Downtown Greenway hosts opening celebration May 10th

The Downtown Greenway is pleased to announce the opening and dedication of Meeting Place at the Tradition Cornerstone - the second of four major works of public art that mark the corners of the Downtown Greenway. 

The event will be held on Sat., May 10 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm on the Tradition Cornerstone site at the intersection of Smith and Prescott Streets in the northwest corner of downtown Greensboro. 

The Tradition Cornerstone theme is intended to represent the role that Greensboro played in the Revolutionary War with the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.  The Orchard and Piedmont Woodland landscape along with the Meeting Place tent-like structure honor this history while at the same time encourage forward thinking as Greensboro continues to make new traditions.

The site was designed by Harries + Heder Collaborative.  Mags Harries and Lajos Héder formed Harries + Héder Collaborative in Cambridge, MA in 1990 and have worked together on over 25 major public commissions. Mags brings her experience as a sculptor, teacher, and creator of public art. Lajos, besides being an artist, was trained as an architect and has worked on community projects, urban design, site planning, architecture, and construction. Together, their focus is to activate public space through art, creating public places that have on-going practical use as well as strong metaphoric significance. Their focus on water, energy, transportation and other physical and performance elements connect people and communities, and they actively seek to form partnerships with community members, engineers, landscape architects, architects, and other artists. Their work has been recognized for many local and national awards. 

Mags Harries and Lajos Heder have been commissioned to create public art all over the world.  They worked with local artists and businesses in Greensboro to create their work here including Jim Gallucci, a local sculptor who fabricated and installed the structure; Ian Gamble with elsewhere living museum who created the seating and tables, Charlie Headington, the Greensboro Permaculture Guild, and New Garden Landscaping and Nursery who created and installed the Orchards and native Piedmont Woodlands; and local contractors Rival Construction, Doggett Construction, Quality Controlled Concrete, and Withers & Ravenel.  In addition, Guilford College student, Will Kimmell was selected to create a bicycle rack for the site called Bike Forest.

Details about the event include:

• A Ribbon Cutting with Greensboro City Council, Downtown Greenway leadership team, and the artists at 1:00
• Charlie Headington to speak about the orchard and permaculture gardening at 1:15, 2:15, and 3:15
• Erich Berger as a Revolutionary War Reenactor at 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30
• Artist talks with Mags Harries and Lajos Heder at 1:45, 2:45, and 3:45
• The Urban Street Grille Food Truck, Gnam Gnam Gelato, and Natty Greene’s
• Americana Music with Molly McGinn and Wurlitzer Prize
• Chalk drawing with the Greensboro Mural Project
• Bike Tune-up station with Merritt White and Recycles
• Drawing for prizes for those riding bicycles to the event (including a FitBit, Omega Sports gift certificate, and more)

With ¾ of a mile of the Downtown Greenway completed and open to the public, the Meeting Place at the Tradition Cornerstone anchors the northwest corner and continues progress on building this four mile greenway over the next 3-4 years.   For additional information, updates and progress announcements, visit www.downtowngreenway.org

About the Downtown Greenway

The Downtown Greenway, a collaborative project of the City of Greensboro and Action Greensboro, is a planned 4 mile walking and biking trail that will encourage economic development, increase the tax base for the city, and will improve quality of life for its citizens. This urban loop around the center city of downtown Greensboro will enhance the urban landscape with a green space that will promote fitness, 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. With its emphasis on public art, the Greenway will tell stories and engage users of the trail in a unique and authentic way. 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. 

The Downtown Greenway is the signature commemorative project of the Greensboro Bicentennial. This collaboration between public and private partners will serve as a tangible connector for more than a dozen of Greensboro’s diverse neighborhoods, as well as provide access to existing trails that span the city.

The development of the Downtown Greenway comes at a time when projects that spur economic development and improve the quality of life in a city are more important than ever.  The City of Greensboro will track the impact the Greenway has on economic development in Greensboro, including job creation, property values and future investments. Studies in other communities have found that each dollar spent on greenway development spurs a $5-$12 return on investment in economic impact.   With approximately $6.5 million invested to date into the project, Greensboro is enjoying over $200 million in completed and planned investment, with more projects yet to be announced.  This represents a $30 return to date. 

For more information on the Downtown Greenway, visit www.downtowngreenway.org or call 336.387.8353.

About Action Greensboro

Action Greensboro is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2001 in response to the changing economy in Greensboro and the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Along with the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and the Greensboro Economic Development Alliance, Action Greensboro is a member of the Greensboro Partnership. The Partnership was created in 2006 to increase the amount of capital investment in Greensboro and Guilford County and to help leverage the creation of high-technology, high-wage jobs through traditional economic development, programs to encourage business success, and initiatives to create a vibrant community.  For more information on Action Greensboro, visit www.actiongreensboro.org or call 336.379.0821.

About the City of Greensboro

The City works with the community to improve the quality of life for residents through inclusion, diversity, and trust. As the seventh largest employer in Greensboro, the City has a professional staff of 2,800 employees who maintain the values of honesty, integrity, stewardship, and respect. The City is governed by a council-manager form of government with a mayor and eight council members. For more information on the City, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov or call 336.373.CITY (2489).