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When it opens Dec. 1, Durham Performing Arts Center will feature a state-of-the-art design. |
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HIGH ART
DPAC makes bold presence in downtown Durham
by Danielle Jackson
When it opens late this fall, the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) will provide even more evidence of the city's downtown revitalization efforts.
With only 135 feet separating the stage from the farthest of the theater's 2,800 seats, it also will provide an intimate look at some of Broadway's hottest productions. |
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Jointly operated by Broadway powerhouse Nederlander Producing Co. of America and Professional Facilities Management of Rhode Island, DPAC — which is scheduled to open Dec. 1 — promises to offer the best of live entertainment.
“How Nederlander not only operates theaters but also invests in and has ownership stakes in these traveling shows will put us in a position to bring the most popular shows to Durham, and in many cases we'll be the first to bring them,”says Alan DeLisle, Durham's assistant city manager for economic and workforce development.
As a testament to this, DPAC will kick off its inaugural partial season with a 10th anniversary production of “Rent,”which will run from Jan. 25-29, 2009, and will feature original leads Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal. The show will be followed by “Fiddler On The Roof,”from March 17-22; “Legally Blonde The Musical,”from April 14-19; and “The Color Purple,”from May 12-17. The hotly anticipated “Wicked”likely will hit DPAC late next fall.
“We'll be home to the biggest and best Broadway shows, superstar concerts, and fun performances for families and young audiences,”says Bob Klaus, DPAC's general manager, adding that the venue also will host musical acts, comedy and family shows, and other productions.
A lantern for downtown
The $44 million project, located adjacent to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in the city's American Tobacco Historic District, will be the largest of its kind in the Carolinas. The project is led by the development team of Szostak Design Inc. of Chapel Hill and Garfield Traub Development LLC of Texas.
“We've designed the building to qualify for LEED gold status,”says Philip Szostak of Szostak Design Inc. in Chapel Hill, referring to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.
Though Szostak is quick to add that the building will not seek LEED accreditation, it is working with the Triangle J Council of Governments to earn its building-performance rating for sustainability. Elements of the building include energy-efficient mechanical and lighting systems, as well as sustainable carpeting, paint, and other products.
“It's all part of making it an efficient operating building,”Szostak adds.
Additional amenities include state-of-the-art sound and lighting, spacious seating, and ample parking nearby. Klaus notes that portions of Pettigrew Street will line up with the entrance to the facility to act as a drop-off site for limousines and other vehicles, adding to the theater's regal ambience.
But it's the 60-foot-high by 150-foot-long lobby, he says, that will be the focal point of the facility. The front portion of the lobby, which faces the heart of downtown Durham, will be entirely encased in glass.
“The lobby is angular and striking, and is designed so that glass patterns are reminiscent of curtains being pulled; it's white and clear glass with portholes,”Szostak says. “When you see the outside of the building, you'll definitely see what looks like a screen or curtain has been pulled.”
The lobby actually incorporates three separate lobbies — Grand Lobby, Plaza Lobby and Star Terrace — with one lobby for each level, complete with separate food and beverage offerings, as well as restrooms.
“From an architectural standpoint, the lobby and exterior will act like a lantern for downtown Durham,”DeLisle notes. “It will be a great, safe environment for everyone to come and enjoy, especially with all the great restaurants nearby.”
“The glass exterior allows for people on the street to be looking into the lobby,”adds interior designer Alison Steele of A+S Design in Chapel Hill. “The lobby almost acts as a stage itself.”
Steele, who is working on the interior of the project, says it will incorporate a contemporary feel, with deep red seating and wood tones.
“Essentially, there are three main elements: the red of the carpet and seats; the wood on the walls and in the lobbies, halls, and seats; and the white of the walls and glass façade she says.
“The red upholstery is what some might call traditional, but at DPAC the fabric has a small dose of chili to update it and allow it to be more modern,”she adds.
“The same is true for the carpet. Because of the translucency of the building, the carpet will be a powerful dose of color from the outside looking in.”
The show must go on
Fortunately for DPAC, the project has had the support of city officials and residents since its beginnings.
“We did a poll at one time and found that 89 percent of the people in Durham supported this so that they wouldn't need to travel for their Broadway entertainment,”DeLisle says, adding that support also came from Downtown Durham Inc., the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce and the American Dance Festival.
With about half of the funding provided by the city through an occupancy tax, the remaining funding has come through in the form of naming rights and other donations.
