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.

Dororthea Dix Park, Part III: The park proper

In addition to the Gipson Play Plaza and scores of buildings shown in previous posts of this series, on Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, N.C., has sufficient area among its 305 acres to exhibit traditional attributes of a park, such things as scores of trees and plenty of open space and beautiful landscaping. 

The lead-off photo depicts a nice portion of what is referred to as “the big field” at Dix Park, space used for such things as concerts and festivals. One such example was the annual spring weekend Dreamville festival, which concluded its four-year run in 2025 (city and Dreamville officials have said a new four-year festival is in the works, but no details have been made public as yet). 

Or you can go to the big field just to roam, which is what I used it for when I was there Tuesday. 

The big field technically is a mix of rolling land that steadily goes up or down hill, depending on the direction you’re headed. The area in the foreground of the above picture is at the top of the hill. One goes downhill as he or she proceeds in the distance shown in the middle of the photo. 

It’s at that opposite end of the field that the park abuts the State Farmers Market property, and a stroller need only recognize the bright orange roofing as he or she draws closer and closer to the end of the field to appreciate the proximity of the market. 

I’m not sure what kind of work is being done on the right side of the photo, where the orange fence and construction implement is located, but I did read somewhere that there is a bandstand being installed in the field, and perhaps this is where that is going. 

To view a full gallery of photos from the “park proper” portion of my shoot at Dix, follow the link in this sentence.   

Above and below: The objective of this sculpture by DeWitt Godfrey, titled Attun, is to blend “natural mathematics and computational design with community context.” Godfrey used corten steel and stainless steel fasteners to create this 2023 work. Corten is a durable copper-chromium alloy designed to resist corrosion and does not require painting. The sculpture is intended to be visual-only; signage asks visitors not to climb on it.  

Above: A view of the downtown Raleigh skyline from Dix Hill, just outside the Greg Poole Jr. All Faiths Chapel.

Above: With a combination of rollers and banked turns, this pop-up pump track enables anyone to sharpen their bike, scooter or skating skills. It is open March through May each year.

Above: Sunflower Power Poles, easily visible from Lake Wheeler Road, the park’s eastern perimeter, is an art work created by Thomas Sayre and installed in partnership with the Duke Energy power utility. The sculpture transforms traditional utility poles into art, paying tribute to Dix Park's popular annual field of sunflowers, which visitors can find in the park interior from early July to early August. Raleigh-based Sayre, a sculptor and painter, has created and built public arts projects throughout the world. Another of his best-known local works is Gyre, the large three-piece ellipse on the grounds of the North Carolina Museum of Art.