Goldsboro in Wayne County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Downtown Goldsboro Transformation Story

Photographed by Mark Parker, February 4, 2025

1. Downtown Goldsboro Transformation Story Marker

Inscription.

Downtown Goldsboro Transformation Story. . Downtown Goldsboro realized a significant transformation between 2011 and 2015 due to many people's steadfast determination, a vision and several key partnerships., Beginning in 2006, the City of Goldsboro and Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation invested in a study and plan for downtown called the Downtown Master Plan. This involved a 13 month public input process that collectively created a vision for downtown and identified desirable public and private investment projects. , ,br> Shortly thereafter in 2008, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) acquired Union Station, our historic train station built in 1909, to secure its future as a hub for passenger rail service through eastern NC to connect Raleigh to Wilmington. This led to a partnership between the City and NCDOT to identify funding sources to rehabilitate the station. During this time, the City, Goldsboro-Wayne Transit Authority (GWTA) and the NCDOT Rail and Public Transportation Divisions began planning for a multi-modal transportation facility on the Union Station site to include the construction of a transfer facility and administrative offices for GWTA services. This plan resulted in two grants through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), totaling $1.7M which funded the design and provided seed funding for construction of the GWTA Bus Transfer Center., A major recommendation of the Downtown Master Plan called for a significant redesign of Center Street to stimulate business development and improve pedestrian use. After several years of creating schematic plans, the City funded $2.3M for the 200 block of N. Center Street, which was completed in November of 2012. Upon its completion, this redesign was embraced by many in the community as a visible transformation of Goldsboro's downtown and reenergized the downtown revitalization efforts., In 2013, the United States Department of Transportation announced availability for the Transportation Infrastructure Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the National Infrastructure Investments Discretionary Grant Program. City leaders prepared an application proposal that resulted in one of 27 successful awards in the urban category nationwide. Notification of the $10M award was made in September 2013 to complete the following: , 1) Three additional blocks of the Center Street Streetscape project from Mulberry to Spruce Streets, 2) Eight additional blocks of streetscape work to connect downtown to the Union Station/GWTA Bus Transfer Center impacting portions of the following streets: W. Walnut, Carolina, W. Mulberry, W. Chestnut and Georgia, and 3) Construction of the GWTA Bus Transfer Center and site improvements to the property. The City's contribution towards these projects was approximately $4.5M. Construction began in August 2014 and was completed in November 2015., Special appreciation and acknowledgment go to: United States Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Congressman G. K. Butterfield, North Carolina Department of Transportation: Public Transportation and Rail Divisions, ty of Goldsboro, County of Wayne, Goldsboro Railroad Task Force, Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation, David E. Gall. P.A., Allison Platt and Associates, P.L.A., Daniels and Daniels Construction Company, Inc., T.A. Loving Company, The Wooten Company, City Staff: Randy C. Guthrie, LaTasha Ford Logan, Julie Metz, Kaye Scott, Keith Smith

Downtown Goldsboro realized a significant transformation between 2011 and 2015 due to many people's steadfast determination, a vision and several key partnerships.

Beginning in 2006, the City of Goldsboro and Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation invested in a study and plan for downtown called the Downtown Master Plan. This involved a 13 month public input process that collectively created a vision for downtown and identified desirable public and private investment projects.
,br> Shortly thereafter in 2008, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) acquired Union Station, our historic train station built in 1909, to secure its future as a hub for passenger rail service through eastern NC to connect Raleigh to Wilmington. This led to a partnership between the City and NCDOT to identify funding sources to rehabilitate the station. During this time, the City, Goldsboro-Wayne Transit Authority (GWTA) and the NCDOT Rail and Public Transportation Divisions began planning for a multi-modal transportation facility on the Union Station site to include the construction of a transfer facility and administrative

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offices for GWTA services. This plan resulted in two grants through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), totaling $1.7M which funded the design and provided seed funding for construction of the GWTA Bus Transfer Center.

A major recommendation of the Downtown Master Plan called for a significant redesign of Center Street to stimulate business development and improve pedestrian use. After several years of creating schematic plans, the City funded $2.3M for the 200 block of N. Center Street, which was completed in November of 2012. Upon its completion, this redesign was embraced by many in the community as a visible transformation of Goldsboro's downtown and reenergized the downtown revitalization efforts.

In 2013, the United States Department of Transportation announced availability for the Transportation Infrastructure Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the National Infrastructure Investments Discretionary Grant Program. City leaders prepared an application proposal that resulted in one of 27 successful awards in the urban category nationwide. Notification of the $10M award was made in September 2013 to

Full view of Downtown Goldsboro Transformation Story Marker at the S. Center & E/W Walnut roundabout image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, February 4, 2025

2. Full view of Downtown Goldsboro Transformation Story Marker at the S. Center & E/W Walnut roundabout

complete the following:
1) Three additional blocks of the Center Street Streetscape project from Mulberry to Spruce Streets, 2) Eight additional blocks of streetscape work to connect downtown to the Union Station/GWTA Bus Transfer Center impacting portions of the following streets: W. Walnut, Carolina, W. Mulberry, W. Chestnut and Georgia, and 3) Construction of the GWTA Bus Transfer Center and site improvements to the property. The City's contribution towards these projects was approximately $4.5M. Construction began in August 2014 and was completed in November 2015.

Special appreciation and acknowledgment go to: United States Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Congressman G. K. Butterfield, North Carolina Department of Transportation: Public Transportation and Rail Divisions, ty of Goldsboro, County of Wayne, Goldsboro Railroad Task Force, Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation, David E. Gall. P.A., Allison Platt & Associates, P.L.A., Daniels & Daniels Construction Company, Inc., T.A. Loving Company, The Wooten Company, City Staff: Randy C. Guthrie, LaTasha Ford Logan, Julie Metz, Kaye Scott, Keith Smith

Erected 2015.

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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 2011.

Location. 35° 22.975′ N, 77° 59.83′ W. Marker is in Goldsboro, North Carolina, in Wayne County. It is at the intersection of South Center Street and West Walnut Street, in the median on South Center Street. The marker is the planter on the South Center Street side of the roundabout, dividing West and East Walnut Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 102 S Center St, Goldsboro NC 27530, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and in the Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: They Led the Way (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Gertrude Weil (about 700 feet away); John Lawson (approx. 0.2 miles away); Company E, 119th Infantry, Goldsboro Rifles World War I Monument (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Pentecostal Holiness Church Congregation (approx. 0.2 miles away); Wayne County Purple Heart (approx. 0.2 miles away); Wayne County Vietnam War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); North Carolina Press Association (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Goldsboro.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 5, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 176 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 5, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.