Duke University has contributed $7.5 million toward the project, while Capitol Broadcasting Co. has secured naming rights for a $6 million plaza, which will be located between DPAC and American Tobacco. Naming rights also have been secured by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina for its main lobby, and by the Teer family of Teer Associates in Research Triangle Park for the stage.
When it opens, DPAC officials hope to make the facility — and the downtown area as whole— a regional destination that's also easily accessible from anywhere in the Triangle.
“We believe that DPAC will offer an intimate atmosphere that will allow visitors to actually experience performances, not just attend them,”Klaus says.
Danielle Jackson is editor of Wake Living and Fifteen501 magazines.
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Upcoming shows
Durham Performing Arts Center will offer a range of hit Broadway productions in the coming years, including:
“Rent,”from Jan. 25-29
“Fiddler On The Roof,”
from March 17-22
“Legally Blonde The Musical,?
from April 14-19
“The Color Purple,”
from May 12-17
“Wicked,”fall 2009
To learn more about the center and its upcoming events, visit www.dpacnc.com. |
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Greenfire Development's proposed project is designed to transform Durham's City Center District (new construction and redevelopment is highlighted in green).
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GIVING THE GREEN LIGHT
Greenfire Development transforming City Center District
by Matthew Coppedge
Since its inception in 1994, Downtown Durham Inc.'s vision has been to have a vibrant downtown filled with round-the-clock activity. And the key to people believing that “downtown was back”would be the revitalization and vibrancy of the City Center District, which is located inside the city's loop. In order to achieve this vibrancy, the district would need a critical mass of residents mixed with cool shops, restaurants, galleries and events that would bring the life to the streets.
Since that time, downtown Durham has seen the Brightleaf District continue to grow and flourish with new restaurants and shops. Its Warehouse District has been completely transformed, with the West Village project adding more than 270 residential units in 1999, with another 300 or so units planned. The American Tobacco District now is considered a regional destination, with redevelopment of the American Tobacco Campus, Durham Bulls Athletic Park and soon-to-open Durham Performing Arts Center.
The City Center District's time finally has arrived. Several buildings have change hands since American Tobacco went under development in 2003, and now these buildings are coming online. The district has benefited from a $15 million streetscape renovation that has been a catalyst for new businesses locating there.
Since the streets went under construction in 2005, more than 20 new businesses have moved into storefronts in the City Center District, with many more in the planning phases. Several have opened in the past year, including Toast Paninoteca, an authentic Italian sandwich shop; Ujamma Board House, a skateboard shop; LocoPops, which sells frozen Mexican popsicles; and Bull McCabes, an Irish Pub. They join a host of other businesses that have opened since 2005, including Rue Cler, a French bistro; Through This Lens, an art gallery and frame shop; White Cap Solutions, a computer repair and supply shop; C&T Flooring; and The Exotique, an African gift shop.
The big news in recent months, however, has been a project of Durham-based Greenfire Development. Greenfire came onto the scene almost five years ago and since that time has purchased 29 buildings, 19 of which are located in the City Center District. Two structures — the Baldwin and Kress buildings — have been rehabilitated into mixed-use facilities, with retail and office on the lower floors and residential units upstairs.
Greenfire's eagerly awaited master plan was released in February and includes the redevelopment of Rogers Alley; transformation of the SunTrust Tower into a boutique hotel; construction of a large office tower on the Woolworth's lot; replacement of the Chapel Hill Street parking deck with a mixed-use development that includes retail, residential and parking; and development of current city-owned parking lots on the loop and across from the county courthouse.
The $284 million project will feature a mix of uses and will include 430 residential units, 70,000 square feet of retail space, 240,000 square feet of office space, and 1,700 parking spaces, totaling more than 1 million square feet. It will be built in phases, with the SunTrust Tower and Rogers Alley first on the list, and construction on the final property beginning in 2013.
This will be a transformational project, much like West Village and American Tobacco have been for other downtown districts. When completed, it will give the city center the critical mass of residents, employees and visitors that will help it become another vibrant district in downtown Durham.
Matthew Coppedge is director of marketing and communications for Downtown Durham Inc. For more information on the organization, visit www.downtowndurham.com.
Please visit our reader blog to post your comments on this story. |
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In bloom
The Chapel Hill Garden Club and North Carolina Botanical Garden hosted the Chapel Hill Spring Garden Tour in April, drawing more than 2,600 visitors as they toured some of Chapel Hill's most decorated gardens. This year's event kicked off with Meadowmont's DuBose House Gardens, while several nearby residential gardens rounded out the affair. |
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photos: American Dance Festival
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GET UP AND DANCE
American Dance Festival celebrates 75 years
The American Dance Festival will descend once again on downtown Durham from June 5 to July 19 with its 75th anniversary celebration.
Since 1934, the festival has showcased the evolving talents of dancers and choreographers, nurturing modern dance through its growing popularity. It relocated from Connecticut College in 1977, making 2008 its 31st year in North Carolina.
In 2007, ADF attracted 31,552 audience members. The organization hopes to see a 20 percent increase in visitors during this year?s performances, which will be held at Duke University's Reynolds Industries Theater and Page Auditorium.
“To celebrate ADF's 75th anniversary, the festival will present a heavily curated season featuring 60 of the greatest works in the history of modern dance — past and present,” says Concetta Duncan, ADF's press associate.
“To pull off such a monumental feat, ADF introduces Split Scenes, six-and-a-half weeks of performance programs shared by two or more of the field?s most dynamic companies.”
In addition to presenting some of modern dance's most endearing classics, the festival will deliver five reconstructed masterpieces, 11 world premieres and 10 company ADF debuts. In all, 37 contemporary dance companies will perform, representing four continents.
“From Alvin Ailey's “Revelations” to the first African dance staged for Western theaters, ADF's 2008 season will present a range of extraordinary dance experiences drawn from the U.S. and across the globe,” Duncan notes.
Since the 1980s, the festival has played a critical role in developing modern dance in a wide list of nations. Countries represented by ADF's 2008 performances include Japan, France and Turkey. The festival also will feature dances within the Islamic Sufis traditions.
“Throughout the years, ADF has remained dedicated to preserving the legacy of American modern dance and sharing that legacy with communities both local and abroad,” Duncan says.
Throughout June and July, ADF also will host a series of dance schools, offering up to six weeks of training for young adults and dance professionals.
To learn more about this year's festival and its 75th anniversary events, visit www.americandancefestival.org.
Festival lineup
The American Dance Festival (ADF) will be held June 5 to July 19 in Durham. This year's event, ADF's 75th anniversary — and 31st year in the Triangle — includes the following performances:
June 5-7
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. at Reynolds Industries Theater, with a 2 p.m. matinee Saturday
– Connect Transfer (new version), by Shen Wei Dance Arts
– Caught, by David Parsons
– Revelations, by Ailey II
June 8-10
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. at Page Auditorium
– José Limón's The Moor's Pavane, Chaconne, and Jirí Kylián's Evening Songs by Limón Dance Company
– Eleo Pomare's Las Desenamoradas, Talley Beatty's Mourner's Bench and Asadata Dafora's Awassa Astrige/Ostrich by Dayton Contemporary Dance Company
June 12-14
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. at Page Auditorium, with a 1 p.m. children?s matinee June 14
– Accumulation, Spanish Dance and Present Tense by Trisha Brown Dance Company
– Alwin Nikolais' Tensile Involvement and Crucible by Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company
June 16-18
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. at Reynolds Industries Theater
– Rust by Eiko & Koma
– Les Noces by ZviDance
– World Premiere by John Jasperse Company
June 19-21
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. at Page Auditorium, with a 1 p.m. children?s matinee June 21
– World Premiere and others to be announced, and Martha Clarke?s Nocturne by Pilobolus
June 22
– Musicians Concert, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Baldwin Auditorium
June 24-25
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. at Reynolds Industries Theater, with a 2 p.m. matinee June 25
– Umwelt by Compagnie Maguy Marin
– aKabi by Aydin Teker and Dancers
– Rapture and Dunya Road by Khadija Marcia Radin
June 26-28
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. at Page Auditorium, with a teaching tribute at Griffith Theatre at 5 p.m. June 28
– Lamentation, Diversion of Angels and Steps in the Streets (excerpt from Chronicle) by Martha Graham Dance Company
– Concerto Six Twenty-Two by Lar Lubovitch Dance Company
June 29
– Scripps/ADF awards ceremony, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Page Auditorium
June 30-July 2
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. at Reynolds Industries Theater
– Water and Air by Keigwin + Company
– Promenade, Ella, and Reel Times by Battleworks
– Larry Keigwin's World Premiere and Robert Battle's Two Redux by Paradigm
July 3-5
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. July 3 and July 5 at Page Auditorium, and at 7 p.m. July 4, with a 1 p.m. children's matinee July 5
– CHANGES, 3 Epitaphs, and Promethean Fire by Paul Taylor Dance Company
– Twyla Tharp's Sweet Fields and Sinatra Suite by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
July 7-9
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. at Reynolds Industries Theater
– For You and Walking Out the Dark by Ronald K. Brown/Evidence
– Donald McKayle's Games by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble
– Lux and Home by Doug Varone and Dancers
