Ribbon Cutting at the State Fair
By Mike Roselli, PE, PLA –
This weekend, the design team here at Underfoot Engineering joined State Fair leadership, project partners, and the artisans of the Village of Yesteryear for a ribbon cutting at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds. The ceremony marked the reopening of the newly renovated Holshouser Building and celebrated 75 years of the Village of Yesteryear at the State Fair.
The team collaborated with Pittsboro-based Hobbs Architects on the project, providing civil engineering site design and landscape architecture.
A Mid-Century Landmark, Ready for Year-Round Use
The round Holshouser Building is one of the most recognizable buildings on the fairgrounds. It has long been home to the Village of Yesteryear, where fairgoers watch artisans spin, weave, carve, and turn pottery by hand.
The renovation had two goals. The first was to modernize the building so it can serve fair and agricultural events year-round. The second was to protect the character that makes it a landmark.
I interviewed Chevon Moore, AIA and principal architect with Hobbs Architects at the ribbon cutting. “We wanted to keep as much of the original character as possible,” said Moore. “We weren’t going to touch the ceiling, and we weren’t going to touch the exterior brick. Anything that touched the exterior brick had to feel like it was part of it.”
The team kept the original shell, the exposed ceiling, and the brick exterior intact. Nearly everything inside was updated, including new windows, restrooms, HVAC systems, and LED fixtures, and Underfoot supported the renovation with new stormwater infrastructure, site improvements, and landscaping on the building grounds.
The Challenges You’ll Never Notice
According to Moore, some of the hardest architectural work on the project is the work visitors will never see.
“This building doesn’t have any hidden areas,” she said. “There are no chases, so everything would be exposed. We had to conceal all of the conduit and find creative ways to do that. And it’s in the round, so there are no straight lines and no 90-degree corners.”
To conceal the conduit, the team designed custom pieces that follow the building’s curves.
Outside, the new stormwater system and landscape plantings frame the building with a palette selected to complement its use at the State Fair and other events throughout the year. That’s because the Holshouser Building is one of those places people across North Carolina have memories of visiting and using for events. Our job was to improve the site without anyone feeling like the functionality or access of the space changed. Everything from the grading to the plant selection was about letting the building serve the Village of Yesteryear for years to come. Being a part of preparing the venue for its next 75 years meant a lot to the team.
75 Years of the Village of Yesteryear
The ceremony also honored the Village’s history. It began at the State Fair with a small group of 13 craftspeople. Over 75 years it has grown into a community of artisans from across North Carolina and neighboring states.
Speakers at the ribbon cutting recognized the building’s design and construction team, including Underfoot Engineering for the improvements to the fairgrounds. Village members were honored for their long tenures, retirements, and contributions across multiple generations of artisan families.
The ribbon for the cutting itself was a piece of history. It was woven on a loom that dates to 1757 and was donated to the Village in the early 1960s. It was held and cut by Village artisans, including a third-generation member of the Village, as a symbol of craft knowledge passed from one generation to the next.
The Village organizers closed the grand opening with a call to bring in new participants, so the Village of Yesteryear can carry on for another 75 years.
—
Mike Roselli, PE, PLA serves as Vice President of Underfoot Engineering and serves the community on the Town of Cary Planning and Zoning Board. Want your next development to succeed by design? Let’s connect.