Bill Fields dreams up renovation -- on a budget -- down on Gregson St.

I realize most BCR readers are faithful patrons of Gary Kueber's excellent Endangered Durham blog, but for the couple who aren't -- this is too good to miss.

As Gary noted, Saturday's issue of The Durham News contains a story by David Newton on the inimitable Bill Fields -- Ninth Street property owner, veteran, and self-proclaimed lover of Durham -- and his plans to renovate the long-dormant Medical Arts building.

(This building, featured earlier by Gary at ED, has sat vacant for many years, though it did garner some local attention for its large "Fred Smith for Governor" signs back during the May primary; Fields' son worked for the Johnston Co. homebuilder and one-time gubernatorial candidate.)

To quote The Durham News:

Edgar Carr, with the architectural firm Robert W. Carr, Inc. Architects, suggested the grade be lowered on the parking lot in front of the old Medical Arts Building. The change drops the entry to the ground floor instead of the current boarded-up entry between the two floors. Plans call for the grade on the right front of the building to be raised and for a walkway with entrances to about eight retail spaces.

An artist's rendering shows metal awnings over the walkway. Metal cladding along the roofline and a metal crown proclaiming "306" on the smokestack will break up the repetition of large windows in the long, horizontal red brick building.

Of particular interest: Fields' claim that he'd be able to bring his reputed thrift to the project, quoting a $1.7 million renovation cost he claimed would be 50% of what others might think it would take to handle the improvements.

Some commenters at Gary's place have pointed out the remember-the-90s look of the vehicles in the only extant rendering of the proposed Medical Arts building rehab, raising some curiosity about the freshness of the plans.

All that said, we can only hope to see such improvements to the building. Personally, I've often thought that if the Medical Arts building didn't survive , it'd be a great location for a Mangum 506-style project, given the walking proximity to Brightleaf and Ambacco, as well as the natural site location for a parking deck to the property's rear, behind a residential and retail structure at the front of the lot that could add street-level interest.

No matter what, it'd just be good to see some fresh activity in an old structure that could use the TLC.

Comments

[Tinomuvonga]

I am pretty unimpressed with this legoesque rendering but, then again anything would be better that current state of the building.

[RWE]

Legoesque - perfect. Maybe building it out of Legos is one of Bill Fields' secret ways to save money.

Carr is the local firm that collaborated with the architect of the Empire State Building on the design of the Hill (CCB / SunTrust) Building in the 1930's, and I believe still have their office on the top floor. I'd say their creativity has atrophied a bit over the years.

I want a Rock 'N Bowl in this building.

[B. Wil Dered]

wassup w/ that giant Pez dispenser on the roof?

[Anon]

Interesting how the thrifty Bill Fields has waited until the arrival of a weak economy, the complete turmoil of our financial markets and the toughening of lending standards to renovate a building he has allowed to deteriorate for years.

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of the pay-day lender, religious bookstore and storefront church that will soon occupy this space.

[anon]

Bad Karma, from yesterday's News and Observer...

Wreck snaps pole; street closed

Gregson Street will be closed to traffic from W. Pettigrew to Chapel Hill Street until sometime between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. today while crews repair a broken utility pole.

A southbound 1989 Toyota Corolla ran off the road about 6:23 a.m. today and struck the pole, causing it to snap, Durham police said. Three people in the car received non-life-threatening injuries.

[KH]

He could save money on the awnings and "Pez" dispenser and build a new vestibule/entrance w/ glass and wood. (wood similar to the Studebaker building or the building on Chapel Hill Blvd near I-40)

Maybe he could stack the address numbers above the entrance for height.

[Anti-Fields]

I've had it with Fields. This asshat with his post-Stalinist/neo-ghetto aesthetic and slum lord business M.O. (ask any tenants) is completely out of step with where this city is, or could be, headed. As I wrote at Endangered Durham, I'd consider it a completely reasonable expense for the City of Durham to pay for (1) Buying up all his properties and selling them to real developers with vision, and (2) Buying Bill a 1-way ticket to Greensboro. Or Tennessee.