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in 1940 as public housing, in response to the population boom
caused by the influx of workers building Liberty ships at the nearby
shipyard. The community continued to grow after World War
II, with a neighborhood grocery store, pharmacy and bakery, and
proximity to Greenfield Lake.
Then, over time, the area and the housing project fell into
decline. The last families moved out in 2007 and Nesbitt Courts
was scheduled for demolition.
But instead of destruction, resurrection came to the Block Shirt
Factory and Nesbitt Courts. The buildings that span Greenfield
Street between Front and Third were renovated and given a new
name — South Front District — and a new purpose. They are
home to tony urban apartments and a pizza parlor owned by
celebrity chef Vivian Howard and her husband, Ben Knight.
“It’s an awesome example of adaptive reuse, the integration
of new architectural design and existing elements,” says Terry
Espy, principal with MoMentum Companies, which developed
the commercial components of the South Front District, and
board member of the Historic Wilmington Foundation. “It’s
an amazing blend. It’s about not plowing everything down.
And it’s a neighbor to Greenfield Lake Park, which we tend to
forget is one of the most beautiful in the state. It’s really taking
Wilmington to another level. We’ve never had a viable ware-house
district.”
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