New Tavern: Belmont, North Carolina

Next In the LaVecchia Family’s Collection of Restaurants
Opening Gala a Neighborhood Hit!

Saturday, August 7—A tavern can be best described as a place, convivial and friendly, short on attitude and long on comfort.  The designers placed great emphasis on making it a lively space with an animated atmosphere.  JAX has a deliberately unassuming exterior.   It may be hard to find, but once it is discovered, it will draw you in.  One guest at the opening described it as “the happiest place in Belmont.”

New Restaurant Design Delights, Inspires and Entertains

Wagner Murray Architects Creates Features and Focal Points to Enhance Triangular Building Plan

Being playful and being whimsical aids the creative process.  It allows non-programmed opportunities to emerge.  Being tuned to the specific design needs of the project can be a springboard to serendipity, the faculty of making discoveries by accident.

Michael LaVecchia and his partner, Chad Hollingsworth, along with Dawn LaVecchia and Tim Groody have established a landmark/ destination in Davidson, North Carolina.  A unique, triangular shaped plan, the name of the restaurant recalls the famous design of the Flatiron Building in lower Manhattan.

The designers saw an opportunity to take this plan and create a restaurant that enhances its unique geometric shape.  An octagonal shaped bar creates the focal point as the customer enters on the apex of the triangle.  In the center of the bar, a 25 tap copper, stainless and glass beer tower creates a significant special effect to the design of the restaurant.  The entry/reception contains a custom-designed, fabricated and assembled lighting fixture by the architect’s design team.  Three hundred and sixty faceted triangular shapes create a stunning visual effect with this illuminated feature.  Architect/artist David Wagner provided all of the original drawings for the restaurant which were inspired by Tim Groody’s inventive menu.  Each sketch depicts a specific serving of food captioned to the menu.  The new restaurant seats 135 patrons.

Copper, glass, stainless steel Beer Tower adds whimsy and interest to the octagonal centerpiece bar.

Multi-faceted Flatiron chandelier provides a unique lighting effect in the entry/reception area.

Original artwork by David Wagner adorns the walls.

Floor plan showing the organization and layout of the Flatiron Restaurant.

Architects turn their hands to art pieces

At summer gallery exhibit, they get to show a different side of their creativity.

By Richard Maschal
Special to the Observer
Posted: Thursday, Jul. 08, 2010

Much of the talk at the opening of "Art by Architects" focused on two simple questions. "Got any work?" "What are you doing with your time?"

The response from 31 architects slowed by the Great Recession was, "I've been making art." The results fill the walls at Hodges Taylor Gallery uptown, a good summer show (nourishing, but not heavy) that is worth your time.

Gallery owner and art sparkplug Christie Taylor and the American Institute of Architects invited architects to exhibit, and the response included a variety of work - paintings, prints, sculpture, photographs, drawings and crafts.

...

In "Bruno," an oil pastel drawing, David Wagner distorts proportion - a huge arm over a massive head.

Article link

Additional portraits by Dave Wagner

LaVecchia’s Steak and Seafood, an uptown restaurant, 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 new location will not support the extensive gallery of sculptures so, one of the largest sculptures, a centerpiece in the restaurant, will become LaVecchia’s new exterior sign.  This nine foot long fish will be tethered to a large curved steel tube, simulating a trophy fish catch on a bent fishing rod.  The sculpture will serve a dual purpose:  cables from the street structure will also support a canvas awning leading to the restaurant entrance.  The double-sided neon sign will be visible up and down 5th Street.

LaVecchias Signage Concept

In addition to designing the restaurant with Wagner Murray Architects, themed with natural stone, reclaimed brick and timber, WMA principal, David Wagner, will be commissioned by the City of Kings Mountain to paint a Revolutionary War mural depicting the Battle of Kings Mountain. Kings Mountain has actively nurtured its historical ties to this pivotal revolutionary battle which turned the tide for the Patriots and ultimately led to the defeat of Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781. The mural will be approximately 30’ long and grace the Old Stone bar, aptly titled, “The Battleground Bar.” The restaurant is expected to open late summer 2010.

Old Stone Steak House - Kings Mountain - Concept

Old Stone Steak House - Kings Mountain - Floor Plan Concept

Old Stone Steak House - Kings Mountain - Bar Concept

Pisces Sushi Bar & Lounge opened April 7 in The Metropolitan, a new mixed use development near downtown Charlotte. The 2,900 SF design consists of a number of visually derived elements. Sourced from the symbols and images of Eastern calligraphy and the colorful palette of food, the space provides a visually exciting template for this dynamic new restaurant.  The washed rock wall and bar tops resemble the natural and created forms of oriental design.

Pisces Sushi Bar & Lounge

New campus promenade to provide strong visual connection linking the UNCG campus with the Glenwood residential community

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro has engaged Wagner Murray Architects to develop a new university gateway connector to link the main campus with the W. Lee Street corridor, which defines the south perimeter of the campus.  The connector includes a 140’ pedestrian tunnel under the existing Norfolk Southern right-of-way.

The design encompasses and develops a number of the campus master planning guidelines for pedestrian and student walkways and open space connections for the campus.  A strong, formal expression of direction highlights the design, which includes internally illuminated pylons defining the southern and northern entries.  These pylons will be powered by site installed photovoltaics expressed as an integral part of the visual design of the gateway connector.  Additionally, the architects are suggesting the integration of public art pieces at each entrance to the connector.  These proposals include mosaic installations, murals and a dramatic clock tower using digital LED technology.

The project is intended to reinforce the desire of the campus to create a Forest Street promenade to the Elliott Student Center, as well as formal connection to the Glenwood neighborhood on the south edge of the campus.  Additionally, an urban open space is contemplated for future development linking this gateway entrance to the campus expansion along the W. Lee Street corridor.

Plan showing tunnel and walkways.

Gateway Connector at West Lee Steet entrance.

Nightview Gateway Connector at West Lee Steet entrance.

Gateway Connector at Forest Street entrance.

Nightview Gateway Connector at Forest Street entrance.

Signature Park at Lee Street Entrance.

View Larger Map

Link:
http://www.architectureweek.com/2010/0217/index.html

"CHARLOTTE, NC---Mark Moses, owner and general manager of Indian Motorcycle Charlotte of Lowell, North Carolina has announced that the dealership was awarded the prestigious  "TOP 100 DEALER" designation by the Dealernews magazine, the leading publication in the powersport industry. The award was presented on February 12 at a special VIP reception at the International Powersports Dealer Expo in Indianapolis.

In addition, Indian Motorcycle Charlotte won the "BEST EXTERIOR DESIGN" award for the stunning architecture of the dealership, located along I-85 at Exit 22, just a few minutes west of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

The awards and recognition are even more impressive when you consider that nearly 10,000 powersports dealers in the U.S. and Canada were eligible for the competition.
The Charlotte area dealership was the very first Indian dealer in the country, opening in October 2008 and has been the sales leader ever since."

-Mark Moses, Indian Motorcycle
Press Release: February 15, 2010

Best Exterior Award.

Indian Motorcycle: Lowell, NC

Link to Indian Motorcycle's Dealer Website:

http://www.indianmotorcyclecharlotte.com/