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CSS Neuse gently moves into new Queen Street homeGuy Smith surely was looking down from heaven to see his passionate dream come true Saturday (June 23, 2012) as the Confederate's CSS Neuse ironclad was gently installed in its new home the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center, 100 N. Queen Street in Kinston. The new climate controlled museum, presumably, will be the fourth but final resting place for huge Civil War relic.
Morris Bass, operations manager for Kinston's historic sites, answers questions from bystanders as the first of three sections of the CSS Neuse rolls smoothly into its new home. Clusters of onlookers along Vernon Avenue and Queen Street were amazed at how efficiently the 109 tons of boat, in three peices, rolled from one location to the final stop. In many ways, Smith—who was site manager for the CSS Neuse State Historic Site and Gov. Richard Caswell Memorial—was the heartbeat of a multi-year campaign to move the gunboat from a termporary open air shelter at the Vernon Avenue historic site to a new and enclosed downtown museum. Cancer took his life just a few weeks before the dramatic Saturday morning move. He played a central role with a devoted local advocacy group including former City Planner Tommy Lee and current chair of the group John Marston. Smith was also the pivot man with the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and colleague Keith Hardison, director of the Division of Historic Sites and Properties. Downtown impact of bridge closures and other projects to be reviewed in July 11 town hall meetingPride of Kinston is convening a town hall meeting at 8:00am, July 11 to alert downtown merchants and businesses what to expect when the South Queen bridges over the Neuse River are replaced, a project slated to begin in 2014. The meeting will take place at the Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library at 510 North Queen Street. Officials from the NC Department of Transportation (DOT), the Lenoir County Transportation Committee and other local leaders will lead discussions regarding bridge construction, timing, and concessions which DOT has made to ease the impact that the bridge closures will have on downtown business. Traffic which normally enters and leaves Kinston over the Neuse River South Queen bridges will be diverted to King Street bridge and Hwy. 11/55, connecting with the Hwy. 70 bypass at Skinners By Pass.
Other pending major road projects such as a proposed southern or northern by pass around the city to expedite east-west travel will also be on the agenda, according to Pride director Adrian King. "We hope that every downtown merchant and business will have a representative at this information-gathering session," he said. The North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Lenoir County Transportation Committee are working on several substantial projects which have the potential of affecting downtown's short-term as well as long-term economy, he said. Every one ought to be fully aware what's ahead for our town, he said, and to make plans to continue downtown's growth and vitality. "The time to plan for our future with these big projects looming is now," he added. Downtown Kinston's future contains an oyster bar
He disclosed his updated plans June 21, 2012 when he revealed that Bill Tsao, a member of the team running L.C. Tsao Asian Bistro, formerly the House of Wang on Vernon Avenue, has been tapped to manage an Asian Bistro in the renovated complex when it opens. The large building, once a furniture showroom containing 28,000 square feet on two floors, is located at 212 North Queen with side entrance at 108 West North Street. Entrance to the Asian Bistro will be off North Street. Customers will enter the oyster and burger bar through an alley off the Citizens Public Parking lot, sometimes known as the Peter Darst lot, at the corner of Gordon and Herritage Streets, according to Hill.
The huge renovation project, which earned a $200,000 Main Street Solutions Fund grant in 2011, is being conducted by Hill Realty, Inc. To win the grant, Hill pledged to spend $1.2 million to rehab the building as a new downtown Kinston business destination. Future potential plans include offices for Hill Realty, a spa and perhaps living spaces on the upper floor. Architect for the project is Dunn & Dalton Architects of Kinston. Kinston to host 8th annual Naturalization and
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Downtown Kinston entrepreneur Stephen Hill has amended his plans for renovating the Harvey-Brody building to include a second restaurant—an Alley Oyster Bar also offering gourmet burgers.
Two new businesses have opened in downtown Kinston:
Irie Eat's Cafe -Serving West Indian and American Dishes, 203 East Caswell Street.