July 10-12
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. at Page Auditorium
– Solo from Education of the Girlchild: an opera by Meredith Monk
– Another Evening: A Serenade by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
July 13
– Faculty concert, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Page Auditorium
July 14-16: Past/Forward
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. at Reynolds Industries Theater and feature ADF dancers
– Laura Dean's Tympani
– Mark Dendy's World Premiere
– Erick Hawkins' New Moon
– Hanya Holm's Jocose
July 16-17: Japanese Festival I
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. at Page Auditorium
– Akaji Moro's Secrets of Mankind by Dairakudakan
– Takuya Muramatsu's …gosh, I am alive… by Kochuten
July 18-19: Japanese Festival II
– Performances begin at 8 p.m. at Reynolds Industries Theater, with a 2 p.m. matinee July 19
– Circus by Natural Dance Theatre
– Against Newton 2 by Dance Theatre Ludens
– Woman Washing Rice by Kei Takei
– Shinju ten no Amijima by Teruko Fujisato
July 19
– HU/ADF MFA performance, beginning at 8 p.m. July 19 at Page Auditorium
Please visit our reader blog to post your comments on this story. |
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Patterson's Mill Country Store's pharmaceutical collection.
photo: Allison Davis, Sandfoot Photography
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PATTERSON'S MILL COUNTRY STORE
'A reminder of yesteryear'
by Danielle Jackson
photography by Allison Davis, Sandfoot Photography
Country Store is a “reminder of yesteryear,”and rightfully so. This authentic country store, with a Chapel Hill address but a location in Durham County, features re-creations of a turn-of-the-century doctor's office and pharmacy, as well as a large collection of tobacco marketing memorabilia and an eclectic mix of folk art, quilts and pottery, jewelry, dollhouse furniture and accessories, and other collectibles and antiques.
Run by storekeepers Curtis and Gail Booker, Patterson's Mill is a family business of sorts. The store, a re-creation of the original Patterson & Company general store of the 1870s, was established by Curtis' parents, John and Elsie Booker, during the early 1970s, while the original store was created in the 1870s by Richard Stanford Leigh, a Booker ancestor. Elsie Booker remains owner of the store to this day.
Curious collectors
A family of avid collectors, the Bookers had gathered quite an assortment of memorabilia over the years.
“We love old packaging and graphics, and had amassed a large collection,”Curtis Booker says. “We didn't have anywhere to put it all, so we built the structure in 1972 to house it.?
The original Patterson & Company store, which was located in what then was considered Patterson's Mill community, washed away during a flood in the 1890s. With it went the community's post office, as well as its mill. When the Bookers opened the re-creation in Thanksgiving of 1973, they vowed to keep the connection in place.
“We had stuff representing the original store, so when we built Patterson's Mill we wanted it to preserve the old community and keep the name recognition,”Booker says.
Doctor's orders
The store's pharmaceutical collection was no accident. It was created by Elsie Booker, who also happened to be one of the area's few female pharmacists during the 1940s. A graduate of the University of North Carolina's pharmacy school, she began her career at Eubanks Pharmacy on Franklin Street, where her boss helped her amass her first collections.
“She would take whatever wasn't being used anymore by the pharmacists and doctors — some items were 75 years old by the time she started — and ended up with a huge collection of pharmaceutical memorabilia,”Booker says.
Most of her original collection included preparations, or boxes and old bottles with cork tops, with the original formulas and prescriptions inside. In the drawers of the doctor's office at Patterson's Mill, visitors can find everything from original thermometers and homeopathic remedies to first aid kits, hot-water bottles, serums, and even cigarettes for asthmatics.
Elsie Booker's original collection cannot be seen at the store, however. She donated more than 3,000 items to the N.C. Museum of History for its “Health and Healing Experiences in North Carolina”collection, which ran for several years.
“That was her largest collection, so what's in the store actually is her second-largest collection, featuring items from around 1910 to 1930,”Booker notes.
The authentic doctor's office also was re-created from donated items from Elsie Booker's associates. It's an early 20th century office, though some medical books date back to the 1860s, including one from the Confederate Hospital of Raleigh.
Booker's father, John, also was a collector. He worked for Liggett & Meyers Tobacco's printing operations and was keenly aware of the design changes with respect to cigarette boxes and cartons, so he began collecting memorabilia as well. The second floor of the store houses the family's tobacco marketing memorabilia collection, and evidence of John Booker's collections also is sprinkled throughout the first floor.
