CITY OF MORGANTON: Courthouse Square Grand Opening to be Held May 6

By Press release submission

Apr 20, 2022

City of Morganton issued the following announcement on Apr. 20.

The stage is set to officially unveil Downtown Morganton’s newest attraction. On May 6, 2022, the public is invited for tours and the first TGIF concert of the season on the new Courthouse Square to mark its grand opening.

“We cannot wait to show everyone the finished product after all the renovations that happened on the Courthouse Square,” said Director of Cultural and Creative Development Sharon Jablonski. “While construction has been finished for several months, we are so excited to hold the first-ever official event on the new amphitheater stage and offer tours of the new grounds. This space is so much more welcoming, open, and inviting than the old Courthouse Square, and we know people are going to enjoy seeing all the improvements we’ve made.”

Public Tours will be available beginning at 2pm, also running at 2:30pm, 3pm, 3:30pm and 4pm. No reservations are required for the tours, and volunteers will be on site to give tours at the designated times. Following public tours, people are welcome to relax on the new grounds as setup begins for the first TGIF concert of the season, or enjoy one of the many shops and restaurants in Downtown Morganton. The City would like to ask anyone placing chairs on the Courthouse Square in advance of Friday night’s TGIF concert to please not put their chair on the grounds until after 2 p.m.

The Courthouse Square’s Grand Opening comes after more than a year of construction saw the grounds completely revamped while maintaining as much historical integrity as possible. The old, dilapidated and condemned jail building that housed the Burke Arts Council was demolished, then crews got to work on transforming the face of Downtown Morganton.

Crews spent time doing extensive utility work to move utilities underground, and graded the grounds to make them more inviting and easier to access so the public can enjoy the grounds more often between events. Additionally, the rock wall around the square — which was beginning to fall down — was renovated using rocks from the original rock wall to be more structurally stable and give the wall a fresh look.

After work on the grounds and utilities was finished, construction on the new amphitheater stage got underway. The new stage provides a permanent venue for all types of live entertainment nestled among ample new greenspace on the Courthouse Square.

Several art installations and landscaping work put the finishing touches on the project. The backdrop of the stage itself is an art installation completed by Miki Iwasaki, a California-based artist hired with the help of the North Carolina Arts Council. Morganton’s Community Mandala, created by City of Morganton Project Designer Michael Berley, sits near the true north meridian line on the square. Three original jail doors from the old jail that housed the Burke Arts Council have been transformed into an art installation as a way to pay homage to what came before the project’s completion. Behind the stage, at the corner of E. Meeting St. and S. Sterling St., there is a bioretention cell, or rain garden, which is a naturally landscaped area that traps and treats stormwater.

The result of all of this work is a venue that is sure to be a regional attraction, as it combines progressive thinking, ample greenspace, public art, and an enjoyable location for anyone visiting Downtown Morganton.

“The completion of this project is a tremendous show of the power of public-private partnerships that Morganton does so well,” said City Manager Sally Sandy. “We are grateful for all of our partners who made this possible, and for all the public support we received while we completed this project. We have now created something that many generations to come will enjoy with their families, just like generations before ours enjoyed the old courthouse grounds.”

The City of Morganton would like to thank its private partners who donated funds to aid in the completion of this project: