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Posted by on Thursday, November 17, 2011 9:51 am

Grad students open windows to Greensboro’s past

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An image created by graduate students combines an archival photo and a recent photo of the building that now houses Natt Greene's.Have you ever wanted to know what downtown Greensboro was like 30, 60 or even 100 years ago?

Last fall, nine museum studies graduate students at UNCG uncovered the hidden histories of nine buildings on Elm Street. They learned about Greensboro’s past and shared that knowledge with the public at last December’s Festival of Lights.

This December – drawing on public support; a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council; and partnerships with Downtown Greensboro Inc., Action Greensboro and Elsewhere – six of those students are back, this time with research about nearly 40 buildings located throughout downtown.

Downtown Greensboro owes much of its distinctive character to buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries. But these buildings are more than just their facades – they were places where people’s lives played out. They offer windows into Greensboro’s past, providing new perspectives on the people and places that helped shape Greensboro into the community it is today.

Join the students 6-9 p.m. Dec. 2 as they unveil their expanded project, “Windows to the Past: People, Places & Memory in Downtown Greensboro,” in That Space at Elm Street Center, 203 S. Elm St., as part of downtown Greensboro’s First Friday and Festival of Lights.

The finished project has three components – window-front exhibit panels in downtown storefronts, a self-guided walking tour that has information about each window display (available online and at various downtown locations), and a website featuring stories and images.

In creating “Windows,” the students set out to uncover the personal and commercial histories hidden behind the building facades downtown. This community has always been a place to live and work. Yet the people who were welcomed into it have always been in flux. Race, class, gender and belief systems determined who was included and who was excluded from this unique segment of the Greensboro community.

Along the way, the students invited public input to determine which buildings to feature in their project. They distributed a community survey at First Friday in September and came away with a ranking of the five buildings Greensboro residents most wanted to learn about. Those included, in order, the Carolina Theatre, the Southern Railway Train Depot, the Greensboro Historical Museum, Natty Greene’s and the old Central Fire Department.

In October, the students held a community story-gathering session to record oral history interviews with Greensboro residents. The students also spoke with building and business owners to learn what makes these sites so special and such a vital part of the community today.

These history detectives uncovered clues to Greensboro’s past in city directories, deeds, census records, photographs, fire insurance maps and classified ads, as well as from the structures themselves.

The students invite the public to celebrate with them Dec. 2 as they unveil the panels and website. Pick up a walking tour brochure, talk with them about their research and share your own memories of downtown Greensboro.

Dec. 2 is just the beginning. They hope you will enjoy the walking tour over the next few months as you visit each of the buildings – the iconic as well as the lesser known – and take a stroll down Greensboro’s sidewalks.

This project is made possible by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For more information, email greensboro.memories@gmail.com or visit the project website, http://windowstothepast.wordpress.com.

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