Patterson's Mill Country Store's location on the historic Leigh farm is no accident, either. Booker's grandfather, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother all were born on the family's farm, which dates back to the early 1800s when Richard Stanford Leigh — Curtis Booker's ancestor — owned the property.
Eye on the goods
Within the store lies an extensive array of “mercantile Americana,”as Booker calls it. Patterson's Mill sells everything from duplicate medicine bottles to mercantile items, clothing, corsets, records and other general store-type items. But the most popular items sit in neatly aligned jars near the store's front door.
“People visit mostly for the candy, because we still sell most of it for a penny,”Booker says.
“We're well into our second generation of people who come here for candy. Now these people are bringing their kids.”
Danielle Jackson is editor of Wake Living and Fifteen501 magazines
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If you go
Patterson's Mill Country Store
Address: 5109 Farringdon Road, between N.C. Highway 54 and Old Chapel Hill Road in Chapel Hill/Durham County
Phone: (919) 493-8149
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 2-5 p.m. Sunday; closed Mondays
Admission: Free
Items for sale: Folk art, toys, original floral designs, art prints and cards, miniature-dollhouse furniture and accessories, handmade split-oak baskets, quilts, pottery
Memorabilia: Re-creations of early 20th century doctor's office and pharmacy |
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Mike Sundheim
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HURRICANE TRACKER
One win shy
by Mike Sundheim
When the Carolina Hurricanes lost in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002, it was difficult to come so close and fall just short. I can still picture the players sitting in their locker stalls, completely spent after giving everything they had, only to come up just shy of the ultimate goal. But as difficult as that was, it likely was not nearly as painful as what occurred during the first week of April.
On April 4, the Hurricanes hosted the Florida Panthers at the RBC Center in Raleigh. Counted out by most hockey experts after they lost captain Rod Brind'Amour to a knee injury Feb. 14, Carolina had rallied, going 15-5-2 in 22 games without their leader. With a victory against the Panthers, the Hurricanes would clinch their fourth Southeast Division championship in the nine-year history of the division. A loss, however, and the season almost certainly would be over.
As was typical of their run at the end of the season, the Hurricanes outplayed Florida handily that night, in front of a loud, sellout crowd. But Florida's goaltender, Craig Anderson, was spectacular down the stretch, and despite out-shooting the Panthers 46-17, the Hurricanes fell 4-3. There would be no playoff games in Raleigh this year.
I'd like to say that I woke up the next morning as the sun came up, and that I felt better. But it was cloudy that day, and I simply didn't feel better. This one really stung, and it probably will sting for quite some time. After a heroic run to end the season, when the team fought through a record number of injuries, the Hurricanes fell a single win shy of a berth in the playoffs.
Amazingly, the team's 43 wins was tied for the second-highest in the franchise's 28-year history in the National Hockey League (NHL). Only during the team's Stanley Cup championship season in 2005-2006 did they win more games, a franchise-record 52.
But in an age when teams pick up extra points for shootout victories and overtime losses, the Hurricanes' 43 wins weren't quite enough.
It almost makes one wish that the season had taken the turn that so many expected it would after Valentine's Day, when Brind'Amour was injured. Perhaps the end result would have been easier to handle if the team had slipped quietly into the night when Brind'Amour, Ray Whitney, Justin Williams, Matt Cullen and the rest of the injured were out of the lineup. If the Hurricanes had succumbed to 337 man-games lost. If the team had never gotten so close that we all could taste it.
But then we wouldn't have had the opportunity to see Joe Corvo exact revenge on his former team with a hat trick. Or to see Sergei Samsonov rediscover the scoring touch that made him a star. Or to see Cam Ward emerge, giving the Hurricanes a chance with a season-ending, 20-game-start streak. Or to see Eric Staal put the team on his back like the superstar that he is, willing the Hurricanes to 15 wins in their last 23 games.
So we are stuck with the sting this summer. And the 20 men who sat stunned, silent and somber in the lockers on April 4 after falling one win short will be able to take little comfort in the journey that allowed them to get so close, against so many obstacles.
So the hurt can remain this summer, if for no other reason than to serve as a motivating factor for the season to come. It is OK that it hurts, because if it didn't, something truly would be wrong.
Mike Sundheim is director of media relations for the Carolina Hurricanes. Check out his blog on the team's official Web site at www.carolinahurricanes.com. |
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