History & Background

Photo credit: https://www.planning.org

Lexington Avenue named one of great places in America

From Lexington Avenue’s history and revitalization to its current state of risk with substation plans, this is your source to get you up to speed. We’ve curated a collection of articles sharing the rich history of Lexington Avenue and the current threat from the City of Asheville and Duke Energy’s discussions on new substation plans targeted for urban tree canopy and public parking at 57 Rankin. These links will open in a separate browser tab so you can stay connected to FriendsofLexingtonAvenue.com.

Stories of Lexington Avenue

Asheville Just 'Happened' to Develop a Nice Downtown—or Did It?

Public Interest Projects, Inc.’s J. Patrick Whalen’s letter to The Atlantic writer James Fallows sets the record straight on Asheville’s renaissance, based on the legend and the reality of Asheville.

American Planning Association’s Great Places in America: Streets feature on Lexington Avenue

At the heart of Asheville, North Carolina’s downtown, Lexington Avenue serves as a creative corridor, something of a distilled version of the city itself.

Looking back in time at Lexington Ave. in Asheville, NC

Ever since we heard about Water Street (68 N. Lexington Ave.) — the new eatery helmed by Rosetta’s Kitchen’s Rosetta Buan — we haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Yes, it’s guaranteed to be delicious, but even more intriguing to us is the revelation that Lexington Ave. used to be known as Water Street, and carries its own unique Asheville legacy.

The Family Store: A History Of Jewish Businesses In Downtown Asheville, 1880 –1990

History at Hand recounts a history of Jewish businesses in downtown Asheville from 1888-1990

Visiting Our Past: Downtown Asheville’s glory springs from the late 1970s

Rob Neufeld’s Visiting our Past column in the Citizen Times, looks at 1970s Lexington and how the area was saved from a mall by a competing vision from Landscape Architect John Lantzius to “create a pleasant Asheville atmosphere.”

National Register of Historic Places Nomination

Dig into the National Register of Historic Places Inventory’s nomination form for the Downtown Asheville Historic District from the 1978 and check out Lexington Avenue’s entries on pages 15-18.

Lexington Life Column

“Lexington Life Column” is a public art project dedicated to creating a new landmark, a unique monument to the Asheville community, showing visitors how preservation and revitalization of old buildings can create a wonderful new environment for independent establishments.

Sculpture chosen for Lexington Avenue public art installation

A thriving downtown Asheville street will become even more vibrant this year with the installation of a new piece of public art on Lexington Avenue.

Installation ceremony for Lexington Avenue sculpture set for Sept. 6

At last it’s here! The City of Asheville is pleased to announce an installation ceremony for the Lexington Avenue Art Project.

City's volunteer-led Urban Forestry Commission and volunteer-led GreenWorks Tree Protection Task Force lead the charge

Read how Asheville GreenWorks Executive Director Dawn Chavez and her colleagues on the City’s volunteer-led Urban Forestry Commission and volunteer-led GreenWorks Tree Protection Task Force led the charge to win first approval for, and then funding for an urban forester position within Asheville City government.

The cost of doing nothing

Unfortunately, city trees just don’t grow and take care of themselves, and growing trees in cities is difficult because of a broad range of urban conditions and human influences. A healthy urban forest requires an investment. The return on that investment is measured as “ecosystem services”. Learn more about the investment needed for a healthy urban forest.

A call for urban forestry management

What does an urban forester do? The Asheville Urban Forestry Commission (AUFC), Asheville GreenWorks, and the Tree Protection Task Force have stirred up a lot of community interest in recent months about the need for the City to hire a professional urban forester and develop an urban forest master plan. Why is there such interest in urban forestry management in Asheville? Here’s what you need to know.

Duke Energy Downtown Electrical Substation

Info from the City of Asheville on Duke Energy Electrical Substation

Rankin Avenue Reliability Project

Duke Energy’s Rankin Avenue Project Website