Historically, alleys served a very important purpose. The narrow passageways behind buildings facilitate the delivery and removal of things. They lead to service entrances. They a provide a quick exit. As the weather warms up, alleys have a way of staying cooler longer and providing much needed breezes for the buildings around it. Often they become great public spaces.* Greensboro is not really known for its use of alleys, although with a little intervention by artists, people are starting to take notice. Rainbow Alley, by Gina Franco, starts beside the Biltmore Hotel at West Washington Street and continues behind Scuppernong Books, Jerusalem Market, Deuterman Law, and other businesses. It changes character with the weather. Last week, the shadows cast on a sunny day punctuated the painted stripes. It was as if there were a railroad on the rainbow road.
This alley, and the alley behind Elsewhere Museum in the 600 block of South Elm Street are the two alleys that seem to get the most use in Greensboro. Let's examine our Greensboro alleys and imagine the possibilities. What alleys exist in Greensboro? Google searches only yield links about the Rainbow Alley and bowling alleys! Is there a list? If you want to orient to the location of the photo, find that JP/LFG clock peeking at you.
* Here is a publication for Seattle, WA meant to encourage additional use of alley spaces for the public. Perhaps this initiative is worth considering for Greensboro (#DGSO?).
We have some of these here. This one reminds me of one.
Posted by: William Kendall | Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 09:15 AM