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

American Roadside Burgers, a Smithtown, New York operation, has been expanded by Rich LaVecchia opening its first series of stores in Charlotte and elsewhere in the near future. American Roadside brings back the quintessential American burger experience. The concept incorporates fresh ground meat and natural ingredients in an atmosphere reminiscent of the classic American diners and roadside joints of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. The décor intimates our nostalgic connection to driving and the American roadside dining experience.

The menu and the design say it all. The alluring aroma of hamburgers frying on the grill, the sweet-salty taste of fries, the cool lure of a frosty shake, all of this with impeccable service at a great price. Wagner Murray Architects was pegged to come up with a marketable and memorable décor and graphic design package. Natural aged American barn wood, patina metal panels and a host of interesting, informative and whimsical graphics all come together making this an unforgettable and delicious experience.

Map of Burger America: Did you know the hamburger in America has a long and notable history. This map says it all.

American Roadside Burgers Map

This photo collage illustrates all of the quirky, colorful and out-right funky history of the American roadside burger joints.

American Roadside Burgers Photos

American Roadside Burgers Interior

American Roadside Burgers Interior

American Roadside Burgers Exterior

When was the last time you saw an old fashioned dial face clock? Each of the ARB stores will have a post mounted exterior illuminated clock reminding you it is time to stop, have a burger, fries and a thick cool shake.

American Roadside Burgers Clock

We hope your meal was lots of fun!

American Roadside Burgers Sign

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

Battleground Bar - Exterior

Nick LaVecchia continues to look for opportunities outside the teaming center of Charlotte. Having established himself as one of Charlotte’s outstanding independent restaurateurs, Nick has recently opened new restaurant concepts in Belmont, Gastonia and now, Kings Mountain. Kings Mountain is steeped in Revolutionary War history. It was the turning point of the Revolutionary War when the Battle of Kings Mountain forced the British to retreat to the east coast, ultimately ending with the battle and surrender at Yorktown

Keying off this important historical point, Wagner Murray designed a restaurant that respects the tradition of Kings Mountain Main Street, while at the same time enlivening a space with historical artifacts, images and an interior of rough sawn cedar, local to the environs as an appropriately rustic decor

Battleground Bar - Dining Room

Battleground Bar - Bar

“Kings Mountain, as all small towns outside of Charlotte, are always on the verge of prosperity. These downtowns, though many have succumbed to suburban progress, have attempted to maintain their identity. Focusing on this context, we created a storefront and a destination for the community and Main Street.”

The space is adorned with typical Wagner Murray touches, including historical sketches of the key figures in the Kings Mountain battles created by Dave Wagner, principal with the firm. Also above the bar, 21 long rifles stand at attention to the prescribed military gesture, a greeting to the patrons of the bar, as well as a salute to honor the community and its military past

Battleground Bar - Portraits

From time to time, buildings can emerge as another art, and well executed, they can achieve a fresh significance due to a different standard applied. In this case, the aerospace industry. The undulating curve whimsically outlines the jet’s profile, objectifying the shape and adding a nighttime vitality of light, shape and movement. Thus, the image exploits the planer surface of the building to achieve a heightened uplifting affect.

Day Rendering

Night Rendering

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: