Peace University rich in red brick buildings in historic Raleigh neighborhood

Like Shaw University, featured in yesterday’s post, William Peace University in Raleigh is a private college with considerable history. On May 17, I made my first visit to Peace, whose southern boundary abuts Peace Street at the north fringe of downtown Raleigh.

The school was established as Peace Institute in 1857 by a group of men in the Presbyterian Synod of North Carolina. William Peace, a Raleigh businessman and church elder, was the leading donor for the school's construction. His gift of $10,000 would have the purchasing power today of $390,000. 

The 8 acres of land on which the campus was developed and built was turned over to the school in 1878 by property owner R. Stanhope Pullen, another businessman and philanthropist for whom today’s Pullen Park in Raleigh is named.

The Main Building (its official name), the campus centerpiece pictured in the lead-off photo, was constructed between 1859-62, but almost immediately upon its completion, it was taken over by the Confederate States of America government to be used as a hospital for wounded Civil War soldiers. 

That war and the Reconstruction Era afterward delayed the school’s opening, but it eventually welcomed students in 1872. The school initially educated boys and girls in primary grades and women in high school and college. In 1925, it awarded its first junior college degrees to women, and five years later changed its name to Peace, a Junior College for Women.

In 1940, the school offered classes for women in the last two years of high school and first two years of college, and three years later it changed its name to Peace College. 

The school experienced its largest period of growth from the 1960s to 1970s, when 11 new buildings — with exteriors all in the same red brick as The Main Building — were added and existing structures were renovated. 

Peace became a four-year college degree-issuing institution in 1995 and distributed its first bachelor’s degrees in 1997. 

The change to its current name, Peace University, occurred in 2012, the same year the school began admitting male students. Today it has an enrollment of about 730 and offers undergraduate degrees in more than 30 majors as well as accelerated bachelor’s degrees through Peace Online for working adults. 

Peace athletic teams, the Pacers, are members of the NCAA Division III and compete in the USA South Athletic Conference. Peace students have nine interscholastic sports to choose from — cross country, basketball, swimming, tennis, golf, lacrosse, volleyball and soccer for men and women, plus baseball for men and softball for women.

The campus is north of the heart of downtown Raleigh but within the Blount Street Historic District, which boasts multiple stately and historic homes. For example, Peace is just a few blocks north of the North Carolina Executive Mansion, the official home of the state's sitting governor. 

To view a full gallery of images taken at Peace University, follow the link in this sentence. 

Above: The view of The Main Building and Main Lawn as one enters campus from the south end along Peace Street. In an interesting detail, The Main Building is in the center of seven inter-connected buildings. It is flanked on the west (left) by Dinwiddie Chapel and Finley Residence Hall, and on the east (right) by Frazier Residence Hall, which in turn connects to two academic buildings, Presley (to the north) and Flowe (to the east). 

Above and below: Two views of the Lucy Cooper Finch Library, built in 1969. It has a collection of about 30,000 volumes. Below the first photo below are four images of the Lucy Finch Gaddy Garden, which is astride the library and named for one of Lucy Cooper Finch's daughters. Both women were Peace alumnae and philanthropists.

Davidson Residence Hall (above), which abuts Blount Street, and its connector (below) to Ross Residence Hall. 

Above: The brick pathways one sees throughout the campus.

The fountain (above) is in front of The Main Building on campus. Not far from it is the William Peace memorial bench, the backside of which is shown below. When it was installed in 2007, the bench had a bronze statue of the school's namesake seated on the far left side. In 2022, a university task force determined that Peace had been owner of 52 slaves and that slave labor was used to build The Main Building. So the university removed the statue but kept the bench in place. The task force’s research came at a time of heightened national awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement and protests. On the bench’s backside are etched names of school patrons and commemorations. When I came to the bench, there was a young woman sitting in the exact spot where the statue was once situated, which is why I don’thave a front shot of the bench … and why I cropped the photo the way I did.

Brown-McPherson Fine Arts Building (above) is across from Finley Residence Hall (below). Finley is on the west side of The Main Building. Frazier Residence Hall (second photo below) is on the east side of The Main Building. Dinwiddie Chapel (third photo below), technically is between The Main Building and Finley Hall, but they’re all connected.  

Above is an access to the Herman Athletic Center, while below is a full side view of the center. The school’s basketball and volleyball teams play here. 

Above: Flowe Residence Hall. 

Belk Dining Hall (above), Bingham Residence Hall (below) and the Bingham lawn (second photo below), adjacent to the residence hall, where several men were enjoying a game of Frisbee on this day. The school’s ball diamond, which is adjacent to and east of the Bingham lawn, is in the third photo below. 

 

Above is something I came across on the side of Pacer Performance Center as I left the campus and began my walk south along Blount Street to return to my parked car close to downtown. I shot this through an opening in a chain-link fence, but the lens couldn’t fit perfectly through the opening. That explains the unusually shaped light colored bricks you see left and right of the figure. That “foggy” appearance is actually blurred foreground fence link metal that was pressing against the outer sides of the lens.

