At first glance, the photograph (Image 1) gave few clues as to precisely where or what this was, other than it appeared to be a massive construction site in Asheville. The automobiles and old construction equipment hinted at the 1920s, but where and when was this photograph taken? We searched the Asheville City Directories. There,
The loaded question is when did Grace begin, what area did it include, and where did the community get its name? Where was Grace? My best guess is, if you are driving north on Merrimon Avenue, after you top the hill at the intersection of Gracelyn Road at the Avenue M restaurant, from that point and looking out at the beautiful
One of the more unusual aspects of public library service in Buncombe County is the existence of two library/ recreation center/fire station facilities in the City of Asheville. I know of no other locality in North Carolina with similar buildings. There are a few library and recreation center combinations and at least one library emergency
Local Asheville residents are hungry for history. Eighty-three people gathered in the Lord Auditorium, Pack Memorial Library to hear new research about the life and family of Rafael Guastavino (1842-1908), the renowned Spanish architect known for his vaults and domes. Guastavino came to Asheville in 1894 for the construction of the Biltmore Estate. He purchased 1,000 acres near Black Mountain for his home,
You’ve Got Mail! What do Ochopee, Florida; Muddy, Illinois; Ojo Feliz , New Mexico and two communities in North Carolina have in common? In the early part of the last century, small towns across the nation advertised their diminutive post offices with postcards. It was (and still is) a draw for the tourist traveling in automobiles
After last week’s post about Douglas Ellington’s drawing for a city auditorium, Asheville architect Jim Samsel, with an interest in buildings that didn’t get built, brought our attention to this 16-story building also designed by Douglas Ellington, and also never built. The site location is at Pack Square next to the Langren Hotel, the current location of the Akzona-Biltmore
The North Carolina Room and the Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County are partnering together to offer the “Scan the Plan” project. Anyone with eligible architectural drawings can come to the North Carolina Room at Pack Memorial library and get your plans digitized. The service only takes a few minutes, and participants will be able to
THE ELEGANCE OF ASHEVILLE’S ARCHITECTURE RENDERED ON NOTE CARDS BY ARTIST MARGARET DAHM The Friends of the North Carolina Room are pleased to provide the solution to all of your correspondence needs. Yes, you can stop postponing to write those long overdue thank you notes because you “don’t have a card”. Drop by the North Carolina Room and purchase a pack
The story goes like this: The North Carolina Room’s very own Friends of the North Carolina Room board member, Jon Elliston, published an article Thursday January 15th on Carolina Public Press about a 1904 photograph album that was sent to the NC Room by a woman in Albany, New York. She had found the album in a box of Albany