The Future of the Museum Park and the Blue Ridge Corridor

The Blue Ridge Corridor is the three-mile area running the length of Blue Ridge Road from Western Boulevard to Edwards Mill Road. It’s home to countless Raleigh icons like the PNC Arena, Carter-Finley Stadium, the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, and, of course, the North Carolina Museum of Art. For years this area has continued to grow and expand. Since the Museum’s construction and opening on Blue Ridge in 1983, the area has changed significantly. Museum Director Valerie Hillings recalls visits here years ago. Valerie Hillings: “I started coming to the Museum in the late 1980s … and there was really nothing around here. So … what’s great for the Museum is it’s no longer on an island.” Karlie Marlowe, a member of the NCMA team, sees the Museum as part of a cultivated community along the Blue Ridge Corridor. Karlie Marlowe: “That corridor has grown and changed a lot in the last few years … here at the Museum, we’re part of an ecosystem of art, entertainment, and healthcare.” The NCMA’s campus houses art collections known as the People’s Collection and gives visitors a pleasant mix of art, nature, and rich Raleigh history. Karlie Marlowe: “We’ve really thought about how we plug into this sort of west Raleigh bubble. The NCMA is near the state fairgrounds, which hosts the annual state fair. Carter Finley Stadium, North Carolina State University’s football stadium, and PNC Arena are right down the road. So a lot of concerts, a lot of sporting events … a lot of places that bring a lot of people from across the state.” Valerie Hillings: “Raleigh is a city, but Raleigh isn’t so much of an urban city. It’s not a live-on-the-streets, hit the concrete. And that’s an advantage of living in Raleigh, but also an advantage for the Museum that you can go from something that’s very populous ... to having a view onto nature and being in it and relaxing in a way that you wouldn’t find in many cities.” Karlie Marlowe: “We want to make sure that if someone is coming for a concert at PNC Arena or the state fair every October, or even is visiting the hospital down the road and just needs something to do while a loved one is in the hospital. We want to think about how we can work with those other organizations to create sort of a suite of experiences.” Valerie Hillings: “And I think we want to continue to improve the ability for people to get here … to make it easy once they get here. I think that it’s a place where, luckily, you often can drive right on in and find your way.” Karlie Marlowe: “Part of making connections to our immediate community and the greater Raleigh and Triangle community is public transportation … In the last few years, we were fortunate to work with the City of Raleigh to add bus stops to the route so you can get off the bus right at our main entrance. We have also worked with their bike share program. And I believe we were one of the most requested stops for adding that when it came to Raleigh a few years back. So you can now access the Museum ... by bus or bike.” Accessibility for all has been a core value since the Park’s creation in 1999. The Museum Park trails were developed in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the City of Raleigh. The paved trails connect the Museum to the Capital Area Greenway System. A 750-foot pedestrian bridge connects the Park to Meredith College and the House Creek Greenway. Valerie Hillings: “Creating further accessibility in the Park involves redeploying some of the trails so that it pushes people in here so that when they’re out riding their bike across the greenway, they really think about, well, I could just drop by and have a moment enjoying the Park. So we’re really thinking about the opportunities for us to be a place of pause and respite, and also a place of discovery.” And the Museum team is dedicated to keeping this an escape from the city, even as big things are on the horizon. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is relocating their offices to the Blue Ridge Corridor. Karlie Marlowe: “We’re excited about the future where right across the street there will be new growth in retail, restaurants, office space, and even people living across the street so that they could wake up and bring their coffee ... and enjoy a sunrise in the Museum Park.” Approximately 2,500 DHHS employees will be moving from Dorothea Dix Park to a new facility across the street from the Museum. Will Johnson has been a key player in this project. Will Johnson: “We did a tremendous amount of research on … the goals and the vision and the values of the Blue Ridge Corridor.” Johnson says they looked at the quality of life, health, joy, and service to the community when selecting an area that fits in with the values of the DHHS. Will Johnson: “Blue Ridge Corridor has those, and they’ve got 10, 15, I think, 17 years now … of planning and thinking about the future of this area.” And the Museum plays an integral part in that planning. Will Johnson: “So we’ve extended our thought of quality and community in our 34 acres of development with the Museum. Now, there’s a four-lane road in between us, but that’s just a line on the map as far as we’re concerned.” As the world encounters more urbanization, people will continue to turn to nature for peace and tranquility. And the Blue Ridge Corridor Alliance works to coordinate public and private investments in the area to create a friendly and vibrant destination. Valerie Hillings: “The more we create amenities where they could just pop by and have a cup of coffee and then enjoy looking at art, this would increase our opportunity to serve the community, to welcome people.” Karlie Marlowe: “I think the North Carolina Museum of Art and in particular, its Park, really provides that space for Raleigh residents, Triangle residents, and really North Carolinians everywhere to know that this space is one that they can enjoy a bike ride in. They can enjoy a walk with their children. They can enjoy a concert or movie out in the Park. It’s really such a treasure for North Carolina.” The Museum Park continues to be an escape and refuge for every North Carolina resident. As the Blue Ridge Corridor grows, so will the Museum’s commitment to serving those visiting from both near and far.