You’re invited: Meeting on the landscaping of College Hill’s section of the Downtown Greenway, Thursday April 24

Posted on Apr 07, 2025 by David Arneke
Posted in Downtown Greenway, Greensboro College | Leave a comment

New location for neighborhood association meetings: Greensboro College

Posted on Mar 12, 2025 by David Arneke

Starting this month, meetings of the College Hill Neighborhood Association will be held at Greensboro College in the President’s Hall in the Main Building. The location is expected to have better facilities for conducting hybrid in-person/Zoom meetings.

For decades, the association has met at the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. We thank the church and especially Clara Kelly for their boundless hospitality and patience over the years. Meeting dates and Zoom information are always available in the right rail of every page on website.

Posted in College Hill Neighborhood Association, Greensboro College, Presbyterian Church of the Covenant | Leave a comment

College Hill neighbor Lewis Pitts is the subject of a new biography

Posted on Mar 09, 2025 by David Arneke

Lewis Pitts, longtime social justice advocate, lawyer and College Hill neighbor, is the subject of a new biography, The Life of a Movement Lawyer: Lewis Pitts and the Struggle for Democracy, Equality, and Justice. It is available at Scuppernong Books, Amazon and other retailers.

Lewis will speak at Scuppernong Books on Friday March 21, 6 p.m.

The book is published by the University of South Carolina Press.

“Born in 1947 and raised in rural South Carolina, Lewis Pitts grew up oblivious to the civil rights revolution underway across the country. A directionless white college student in 1968, Pitts committed to military service and was destined for Vietnam. Five years later―after a formative period in which he underwent an intellectual and moral awakening, was discharged as a conscientious objector, and graduated from law school―he embarked on an unlikely forty-year career as a crusading social justice attorney.”

The book was written by Jason Langberg, an education justice and civil rights lawyer. He formerly worked for Legal Aid of North Carolina and the Legal Aid Justice Center in Virginia. He lives in Colorado.

Posted in Neighbors, Rankin Place | Tagged | Leave a comment

Devastating fire strikes 818 Walker Avenue

Posted on Nov 21, 2024 by David Arneke
Damage at 818 Walker Avenue and a Google StreetView photo from 2022

A fire broke out around 3 a.m. today at 818 Walker Avenue. The house suffered severe damage. Residents Adrienne Everheart and Jeff Wagner were able to escape uninjured, but at least some of their cats didn’t make it out.

“We lost several beloved cats and everything we own,” Adrienne said. “”We were using an outdoor heating pad for two stray cats that sleep on the porch. Apparently, it was faulty and caught fire.”

A Go Fund Me campaign has been launched. By mid-afternoon Thursday, 86 donors had contributed more than $7,000.

[Update: By midnight Thursday, $20,000 had been contributed by 235 donors.]

The fire was contained by Greensboro firefighters, who managed to prevent major damage to the house next door, 816 Walker. Two cars in the driveway of 816 were destroyed, and the electric meter on the house melted in the heat. The lot on the other side of the house is a parking lot for the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, which is across the street.

The fire is the fourth major house fire in 25 years in College Hill. It’s the first in that time to occur in an owner-occupied home. In May 2020, 923 Carr Street was destroyed by an overnight fire. Next-door neighbors Alexa Barwick and Eric Snavely bought the lot and have created a large garden there.

919 Spring Garden Street was severely damaged by a fire in 2011. The College Hill Neighborhood Association, Preservation Greensboro Development Fund and the City of Greensboro worked together to prevent the home’s demolition. Three years later, it was bought and restored by Richard and Susan Stone.

In 1999, the house at 824 Rankin Place was destroyed by a fire. Next-door neighbors Spoma Jovanovic and Lewis Pitts bought the empty lot and in 2018 built a new home there.

Also about 25 years ago, a New Year’s Day fire damaged an upstairs apartment at 307 S. Mendenhall. The fire was contained to that apartment, which was repaired.

An early-morning account of Thursday’s fire from WFMY:

Posted in Fire, Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, Walker Avenue | Leave a comment

In memoriam: Hooker Van Deusen

Posted on Jul 09, 2024 by David Arneke

Our neighbor Hooker Doolittle Van Deusen passed away on March 21, 2024. He lived for many years at 300 Tate Street, initially with his parents, Edwin Van Deusen, a retired Army officer who died in 2016, and Natasha Doolittle Van Deusen, who died in 2013. In recent years he lived there with his brother, Edwin. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Hooker Doolittle, a U.S. Foreign Service officer.

Hooker was 70 years old. He was a sculptor, potter and painter. He received his bachelor of fine arts degree from UNCG in 1978. He received the Chancellor’s Award that year for one of his paintings, which became part of the permanent collection at the Weatherspoon Art Museum. Many College Hill residents will recall seeing him throughout the neighborhood, walking his dog, Hannah.

