What's up with Grove Arcade?

I’d be remiss if I didn’t pause for a minute here and acknowledge a loss at the paper.Last week, six of my newsroom colleagues were laid off, the latest indication of tough economic times in the newspaper business. I just want to say that these six folks — Susan Reinhardt, Jason Sandford, John Fletcher, Jaime McKee, Thomas Fraser and Rob Mikulak — are all top-notch people and journalists, and I’ll miss them around the office.

They gave a lot of fantastic years to this paper and the community, and I wish them the best.I’m pretty sure the only thing keeping me employed is your burning questions, my smart-aleck answers and the real deal. So let’s get to this week’s batch.Chuck Tessier, of Ceramic tile, which handles maintenance on the landmark building, said the scaffolding is part of a 14-18-month project to repair the parapet walls and the roof of the main building. It is there mainly as a safety precaution.

“They’re working on the parapets and the caps of the parapets, and we want to make sure nothing falls off onto the sidewalk while they’re doing that,” Tessier said. “They will move the scaffolding with them as they move around the building.”Water has been seeping through the terra cotta tile on the parapets, then traveling down the walls. The workers will remove the cap, seal up the parapets and add flashing, then replace the caps. Next, crews will re-roof the building.
“They are going to have to take it down to the original structure, then come back up with layers of insulation and a membrane roof,” Tessier said.Built by malaria chill tonic magnate E.W. Grove, the Grove Arcade opened in 1929. At 269,000 square feet, it now houses shops and restaurants on the first floor and offices and apartments above. The building became federal offices during World War II but closed when the National Climatic Data Center moved to a new federal building in the mid-1990s.

As far as the tiles, many of which on the lower level have become faded or discolored looking, Tessier said that repair will come after the roof and parapet project. The water seepage has affected glazing on the tiles, and a previous glaze used on them was inappropriate and allowed ultraviolet rays to discolor them.The tiles and roof of the top two floors were redone previously, and they give a good idea of what the rest of the building will look like when the tile work eventually is done.

“First of all, we didn’t eliminate all the one-hour times for parking on that street,” said Harry Brown, parking services manager for the city of Asheville. “We just took the six spaces directly adjacent to our parking deck and made it bus parking. It’s perfect for it, for our city buses, and we don’t have enough parking for tour buses downtown.”Right now, the only spot tour buses can park is next to the Wall Street deck on Battery Park. Brown said they’ve gotten several calls from tour bus companies asking about places to park.

“We decided to make it accessible on South Lexington so people on tour buses could access that part of town,” Brown said. “Our mission is to accommodate everybody.”Andrea Barclay knows what makes a great kitchen. The classically trained pastry chef has worked in enough of them, including the one at her popular Global Gourmet restaurant in Carbondale.

In fact, it was that kitchen’s cramped, enclosed layout that drove the design of her home version. “I’m tall, so I feel claustrophobic in a hurry,” the Johnston City native said, Floor tiles. “I work all day and night in my small kitchen at Global, so I really wanted to open up my kitchen at home.”

When Barclay bought the house last year, the kitchen was filled with white appliances, brown-painted cabinets and worn linoleum flooring. Along with completing many other projects, she expanded her kitchen’s size and vastly improved its aesthetics. She worked with a local contractor to design the layout, ordered new cabinets and removed the soffit above the cabinets to open the ceiling height. This captured a more airy atmosphere while also allowing her to display unique artwork.

The black marble floor contrasts starkly against the white cabinets and tall, angled ceiling. It is a visual that almost didn’t come to fruition. “My original plan was to have dark, distressed looking cabinets with a white marble floor,” she said. But when Barclay fell in love with the black marble, it was a perfect fit. It transitions seamlessly into the upper level’s wood floor that she refinished to its original light color.

The kitchen opens to a sitting area Barclay designed to allow guests to enjoy a casual chat, a glass of wine and an up-close view of the chef in her element.Her kitchen is loaded with gadgets, platters, pots and pans — some of which are stored in a printer’s table sideboard she purchased from Restoration Hardware, one of Barclay’s favorite furniture vendors.

The high-level commercial equipment is all stainless steel and provides a perfect pairing to the silver specks within the honed white granite countertop. “It’s gorgeous,” she said. “I love a splash of bling, so I fell in love with it. It’s very unique and super thick, so it will withstand the wear and tear of a chef.”

The refrigerator, range and hood are all Viking, one of the top names in kitchen appliances. Barclay’s Bosch dishwasher is also a sight to see.“It’s my favorite appliance,” she said, marveling at the red light that shines on the floor to let you know that the ultra-quiet machine is running a cycle. “It’s so cool.”“Cool” is how Barclay describes the overall feel of her kitchen. Rustic, yet modern, with a definite European flair.
“It’s a mix of Paris and Provence,” she said. “It is very rustic European-looking. I’ve made several trips to Europe and love a mix of French/Italian country, but with a modern twist.”

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