Town Hall Renovation Work Wins Award

 

Preservation North Carolina congratulates the Town of Davidson, NC — Town Hall for winning a Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit for the Historic Davidson School.

 

The Gertrude S. Carraway Awards of Merit are named in honor of the late Dr. Gertrude S. Carraway, a noted New Bern historian and preservationist. Presented in 1974, the awards give deserved recognition to individuals or organizations that have demonstrated a genuine commitment to historic preservation through extraordinary leadership, research, philanthropy, promotion, and/or significant participation in preservation.

 

Built in 1948 from designs by Louis Asbury, the Davidson School was built on the site of the former Davidson Academy. Asbury designed an L-shaped, two-story showplace, featuring a post-war Modernist design with simple functional lines and mass produced building materials. The Davidson School represented a definitive break with the past and served as a highly visible demonstration of progressive school design. The school closed in 2018.

 

Over 10 years ago, Davidson elected officials recognized a need for more space to serve the community. The town hired Creech & Associates Architects to conduct a space needs analysis that resulted in the purchase of the historic Davidson School in 2018. In November 2019, Davidson voters passed the town’s second-ever municipal bond. The $14 million project that included the renovation of the historic Davidson School into a new Town Hall and Community Center.

 

Town staff moved into their new home in early 2023 complete with its historic features. The Davidson Board of Commissioner’s Chamber fits into an existing classroom, and the main entrance reception desk is made of wood that was once part of a walk-in cooler from the school’s cafeteria!

 

The Town was honored at Hayti Heritage Center in Durham on October 4 at the NC Preservation Award Ceremony and Reception.