It was 1985. Ruth Ava Lyons and Paul Sires were looking, searching for a work space. They had each completed a prestigious residency in Omaha that year and were producing work at prolific rates. Sires worked at Spirit Square, so the duo narrowed their Charlotte real estate options to two or three locations. They needed lots of space on a miniscule budget. All the buildings on their short list were rather derelict, but Sires describes their final choice—the Lowder Building—as a “flagship of disaster.” The leaky roof dictated their use of the space. As soon as they’d get a section dry, they’d move Paul’s studio to expand display space and create studio space for other artists. This is how the now renowned Center of the Earth Gallery began, not as an art gallery at all, but as a vision of community that two people had.
X Marks the Spot - History of Gold Mining in Uptown Charlotte
Written by Scott Lindsley
What if someone told you that you were sitting on a gold mine? Most of us would likely think we were somehow not aware of some extra value in our property or business. At least that’s how the expression is intended and usually used. But many of the urban areas of Charlotte could give a more literal meaning to the old saying. Bank of America Corporate Center, the 50-yard line of Bank of America Stadium, parts of the Wilmore neighborhood, and the new Beazer project along Morehead are all sitting on that proverbial gold mine. Summit Avenue, where it winds from Tryon Street to I-277, even used to be named Gold Street.
SAUL IS PACING BACK AND FORTH IN THE KITCHEN of the apartment he’s subletting in St. Peter’s. Looking through the window across Sixth Street he can see a small park where a young man and woman are sitting on a bench, holding hands and talking. That could be me and Clarice if I wasn’t such a fuck-up.
Food - Enlightenment for the Wine Novice in 5 Easy Steps
Written by Merrit West
“I love it when you can take a sip of a wine and get personality out of it,” Emily Peterson told me. “It happened last night. I was at a tasting for Fiddlehead Cellars and the wine was a Sauvignon Blanc: Gooseberry. It was fun and lively and popped around in your mouth. Drinking that wine was like having a sip of the winemaker. My favorite wines are wines that tell a story.”
