Architectural Tour
Monday, August 6, 8:00 a.m. ~ 4:00 p.m.
A walking and driving tour will immerse you in the historic architecture of Wilmington. Architectural historians Ed Turberg and Janet Seapker will guide us through the downtown Historic District as well as through early Twentieth-Century streetcar suburbs. You will enjoy seeing historic architecture as built in Wilmington over the centuries, with the hope that you will take back some historic precedents to employ or modify in your design work.
We will begin in the National Register Historic District. Preservation of the city’s historic buildings began in 1962 and has enlivened downtown. The city now forms a backdrop for many feature films and TV movies. The tour will travel along the historic antebellum streets, passing the city’s landmarks: churches, public buildings and residences. The District contains colonial buildings from as early as 1738. There are buildings of every architectural style: Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate and Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Shingle Style, and Neo-Classical, but the prevailing architectural style is the mid-nineteenth century Italianate Revival style. You will view the interiors of three houses, including a recently restored Shingle style house designed by Henry Bacon architect of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.
Following lunch, the tour will take us through the Carolina Heights/Winoca Terrace section of Wilmington, where you will see the Classical, Bungalow and Mediterranean homes typical of the streetcar days of the early Twentieth Century.
The tour will conclude with a tour of Thalian Hall, a Classical style theater built between 1855 and 1858 as part of a civic complex that includes City Hall. Nationally recognized theater architect, John Trimble of New York, designed the auditorium. African American artisans—both slave and free, constructed it. The interior has original elements and bears evidence of an early twentieth century renovation that produced the ornate proscenium. Your guide in the theater will be long-time Executive Director, Tony Rivenbark who has seen the hall through three rehabilitations the most recent of which was in 2010.
North Carolina Society Welcome Reception
Monday, August 6, 5:00 ~ 8:30 p.m
Be welcomed in style aboard the U.S.S. North Carolina for a "Red, White and Blue BBQ". This WWII battleship and her complement of heroic personnel participated in every major battle in the Pacific theater and earned 15 battle stars, the most decorated of any WWII U.S. battleship. A state-wide effort saved her from the scrapyard. She was brought to Wilmington and dedicated in 1962 as the state's WWII memorial. What a special place to hold an event!
Spouse/Guest Tour and Lunch
Tuesday, August 7, 9:00 a.m. ~ 4:00 p.m. Itinerary TBA
"An Evening of Southern Hospitality"
Tuesday, August 7, 6:00 p.m. ~ 9:00 p.m.
You are cordially invited to the Bellamy Mansion on Tuesday evening for a special Sponsor Reception. Completed in 1861 on the eve of the War Between the States, this jewel of the South is one of North Carolina's most spectacular examples of antebellum architecture. We will be given a tour of the now museum and partake of supper while we visit with our generous sponsors. I do declare, y'all will enjoy this "evening of Southern hospitality".
Officers' Reception and Awards Gala Banquet
Wednesday, August 8, 6:00 ~ 10:00 p.m.
Our banquet this year will be held at St. Thomas Preservation Hall. From their website: "Listed on the National Historic Register, St. Thomas Preservation Hall is a beautifully restored building that dates back to 1846. Formerly a Roman Catholic Church, the building was officially deconsecrated in 1979 and has since served the needs of the citizens of Wilmington as a unique rental event space." This beautiful brick building with its high ceilings and tall Gothic windows will be a special site for our closing event.
