Kinston

[Nindec]

Kinston was mentioned in another post recently, and I thought I'd do a full spread on it. It gets pretty bad press a lot of times, but there are a number of good things going on downtown. It is pretty run down, but there are some nice spots already and with a little more investment and good luck, I think it could be extremely nice.

I'll start with some of the projects already completed or underway downtown.

The bright red building (second building from the left) is a small business incubator completed about 2-3 years ago:

This factory/warehouse was converted into retail and apartments within the last year. There's a drugstore and a grocery store within a 2 block radius:

This old building was converted into the community arts center in the early 90s:

This gem of a building is going to be converted into a civil war museum featuring (among other things) the remains of the CSS Neuse civil war ironclad:

This is a replica of the civil war ironclad. I think when its finished you'll be able to go inside for tours.

The future sight of "the farmer and the chef", a restaurant which will feature a seasonal menu supplied by local farmers:

This strip of shops has had a lot of investment over the past few years. The building behind me is being converted into a cafe:

A little farther down the same street. The building with the wreaths is one of downtown's 3 independent hardware stores. The upstairs of the purple awning building is a tea room:

Even farther, where everyone buys their seafood:

Some nice buildings. The one on the left was being converted into apartments and retail a few years ago, but they stopped mid way through. I don't know why.

The downtown drug store:

our skyscraper! and the methodist church:

Anyone want to renovate an old theater?

The downtown department store, H. Stadiums. Has been in the Stadium family since 1902:

The Disciples of Christ church:

Some law offices:

And to close, a hot piece of real estate. 822 square feet, historic building, street front. only $43,000, or 450 a month! Thats right! Merely a fourth the cost of the cheapest Charlotte condo you can find! better hurry, I'm sure its going fast...

There are still a Lot of building which are vacant or delapidated. But on the whole, there's a lot of potential, and some nice stuff going on already. Its much nicer than the Wal-Mart and car lots most people see when taking the 70 bypass. So, don't all come down at once. I'll go ahead and roll out the welcome mat. Bring some jobs with you and they'll give you the keys to the city.

[NCMike1981]

Nice pictures of a place you don't hear about too much! If I'm ever down that way I might have to check Kinston out

[cinco]

nice pictures of kinston. i have never been there but maybe one day i will have tea in the tea house. also, i just found out that jaime pressley from NBC sitcom "my name is earle" is from kinston. she is very funny - and nice to look at.

[DigitalSky]

^that's interesting. does the show take place in NC?

Anyway, these are really nice photos. I've never been there, but have been through there... on the bypass, like you mentioned.

[cinco]

^that's interesting. does the show take place in NC?

Anyway, these are really nice photos. I've never been there, but have been through there... on the bypass, like you mentioned.

cantnot, i don't think the show takes place in nc. i read an interview with jaime pressley and she was talking about the accent she uses. she said it was her root accent (nc) mixed with a little georgia and some spunkiness of texan women shes heard. whatever the inspiration - its funny as hell. her character is the reason i watch the show.

[Lithuania]

Great shots...like many downtowns, Kinston's has been hurt by big-box retail. Hopefully there will be a resurgence in downtown development. I also think that Greenville's growth has hurt retail in Kinston. People drive up to Greenville to do their shopping on weekends.

[CSP]

Nice Kinston Photos!

[orulz]

Interesting to see these photos. I'm rather impressed. From this portrayal, it looks like downtown Kinston is on a bit of an upswing, as opposed to some smaller downtowns that are still on the decline. I wonder what sort of merchandise H. Stadiem's carries? There aren't a whole lot of small-town department stores left. Hopefully it can hold out for a better day if/when downtown Kinston becomes more active again.

Seems to me like $43,000 for that building could be a pretty good long-term investment, assuming it is at least structurally sound, if not up to code.

This photo thread stands in stark contrast to the comments made in the Global TransPark Thread, where some people went so far as to call Kinston an abject dump. I'm not quite sure what to believe?

[krazeeboi]

Nice church architecture. The town looks like it has some real potential.

[Lithuania]

Kinston does have some seriously run down areas. I guess the recent economy hasn't been very kind to the area, causing a some people to lose their civic pride. I know some people who live there now, and they never really have that much nice to say about the area. When I ask why, they just say "it's Kinston."

Anyway, as the photos show, it's really not that bad. Sure wish that Global Transpark was doing something, though.

[tombarnes]

The high-rise building pictured above was once the Hotel Kinston. What is it now? I hope it's in good repair.

[Nindec]

This photo thread stands in stark contrast to the comments made in the Global TransPark Thread, where some people went so far as to call Kinston an abject dump. I'm not quite sure what to believe?

Kinston is a "dump" in a lot of ways, I guess. Many downtown buildings critically need repairs and most historic residential districts are very neglected, but it has kept a lot of its personal funk, independence, and identity. But this "dumpiness" also means it has avoided the "progress" that has turned neighboring cities like Greenville into the sprawling, mostly soulless cities they are today. Hopefully when the economy gets going city leaders will have learned from the mistakes of their neighbors.

I would say downtown is in a gradual trend for the better. It