Wells Fargo Museum now open!

Wells Fargo has opened its branch history museum in Charlotte, NC. The museum is located in the Three Wells Fargo building. Visit their website for more details and to book a tour.

Wells Fargo Museum:

www.wellsfargohistory.com/museums/museum_charlotte.html

American Roadside Burgers exterior

Wagner Murray Architects is proud to announce American Roadside Burgers (ARB) has opened its newest location at 440 S Chruch St. in downtown Charlotte, NC. Be sure to stop by and try one of their delicious burgers and if you're brave enough we recommend The Roadstar®! ARB plans to open a second Charlotte location in early spring 2012 in the South Park area. Please visit their website for more details.

American Roadside Burgers website:
http://americanroadside.com/

Wells Fargo Museum Exterior

Wagner Murray Architects has been retained by Wells Fargo to design and develop the new Wells Fargo History Museum in downtown Charlotte.  The 7,000 SF space was last used as a banking lobby.  Wells Fargo chose this location to provide an addition to the already vibrant cultural center (Levine Cultural Campus) on S. Tryon Street.  Wagner Murray is providing design guidance to modify the exterior, making it more street-friendly, visible and well integrated with the cultural campus.  The interior layout will feature interactive exhibits, as well as a theater and retail component.  The center is scheduled to open in September 2010.  This facility is seeking a LEED Silver certification.

Wells Fargo Museum Interior

Wells Fargo Museum Interior

Wells Fargo Museum Interior

Wells Fargo Museum Layout

Hickory Grove Library

The Hickory Grove Branch Public Library, designed by Wagner Murray Architects, has just received LEED certification. The building was recognized for its sustainable use of interior and exterior materials, as well as its efficient mechanical system and day lighting components that contribute to a significant energy reduction of the facility. Other features include rainwater collected from the roof which serves the Children’s Garden adjacent to the children’s reading area within the building. The building has been enthusiastically received by the community and the Library staff.

Hickory Grove Library Interior

When patrons enter Nick’s new downtown Gastonia restaurant, they are in for a surprise - especially, if they remember its heyday as Gastonia’s only balconied downtown theater. Many of the interior historic features are intact, such as the floral molded screen surround, the tiered balcony and the original staircases leading to the upper levels of the building. During construction, the design team discovered a structural feature that they felt was better exposed than concealed. The “bridge like” riveted steel structure that holds the balcony aloft is now completely revealed, giving patrons at the four-sided bar beneath a full view of the imposing framework. A great barrel-vaulted ceiling now secures this space retaining its grandeur and height while providing an architectural feature that delivers a spacious volume with an energetic and vigorous appeal. The feel is all excitement, all energy including a new high definition 16’ wide theater screen. Sunday afternoon football fans will no longer be sitting in their living rooms in Gastonia. They’ll be at Nick’s Steak and Taphouse.

The new pedestrian underpass project for UNC Greensboro’s South Campus will soon be released for bids. The plaza and pedestrian tunnel (under the active Norfolk and Southern right-of-way) will provide access for the planned expansion of the campus south of the Lee Street corridor.

Included in the project will be a 140’ long by 20’ wide mosaic tile mural covering the vaulted surface of the tunnel. Three pending concepts, from literal to abstract, all by Wagner Murray’s design team, will be considered. Additionally, the vault will be illuminated by a continuous color changing LED display. The lighting will enhance the mosaic image and brighten and enliven the pedestrian experience.

UNCG Tunnel Mosaic Concept

“Mosaic is an ancient art, precious and distant, it is splendid in its regal and elegant display. Mosaics capture a more poetic and affectionate dimension. They create an almost tactile message of accommodation and agreeability, in order to present a welcoming environment almost at the edge of dream. For young, for old, for everyone.”
~Alessandro Mendini, Italian mosaic artist

UNCG Tunnel Additional Mosaic Concepts

A Charlotte institution, Nick LaVecchia recently relocated his 12-year-old restaurant into new digs. Slightly smaller, but still visually stimulating, the giant metal fish sculptures that graced his former space are now suspended just above reach and project a shimmering, aquatic backdrop within a colorful, vibrant setting.

The space resonates with a friendly yet exotic appeal. A landmark reborn.

“The restaurant had to present a lively dynamic; it is internal to the building, without a view to the street. We had to give the space an intimate, inherent charm, where all the focus is inward,” says design principal Dave Wagner.

Gallery:

LaVecchia’s Steak and Seafood, an uptown institution, is relocating to the Hearst Tower.  Known both for its fine food and fine art, it was hailed as an aquatic wonderland when it first opened in 1998 in the Bank of America Seventh Street parking deck.  The relocation will not support the extensive gallery of sculpture.  Thus, one of the largest sculptures, a centerpiece in the restaurant, is LaVecchia’s new exterior sign.  This nine foot long fish is tethered to a curved steel tube, simulating a trophy fish catch on a bent fishing rod.  The double-sided neon sign will be visible up and down 5th Street.  It's art in service to the street.

1300 Baxter Street, formerly Charlotte Town Center, is being transformed. A mid-century concrete icon, its simple, unadorned façade follows the principles of the contemporary 1960’s aesthetic. With minimal alterations, verticality of the building’s presence is being readdressed, incorporating an entry façade with a projected framework feature along with the addition of roof line louvers. The building takes a dramatic visual turn with the least amount of embellishment.

Existing Building

Restrained – smart and contemporary.

1300 Baxter Exterior Render

The lobby is polished and refined with fine finishes complimenting the building’s aesthetic.

A new skyline view conference room is being incorporated into the second level of the building.

Wagner Murray Architects has re-designed the Lee Street entrance with an enlarged public plaza incorporated into the project, following an urban design study which addresses the recommended connection of the public plaza to an upcoming series of projects on the south side of W. Lee Street, establishing a new university precinct. The project maintains its position as a focal point for the south gateway, emphasizing a vertical symbol of congregation as well as integration into the future campus expansion. The project crystallizes the design intention and confirms “This is the spot” for establishing a new urban pattern along W. Lee Street.

UNCG South Gateway Day

UNCG South Gateway Night