true w/ R.J. Reynolds in Winston-Salem), the Dukes became involved in other adventures, e.g. Duke Power, and also in philanthropic activities, such as the establishment of Duke University (a later discussion) - so, the first pic below shows the Durham skyline (w/ an arrow on the Marriott Hotel, an occasional stay for us & another arrow on the baseball park); the Duke Homestead is a State Historic Site along w/ its Tobacco Museum, and a recommended visit for understanding the influence of the Dukes on the development of Durham; other pics relate to the tobacco legacy of this family - BUT, much more to follow! Dave

The rapid growth and prosperity of the Bull Durham Tobacco Company, and Washington Duke's W. Duke & Sons Tobacco Company, resulted in the rapid growth of the city of Durham. Washington Duke was a good businessman, but his sons were brilliant and established what amounted to a monopoly of the smoking and chewing tobacco business in the United States by 1900. In the early 1910s, the Federal Government forced a breakup of the Duke's business under the antitrust laws. The Dukes retained what became known as American Tobacco, a major corporation in its own right, with manufacturing based in Durham. American Tobacco's ubiquitous advertisements on radio shows beginning in the 1930s and television shows up to 1970 was the nation's image of Durham until Duke University supplanted it in the late 20th century.

Prevented from further investment in the tobacco industry, the Dukes turned to the then new industry of electric power generation, which they had been investing in since the early 1890s. Duke Power (now Duke Energy) brought in electricity from hydroelectric dams in the western mountains of North Carolina through the newly invented technology of high voltage power lines. At this time (1910–1920), the few towns and cities in North Carolina that had electricity depended on local "powerhouses".

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