Hey architecture lovers—the Libraries has a walking tour and VR exhibit for you!

Since its founding in 1948, the College of Design has boasted a faculty of world-class architects who brought Modernist and Bauhaus principles to NC State—and to Raleigh neighborhoods, too.

The NC State University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) is proud to house a wealth of materials related to these architects, including drawings, models, correspondence, and more. The SCRC loves to work with these materials with researchers, and also encourages architecture fans to get out in the fresh air to see the actual buildings that these materials refer to. So they developed a walking tour of Raleigh buildings near campus, and now have a multimedia virtual reality exhibit too.

The SCRC’s Mid-Century Architecture walking tour concentrates on the work of architects connected to NC State’s College of Design, and was developed by former Library Associate Phillip MacDonald. The tour is a pleasant, 7.8-mile walk (or drive!) that winds through Raleigh neighborhoods north of Main Campus and includes residences and commercial buildings designed by Matthew Nowicki, George Matsumoto, Eduardo Catalano, Brian Shawcroft, and George Milton Small. Pull up this Special Collections Research Center blogpost for information about each building on the tour.

In addition to the walking tour, the SCRC has collaborated with the Libraries’ Learning Spaces & Services department on Modern Raleigh: An Architecture Exhibit--a VR exhibit that spotlights some of the buildings on the tour and provides a wealth of multimedia content about the architects themselves. You’ll see video interviews with such luminaries as Phil Freelon, read biographies of architects, and see some of the great collections at the SCRC—all on your laptop screen. Enter the VR space, and use your keyboard to navigate the rooms of the exhibit. MacDonald worked with University Library Technician Colin Keenan to produce the VR exhibit.

Join the Libraries and the College of Design for a “Virtual Exhibit Tour and Panel Discussion” on Wednesday, May 18, from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. In this online program, we’ll tour the VR exhibit and explore how architecture graduates from the College of Design have helped define a half-century of Raleigh architecture. Registration is required here.

Whether you want to pull on your shoes or nestle into the couch, the Libraries offers up all the architecture you want!