The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame has selected New Atlantic Contracting, Inc. as the general contractor for the transformation of its new permanent home at 311 S. Hamilton Street.
Designed by Freeman Kennett Architects, the 23,500 sq. ft. building is scheduled to open in April 2023. The groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Oct. 15 at 8 a.m.
“New Atlantic, a highly regarded award-winning firm, is overseeing all aspects of construction in the major redesign and renovation of what will become the premier gathering space for the industry,” says Caroline Hipple, president of the Foundation board of directors and president of Norwalk Furniture. “They will work closely with Freeman Kennett to execute their stunning architectural vision.”
The Winston-Salem-based New Atlantic Contracting Inc. was founded in 2002 and is employee-owned. They were the contractors for the Markor and Christopher Guy showroom buildings, and have worked with museum exhibit companies.
“The Building Committee with our architects compiled a list of seven contractors with showroom construction experience in High Point and proceeded to thoroughly vette them through our contacts,” says Larry Rogers, committee chairman. “We spent nearly seven hours speaking with four contractors. Each was asked to show us examples of similar projects, with a focus on their track record to complete projects on time and on budget. We also carefully interviewed the staff members who would work on our project.
“Following the presentation, each contractor was asked to review their fees and to give us final budget numbers,” Rogers continues. “The Committee members ranked each company based on their presentation, previous showroom projects, staff, interest in our project, their responsiveness, and the budget figures. Amazingly, all seven of us were unanimous in the selection of New Atlantic.”
The new Hall of Fame building tells the powerful, evolving story of the home furnishings industry. Glass, steel, concrete, and digital imagery reinterpret elements of masonry buildings that were common to early furniture manufacturing. A clerestory roof, which introduces day lighting and ventilation, looks decidedly current, yet mimics techniques formerly used in American factory construction.
The front entrance includes a glass curtain wall and a structural steel system with a form that emulates a traditional masonry factory building. The most imposing design element is the two-sided Dynamic Story Wall, a digital matrix of interlaced LED screens, which will be visible from the street on one side and throughout the interior on the other.
Other significant features include a Presentation Staircase, a large Celebration Hall, a boardroom with operable glass walls, a full-service hospitality kitchen, a state-of-the-art theater, and a coffee and cocktail bar. Three lower-level and four upper-level museum-quality gallery spaces provide flexible opportunities for exhibits. A Discovery Center, a Library, and History Center will include dedicated research and storage areas with specialized climate control systems for valuable documents and artifacts.
Located on South Hamilton between Green and Russell streets, the building formerly was the showroom for Flair Enterprises. It is located just one block from the International Home Furnishings Center in the heart of the High Point Market.
Capital campaign donors include: The Wanek family and Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc.; Bill and Carolyn Hinks, Furniture Mart USA; Surya; Furniture of America; International Market Centers; Lacquer Craft USA; Manwah Holdings; Neil and Robin Goldberg, Raymour & Flanigan Furniture; Rooms to Go; Karen McNeill and Stephen Pond; The Broyhill Family Foundation; Bill and Candy Fenn; Roger and Martha Bland; Michael Amini , AICO; Keith Koenig, City Furniture; Chad Spencer, Dufresne Spencer Group; Hooker Furnishings Corporation; Amini Audi, L. & J.G. Stickley; Palecek; Bill and Julia Wittenberg; Schwarz Properties; Jake Jabs, American Furniture Warehouse; Bernhardt Furniture Company; Hassell Franklin, Franklin Corporation; Patrick Cory, Joseph Cory Holdings, LLC; Markor International Furniture; Nebraska Furniture Mart; Nourison Industries; Furniture First; The BB&T Foundation; the DRIVE Foundation; Mickey Holliman, Five Star; The Furniture Foundation; David Gebhart and Frederick Rayner, Global Views; Havertys Furniture Companies; Skipper Holliman, Jr., HomeStretch; Jofran, Inc.; Amir Loloi, Loloi Rugs; Phillips Collection; Planned Furniture Promotions; Martin and Mary Ann Ploy; Prestige Arts/Art Trends; Jeff Child, R.C. Willey Home Furnishings; RHF Companies; John Bray, Vanguard Furniture Company, Inc.; Lyle Harris, Behold Home; Lawrence Rogers; J. Don Coleman, Coleman Consulting LLC; Bruce and Kena Cohenour; Andrew Bernstein, FurnitureDealer.Net; Bill and Sue Kimbrell; Norwalk Furniture; Jim Sneed, Affordable Furniture; Bobby Bush; Randy Coconis, Coconis Furniture; Russell Bienenstock, Furniture World; Julius M. Feinblum Real Estate, Inc.; The Ina Mae Kaplan Historic Preservation Fund; Don Belgrad; Jerry Epperson; Gill Bro’s Furniture; Infinger Furniture; Michael Alan Furnishings; New Atlantic Construction; Slone Bro’s Furniture; Will Somers; Stegar’s Furniture; Suburban Furniture; Imogene Zimmerman and Guardian Protection Products.