Downtown Institutions

Hello everyone,

In the class of Thursday, October 22 we visited downtown Greensboro for the second time, this time to look at downtown institutions. In this post I will discuss five institutions: the Center City Park, the Cultural Center, the Central Library, the Greensboro Historical Museum, and the former public library.

The Center City Park
There used to be buildings at the place where the Center City Park is located now. It is a peaceful place in the center of downtown. It looks like a place to relax, especially for busy business men. The park is two years old now and it is actually privately owned, but it is donated to the city. In my opinion, water is the theme of the park, because there are a lot of fountains. The open space for the park is problably saved to have a green place downtown and to have a quiet space to rest.




The Cultural Center
In the Cultural Center of Greensboro you can enjoy performances and look at the different art styles that are exposed in the several galleries. It seems like a nice place; you can visit it whenever you want.

The Central Library
The Central Library is a new library. The central library used to be the building in which the Elon Law School is located now. I will talk about that later. I think they moved it, because there was a lack of space or they wanted to organize the library differently. I think the dome on the second floor (see picture) is very important for the library. I had the feeling that it represents something, as if learning and being educated leads to a path of light. The circle shape of it reminded me of the Elliot University Center, in which circles also play a significant role. I guess these cricles has something to do with education.




The Greensboro Historical Museum
I heard that the Greensboro Historical Museum used to be a civic auditorium and a library in between. I guess this had been an important place in the center of Greensboro and that they therefore made a museum of it. Also, in my opinion it is important for the people who live in Greensboro to know the history of the city. Then they can determine where to make the necessary changes and they learn what places are or were of great value to the city of Greensboro. The museum is impressive when you are walking inside. It is very quiet and everything looks old. It is nice to see a classroom from a century ago and the old telephone system (see pictures). I really had the feeling: "Is this really what Greensboro looked like before? That is so different." Actually it is hard to imagine.

The former public library

As I mentioned earlier in this post, the Law School of Elon University used to be the public library. This building is located more in the center of downtown Greensboro and it looks like a bank or insurance building (like many other downtown) rather than a library or what it is used for now: an educational institution. I make this statement not only because its external appearance, but also because there are fewer decorations inside than in the current library. Another difference between the former and the current Central Library is the space. The former library looks a lot smaller. Probably that is one of the reasons why it is replaced.