NEA awards Downtown Greenway prestigious grant
July 15, 2010
Action Greensboro announced today that The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded the Downtown Greenway a grant of $100,000 as a part of its Mayor’s Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative (MICD 25). From over 200 applicants from across the country, the Downtown Greenway project was selected as one of 21 grants totaling $3 million.
Action Greensboro announced today that The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded the Downtown Greenway a grant of $100,000 as a part of its Mayor’s Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative (MICD 25). From over 200 applicants from across the country, the Downtown Greenway project was selected as one of 21 grants totaling $3 million.
The grant will support the restoration of an abandoned railroad underpass in a section of the Downtown Greenway to be known as Morehead Linear Park. This phase which is to be constructed beginning this fall starts at West Lee Street and the Freeman Mill Road ramp and runs north along Freeman Mill Road to Spring Garden Street.
The underpass formerly served both vehicular and pedestrian traffic from both Spring Street and Cedar Street as they merged to allow for passage beneath the North Carolina Railroad tracks that run east-west along the southern end of downtown Greensboro. The construction of Freeman Mill Road in the mid 1970’s redirected traffic and the underpass was abandoned. The heavily wooded site was rediscovered in early 2001 as concept plans for the Downtown Greenway were first being considered.
The restoration project includes the addition of 12 decorative iron gates to be designed and fabricated by local artist Jim Gallucci and placed in existing doorways along the underpass, through which will be seen two 60-foot graphic panels depicting parts of Greensboro’s history. Cooper Carry Center for Connective Architecture who has been involved in the project from its early conception will oversee the design and fabrication of the panels. In addition, innovative, artistic lighting will illuminate the entire area to be designed by local artist, Scott Richardson with Light Defines Form.
Public art consultant Barbara Peck who wrote the grant comments, “It has been incredibly rewarding for me to have been able to work on this project with the talented and focused team at Action Greensboro. To have their vision recognized by the NEA underscores with an exclamation point how fortunate our city is to have creative projects like this one brought to reality through their efforts. This public art venue will be a wonderful addition to Greensboro's downtown, and is another positive step towards Action Greensboro's goal of helping to create a more vibrant and connected city.”
“The support of Greensboro Mayor Bill Knight and City Council as well as the City of Greensboro staff has been key to the success of this effort” says Project Manager Dabney Sanders.
The Downtown Greenway is a planned 4 mile urban walking and biking trail that will loop around downtown Greensboro, and will enhance the urban landscape with a green space that will encourage alternative transportation, promote fitness, and provide connectedness and well-being for our residents and visitors in an aesthetically pleasing environment. The loop itself provides a unique opportunity for Greensboro to have the only one of its kind in the state and one of the few in the country. In addition, with the connections to the extensive existing and planned trails systems in the city and the county, this loop will connect residents from all parts of the community and beyond.
Click here to view the National Endowment for the Arts press release.
Categories: Public Art
Downtown Greenway, 317 South Elm Street, Greensboro, North Carolina | 336-379-0821 | send an email | Follow Us
Greenway Essentials | Route Map | Economic Development | Community Involvement | Health & Wellness | Safety | Contact Us