Posted in Condolences, Tate Street, UNCG, Weatherspoon Art Museum | Leave a comment

CHill in College Hill on Wednesday evenings this summer

Posted on Jun 19, 2024 by David Arneke
Posted in Carr Street, Neighbors, Rankin Place, Tate Street, Walker Avenue | Leave a comment

W. McGee Street intersection to be closed for about 2 months

Posted on Jun 12, 2024 by David Arneke

Map showing area where street will be closed

Stormwater line replacement work will be centered on McGee Street at Cedar Street. McGee will be closed from Fulton Street to Spring Street.

West McGee Street will blocked from Fulton Street to South Spring Street beginning Friday June 14 for almost two months. Part of South Cedar Street at McGee Street will be closed as well. The target date for reopening the streets is Friday August 9.

The city will upgrade storm water lines to 72 inches and relocate water and sewer mains as necessary. The project is intended to prevent or at least reduce the chance of flooding at Wafco Mills, the lower levels of which have been inundated after extremely heavy rains.

The McGee-Cedar intersection is at the bottom of two hills; a creek runs through the location. It was the site of a railroad line that is now being redeveloped as part of the Downtown Greenway. The storm water line replacement isn’t related to the Greenway.

“The city has wanted to do this work for years, but had challenges while the railroad was still active and under the purview of Norfolk Southern,” Dabney Sanders, project manager for the Greenway, told the College Hill Neighborhood Association in an email. “It made sense to do this work while the downtown greenway is under construction.”

The city aims to complete the project before fall classes begin at Weaver Academy and Greensboro College, which are adjacent to the work site.

 

Posted in Cedar Street, Downtown Greenway, Fulton Street, Greensboro College, McGee Street, Wafco Mills | Leave a comment

City shuts down Walker Avenue nightclub in response to neighbors’ complaints; business says it will reopen

Posted on Jun 06, 2024 by David Arneke

948 Walker Avenue

The City of Greensboro announced today it has shut down The Lost Diamond nightclub on Walker Avenue. Neighbors had complained about gunshots and loud noise. The business opened recently upstairs at 948 Walker Avenue. The space has had a steady turnover of businesses in recent years, most recently Pedro’s Taco Shop and Old San Juan Bar & Grill.

City inspectors found the business was operating illegally as a nightclub. It had been permitted as a restaurant. In response, the business has stated on Instagram that it will reopen, not acknowledging the permitting violation:

The city’s announcement:

Inspections Find Business Illegally Operating as Nightclub

The business has been closed following complaints of loud noises, sounds of gunshots, disturbances, and increased traffic.

Post Date: 06/06/2024 8:43 AM

The Lost Diamond, a newly permitted restaurant at 948 Walker Ave. operating as a nightclub, has been officially closed following complaints of loud noises, sounds of gunshots, disturbances, and increased traffic.

City notice on door: "DO NOT ENTER OR OCCUPY"After Greensboro City Council members and the City Manager’s Office received complaints about this establishment, the Greensboro Fire Department conducted a fire inspection at the establishment on June 4. It was determined that the business was not in compliance with its permitting. An inspection by Greensboro police officers, serving as members of the ABC Task Force, operating under the Greensboro ABC Board, did confirm it was in compliance with ABC laws.

Upon arrival, those conducting the inspections heard music and observed the business operating as a nightclub. The applicant was approved as a ‘restaurant’ with ‘no hookah.’

The fire department and the City’s zoning enforcement team immediately closed the establishment. Zoning will issue a notice of violations for illegal use (proximity to residential) and new use without proper permitting. The business will be closed until the operators return to the original use as a ‘restaurant’ or a change of use is granted.

Agencies involved in this case also included UNCG Police and Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE).

Posted in Businesses, Tate Street, Walker Avenue | Leave a comment

The brand-new College Hill flag is now available

Posted on Feb 11, 2024 by David Arneke

College Hill flag hanging on a front porch

College Hill’s new flags are flying from front porches around the neighborhood. They’re available for purchase at $19. The flags are very substantial and two-sided. The smaller yard flags are $15 (the price includes the stand).

To buy one (or more!), contact our neighbor Connor Drake, who organized the design and production of the flags on behalf of the College Hill Neighborhood Association.

College Hill yard flag

 

Posted in College Hill Neighborhood Association | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Go Fund Me campaign for Merritt White’s cancer treatment

Posted on Feb 01, 2024 by David Arneke

Merritt White

Many of you know Merritt White, proprietor of Re:Cycles on Spring Garden Street. He’s been a great neighbor for 20 years or more. I didn’t know until today that Merritt has been recovering from cancer surgery for several months. Last week he had some good news:

“Had my first scan last Wednesday and results given on Friday. Results came back all clear with no signs of recurrence!!! I’ll have 1 scan every year with a colonoscopy and blood work every 3 months.”

That’s wonderful news, but I hate to think what Merritt’s financial situation must be like. On top of the medical bills, he had to close the shop for a while while he recovered. A Go Fund Me campaign has raised some money for him, but I’m sure he could still use our support. Please join me in helping Merritt and his family:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-one-of-the-ogs-of-the-bike-scene

Thank you.

Posted in Bicycling, Businesses, Spring Garden Street | Tagged | Leave a comment