As I hinted in my post from earlier this week, today the Raleigh City Council approved moving forward with the purchase of a home that may one day become the Mordecai Historic Park Interpretive Center. The plans were announced during the council’s Budget and Economic Development real estate report.
The plan is for the city to renovate the home of the late Arthur Danielson, who lived at the corner of Wake Forest Road and Cedar Street up until his death in April of 2011. The home dates from 1913, provides almost 5,000 square feet, fronts Wake Forest Road, and is directly adjacent to the park.
As a longtime residence, however, it does not meet code for commercial use. Rooms will have to be remodeled, sprinklers installed, extra egress added, plumbing upgraded, and asbestos and lead paint removed. It also pushes the budget a bit higher than the previous options, though the available square footage is greater than the previous options.
A public hearing regarding the building will take place Thursday, February 2nd at 7 PM at the St. Marks Chapel. I have high hopes this finally leads to the Interpretive Center that Mordecai Historic Park has desperately needed for decades!