Golden Belt unveils The Cotton Room plans

A nice lunchtime crowd turned out Tuesday for the unveiling of plans for The Cotton Room, a new event space at Golden Belt just east of downtown.

The space occupies much of the third floor of Building 2 at the complex, across from Neighborhood Improvement Services' offices and providing 11,000 sq. ft. of flexible space in an area that's been used for an array of performances and events since the complex opened last year.

And it's a beautiful space, with monitor windows in the roof and the original pulleys that supported the Golden Belt's operations in its days as a textiles factory still intact.

Co-owner Michelle Aldred told BCR that she was proud as a Durham native to be opening this space in the Bull City; a Durham native, the Raleigh-based catering firm she owns with her husband Dodd, Triangle Catering, has done increasing business in Durham in recent years, driven both by private-sector and university events.

Aldred noted that while American Tobacco's Bay 7 and Duke Gardens were popular event spaces, there was a growing demand for an additional such destination in Durham -- a gap she hoped to fill with The Cotton Room. She noted that initial bookings, including the first wedding to be held in the space and some corporate holiday parties, had already signed up.

A 2,000 sq. ft. office and commercial kitchen space on the first floor of Building 2 will support more than just The Cotton Room's operations; it'll also allow Triangle Catering to better serve its Durham customers, providing a western Triangle counterweight to its commercial kitchen in Raleigh.

The H-S noted in their coverage that complex owner Scientific Properties hopes the event space will bring in more activities and people to the campus during nights and weekends, adding to the arts-and-entertainment theme the Durham-based developer has been seeking for the complex.

Durham Magazine's DM Blog was able to stick around long enough to sample some of the food and has some tasty pics of the action to boot.

Comments

[Lisa Jeffries]

How very cool! Love the textile reference and how they left such a rustic and charming feel. This will make an EXCELLENT home to some fantastic events!