Title
Presentation on The Southeastern Building
Body
Department: Planning
Council District: 3
Public Hearing: n/a
Advertising Date/By: n/a
Contact 1 and Phone: Hannah Cockburn
Contact 2 and Phone: Mike Cowhig
PURPOSE:
The Southeastern Building has been nominated for APA-NC's 2016 Great Places award for a Great Historic Rehabilitation. The Great Places in North Carolina awards program was established in 2012 to highlight North Carolina's Great Places and the communities and people that have created them. The citizens of Greensboro are being requested to vote in the historic restoration category that runs from May 2 - May 13, 2016.
BACKGROUND:
This nomination recognizes the important role historic restorations play in preserving the authentic flavor of our community. For Elm Street and downtown Greensboro, the Southeastern Building has been a signature part of the skyline for nearly 100 years. The nomination highlights the hard work of the many people involved in a restoration project, including the developer and architects who have spent years investing time, energy and money into this building to make it a once again a showpiece.
The Southeastern Building was designed by Greensboro architect Raleigh James Hughes, constructed in 1920. The nine-story tower with a limestone fa?ade is considered by architectural historians to be a "crisply detailed...classical skyscraper". The American Exchange National Bank Building was the tallest in Greensboro when constructed. The project was so successful that in 1927 the bank asked Greensboro architect Harry Barton to design a substantial addition to the rear along East Market Street.
The street elevation of the nine-story building includes details rarely found in North Carolina cities, such as Indiana Limestone sheathing, a terra cotta stringcourse decorated with a Greek key between the third and fourth floor, and a terra cotta frieze below the ninth-story windows. A cornice tops the fa?ade, c...
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