Coming tomorrow: The North Carolina Executive Mansion (governor’s official residence) and the official offices of the Lieutenant Governor

Shaw University, an HBCU in Raleigh, has much to boast about in the education of African-Americans

When I did my extensive photo walk-through of downtown Raleigh in March of 2023, I didn’t use a map of the downtown as a primary guide to find places. There was an occasion or two, when I pulled up a map on my phone when I was trying to pinpoint specific places, but that was it. 

Because I hadn’t used a map as a main guide, it wasn’t until after the shoot that I realized I had been so close to several important landmarks ... and had missed shooting them. 

For the most part, I rectified those omissions on Sunday, May 17 — more than three years later — when I spent several hours walking through the campuses of two private colleges and returned to the heart of downtown for several other things I had missed in 2023. 

Today’s blog subject, Shaw University, was one of them. The pictures of the other “misses,” including one other small, private university, will be presented here in the next few days.  

I picked a Sunday because Sundays traditionally are low-traffic days on college campuses. Also, both schools recently had their spring graduation ceremonies, which led me to believe the likelihood of there being many students on campus to work around would be slim to none. I was correct on both counts, especially the first, Shaw, which I began to shoot about 9:30 a.m.

Shaw University, founded on Dec. 1, 1865, is the oldest historically black college or university in the southern United States. It sits on the southern fringe of downtown Raleigh next door to the more contemporary Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts (1932) and a short distance from the popular Red Hat Amphitheater, an outdoor concert and theater venue.

I was on the Martin Marietta campus when I saw the interesting building pictured in the lead-off photo. So that picture actually dates to the March 2023 shot. I didn’t find out until after I got home that the building was the historic Estey Hall of Shaw University, which today is used as the chief administration building for the school. It dates to 1874 and is the oldest surviving building on campus.

As the building’s history (found in its Wikipedia entry you can access by following the link in the above paragraph) conveys, Shaw began as a seminary, and Estey was built after the school opened admissions to women. When Estey opened, it became the first building in the U.S. constructed to educate women. 

The school is named for Elijah Shaw, a wealthy Massachusetts textile manufacturer, property owner and philanthropist who in 1870 became the primary benefactor of Shaw with a donation of $5,000, which in today's currency would have the purchasing power of $127,100. The donation enabled the construction of Shaw Hall, the first building on campus. The hall was demolished in the late 1960s to make way for the James E. Cheek library.  

In 1970, Estes Hall had fallen in such disrepair that it was closed for renovation and to enable the historic structure to be preserved as a vital landmark on campus. It reopened in 1993 but it was still closed in 1973, when it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it also is a Raleigh Historic Landmark.  

Some more photos of Estey, from my shoot on May 17, appear further down in this post.  

Shaw offers 21 majors for bachelor of arts or science degrees. It also offers a master of divinity, a master of arts in Christian Education and or Christian Leadership, and its School of Business and Professional Leadership offers a master of science in Early Childhood Education through the Department of Education and Child Development.

From 1888 to 1916, Shaw had a School of Law, the first of its kind for African-Americans. Shaw graduated 57 law students before it closed. 

In 1968, Shaw became the first black college to own and operate a radio station, WSHA. The university sold the station in July 2018. 

And it was at Shaw, in 1881, that the country’s first four-year medical school opened. There’s more about this below in the caption under the picture for twin-turreted Leonard Hall, the medical school’s home, and the adjacent former Leonard Hospital, now Tyler Hall. 

The school also played a critical role in earning heretofore neglected honors for African American World War II soldiers. In 1993, the U.S. Army commissioned a team of scholars at Shaw to investigate why no African American soldiers who served in the war had been awarded the Medal of Honor. The team concluded that the omission was the result of racial discrimination. 

The team recommended and named 10 soldiers who should receive the medal and sent its findings to the U.S. Department of Defense. In April 1996, the Defense Department agreed that seven of the nominees should receive the medal, and on Jan. 13, 1997, President Clinton awarded those medals. Only one of the seven honored soldiers was still alive and on hand to receive his medal. The remainder were awarded to family members of the soldiers.

Shaw is a co-founding member (with Howard, Hampton, Lincoln and Virginia Union universities) of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the oldest African American athletic conference in the U.S. Shaw athletes have won CIAA championships in football, volleyball and men's and women’s basketball and tennis.

To view a full gallery of photos from my shoot at Shaw University, follow the link in this sentence. 

The James E. Cheek Resource Center (library), is made of concrete and steel framing with an exterior of brick masonry and metal panels (above). George C. Debnam Hall, which houses administration and registration offices (below), is made of light-colored brick and concrete.  

Above and below are two views of the bell tower in the middle of campus. The university says the tower bell marks a student’s academic journey at Shaw. Students ring the bell when they start school their first year and again after they graduate four years later. 

Roberts Science Hall (above) and Yancy Institute for Health, Social and Community Research (below) are attached on campus. 

The campus chapel (above), Spaulding Gymnasium (below) and Tupper Hall (second photo below) are near each other in the middle of campus. A statue of a bear (third photo below), the school mascot, sits in front of the gymnasium. Tupper is named for Shaw founder Henry Martin Tupper, a Baptist minister and the school's first president.

