WakeUP Wake County tour focuses on Hillsborough Street
Hillsborough Street has seen plenty of redevelopment in recent years, and the changes will be part of the focus of a self-guided tour this weekend.
WakeUP Wake County is hosting its second annual City Livability Tour on Saturday with 16 stops along Hillsborough Street and Oberlin Road near the N.C. State University campus.
The tour serves as a fundraiser for the nonprofit, which advocates for smart growth in Wake. It will feature elements of a livable, dynamic city – new development, historic preservation, green infrastructure, residential life, arts and culture.
Participants will receive a map of the tour stops, and curators will explain what makes each place unique.
Julia Lee, chairwoman of WakeUP Wake County, said the organization chose the Hillsborough corridor because it has seen major changes. The tour includes stops at new developments, including the Stanhope mixed-use building, the Aloft hotel and residential building 401 Oberlin.
WakeUP Wake County aims to help communities grow in healthy, sustainable ways. During the tour, participants can learn about how N.C. State wants to keep 90 percent of the materials from the cylindrical-shaped Harrelson Hall out of the landfill.
Built in 1961, the hall features a spiral staircase and wedge-shaped classrooms. It will be demolished this summer.
Much of the recycling happened at the front end of the project, said Josh Griffin, a project manager with Kimley-Horn and Associates.
Habitat for Humanity took about 300 chairs from Harrelson, and a start-up charter school took many of the white boards. The limestone on the exterior of the building will be used to create benches on campus, and the concrete could be crushed and used for roadway materials, Griffin said.
Tour participants can also check out model, sustainable buildings like the Hillcrest House and the green wing of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church.
“The livability tour speaks to everything we do and care about,” Lee said.
Three private homes are on the tour, including the Isabelle Bowen Henderson House and Gardens on Oberlin Road, home of Raleigh City Council member Russ Stephenson.
Built in the 1930s, the 1.2-acre lot includes dwellings, outbuildings and gardens that reflect the life and artwork of Henderson, Stephenson’s great-aunt. The front room contains a ceiling-to-floor 1770 map of the Carolina Colonies.
The house is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places, and Stephenson will open his home to the public for the tour.
The Hillsborough/Oberlin area is unique because it blends new development near N.C. State and the established neighborhoods near Cameron Village.
“They need to coexist,” Lee said. “So how do we manage and accommodate everyone?”
Knopf: 919-829-8955, @tayknopf
If you go
WakeUP Wake County will host the City Livability Tour from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Online registration is available at wakeupwakecounty.org. Registration the day of the event will be available at the Aloft Hotel, 2100 Hillsborough St., and the Small Office Building, 105 Brooks Ave. General tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event. Student tickets are $10 in advance and $15 the day of.
This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 10:34 AM with the headline "WakeUP Wake County tour focuses on Hillsborough Street."