“Greensboro is a very diverse city and I think the Greenway is doing a great job with connecting each area,” says Angela Harris, a resident of the Warnersville neighborhood, which welcomed the first Phase of the Downtown Greenway. “Each area has its own personality but with the Greenway, we might be different, but we’re still connected.”
Knowing the rich history of this neighborhood, Angela was a tremendous asset to ensure that the neighborhood history was integrated into both the public art and landscape design—from the words etched into the backs of the Five Points Bench to the hundreds of roses representing the Rose Society that was so active in the neighborhood in past years.
As a resident of the Warnersville neighborhood since childhood, Harris eventually moved back to the same house she grew up in to care for her mother. Harris believes that the Greenway will help introduce non-Warnersville residents to the Warnersville community, the rich heritage that Warnersville has added to the city of Greensboro, and the pride within the Warnersville community.
She and her neighborhood actively participated in community meetings that planned both the landscape design and the artist bench commissioned to represent the history of the Warnersville community. According to Harris, the Greenway will help residents remain proud and help younger residents learn more of the history versus the stories that are heard.
“They can travel the Greenway and see the significance of the five benches,” said Harris. “It’s going to start a conversation piece for the younger people. They’re going to want to know what these benches mean.”