Historic Leonard Hall (above), a twin-turret Romanesque Revival style building, was the first four-year medical school in the U.S. It opened in 1881 and is named for Judson Wade Leonard, a philanthropist and a donor for the building’s construction. He also was a brother-in-law to Shaw founder Henry Martin Tupper. The medical school trained 400 African-Americans as physicians while in operation. Leonard Hospital (below), which today is Tyler Hall, was opened in 1912 next to the medical school to give students opportunities for practical training. The medical school and hospital closed in 1918-19. Like Estey Hall, both buildings are historic landmarks and currently undergoing restoration. Today, Tyler houses the school’s philosophy and religion departments. 

The high-rise residence halls above and below are perpendicular to each other and close to the Willie E. Gary Student Center (second photo below), which houses the student dining hall. 

Above: Adjacent to one of the high-rise residence halls is this outdoor basketball court. 

There are several places on campus where people can get a nice view of the downtown Raleigh skyline. Above, just north of Cheek library, is one such location. Blount Street passes under a pedestrian bridge connecting a part of campus (below). 

Coming tomorrow: The campus of William Peace University

The Weld and Rockway Raleigh: Mixed-use space across from Dix Park

Across Lake Wheeler Road from Dorothea Dix Park (featured in the three previous posts), just a mile or so southwest of downtown Raleigh, stand a pair of newly developed mixed-use communities under the names of The Weld and Rockway Raleigh.

The Weld encompasses twin 20-floor towers, The Holston and Ray at The Weld, developed by SLI Capital of Raleigh and Mack Real Estate Group of New York City. The Holston opened in November, while Ray at The Weld opened a month later. 

Very close to The Weld and situated along nearby South Saunders Street is a separate project, The Row (see lead-off photo), which is described as the first residential community to be part of Rockway Raleigh, a development of Kane Realty and Merge Capital. Two future Rockway communities at the site will be called The Heath and Lynde Hills Loft. 

All of these properties include or will include retail shops. Shops already open within the developments include Campo Taco Co., Benchwarmers Bagels and Sunflower’s Cafe, which are in The Row complex; and Willow House Coffee, a free-standing shop across Saunders Street from The Row. 

This summer, Drift Coffee & Kitchen is scheduled to open in The Weld as well. When it does, people who live and work in this modest area will have no fewer than four retail options to find coffee outside their homes or offices.

The Weld and Rockway Raleigh are situated near where Lake Wheeler Road meets Saunders Street, a “V” shaped junction just south of Rocky Branch Creek.   

Online promotions for The Weld describe one of its key characteristics as “access,” beginning with its proximity to the 305-acre Dorothea Dix Park, which is just a hop, skip and jump across Lake Wheeler Road. Rockway Raleigh also touts its closeness to the park as well as being near the Rocky Branch Creek Greenway east of Saunders Street. 

Both projects are near Raleigh’s downtown, which means they're also close to such attractions as Red Hat Amphitheater and Meymandi Concert Hall at Martin Marietta Center (both a half-mile northeast). And just a mile or so south, near where Lake Wheeler Road meets Centennial Parkway, are Trophy Brewing and Taproom, the State Farmers Market and the State Farmers Market Restaurant. 

The new development communities also are not far from the as-yet undeveloped Downtown South, a 140-acre, $2 billion mixed-use Kane Realty proposal for a site where Saunders Street meets I-40. Kane and the City of Raleigh envision that Downtown South will become an important southern gateway by serving as a major entertainment and residential hub featuring a $250 million soccer stadium (for the National Women's Soccer League's North Carolina Courage) as well as residential units, office space and retail.

So you see, this complex indeed has access, and a lot of it can or will be accessible on foot or a short drive or bicycle ride.  

Dix Park is a considerable draw because, for one, it already exists. And for another, it contains walking trails, a play plaza for children, a dog park, and plenty of general space to run, walk or ride bicycles. It also has a huge field that has been used for festivals and concerts, and a smaller open space for a popular annual display of sunflowers that are in bloom from early July to early August. 

And finally, the City of Raleigh and the Dix Park Conservancy are in only the early stages of a 10-year master plan to improve the park, so as they say, there is more to come. When I was there last week, there was a lot of building demolition going on in the park, with lots of taped and fenced off areas. 

To view a full gallery of my shots from the visit to The Weld and Rockway Raleigh, follow the link in this sentence. 

Views of The Row above and in the first four photos below. Campo Taco Co. is at the north end of the complex.  

Above: Separate from The Row, and across Saunders Street from the complex, is Willow House Coffee and Community. 

Above and first four photos below: The south end of The Row, distinguished by its rust exterior section as well as the Sunflower's Cafe.

Above and final photos below: More looks at Ray at The Weld and The Holston.  

Above and first three photos below: Side views of The Holston along Hammer Drive. The Holston is one of the two 20-floor twin towers that comprise The Weld. 

Above: The Holston (left) and Ray at The Weld, side by side.