It’s All About Greensboro: Evolution of a City

Ever wondered about Greensboro’s earliest neighborhoods? Can you identify Greensboro’s primary architectural styles?

Gayle Fripp, Greensboro historian and author, and I will join forces to help present an exploration of Greensboro’s nineteenth-century neighborhoods this Sunday, March 16 at 2:30 p.m. in Preyer Hall at the Greensboro Historical Museum. The evolution of Greensboro’s neighborhoods is a defining element in the character and personality of the Gate City. Greensboro draws its strength from being a city of neighborhoods, each with distinctive elements that add character to our city.

Gayle, whom the County Commissioners honored with the title County Historian in the 1970s, is the former Curator of Education at the Greensboro Historical Museum. She has authored several books on Greensboro history, including her landmark effort “Greensboro” A Chosen Center” published in 2001. She will lead an insightful overview of the development of the city, touching on turning-points of antebellum life, industrialization, and growth through the early twentieth century.

I will follow Gayle’s historical review with a primer on Greensboro’s architectural history. I will cover styles of early Greensboro, illustrated by landmark properties such as the 1820 Paisley House and the 1847 Bumpass –Troy House, through the Period Revival styles exemplified by the 1929 Tudor-style Sebastian House (upper-right) and 1927 Spanish Colonial Barton House (lower-right). I hope to establish a new way for residents to view their hometown neighborhoods, with an eye towards identifying architectural styles and the context.

Gayle and I will be joined by neighborhood representatives who will share their thoughts about the unique character of their own area of town. Representatives from all four nineteenth-century neighborhoods will be present to discuss the features that make their locale special.

Tickets: FREE Admission and FREE Parking
Info: (336)-373-2971

Greensboro Historical Museum
130 Summit Ave. Greensboro, NC 27401

UPDATE 3/14/08: This event is fully booked! Maybe we can offer it again sometime soon!