Public Art: Biltmore Hills Park

Project Details

Biltmore Hills Park is a 39 acre park with a swimming pool, tennis courts, baseball field, basketball court, playgrounds, some wooded trails, picnic shelters, and a well used community center. The public art should honor this historic community, involve residents in the sharing of community history, and enhance the Biltmore Hills Park. The Biltmore Hills Park has long been a central heart of this community which hosts sporting events, social gatherings at the baseball fields, playground, community center and pool.  

The park is situated within the historically important Biltmore Hills neighborhood. Biltmore Hills was developed in the 1960s by John W. Winters, Raleigh’s first black council member who also started a successful construction and real estate company. The neighborhood is notable for its well-built, mid-century modern brick dwellings. The neighborhood tells a story of the history of black home ownership in Raleigh and the US. Residents who grew up in the neighborhood tell stories of eating lunch in the park during the summers and being able to walk to school until the neighborhood was cut off from the school and Rochester Heights neighborhood by the development of Interstate 40.  The City is currently working on a National Register Nomination for the Biltmore Hills neighborhood.

Additional information can be found in Raleigh's Black Heritage and Historic Places: 1945-1975.  

“This project highlighted churches, entertainment venues, Black architects and building professionals, sites important to the Civil Rights Movement, and the Biltmore Hills neighborhood. The project suggests places for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and provides recommendations for further study. View the  project summary (a project overview) and  final report (complete study findings).

This project looks into the history of the Biltmore Hills neighborhood. Ed Richards and John W. Winters worked together to develop Biltmore Hills. Biltmore Hills provided housing options for Black teachers and blue-collar workers during segregation. This neighborhood played an important part in the city's cultural and economic growth. The report records the historic features of Biltmore Hills. The street names in this area honor influential Black people, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Roy Campanella. The style of ranch houses and curving roads are called out as important features to preserve. The report also suggests getting the community involved and sharing more about Biltmore Hills. The report proposes looking into ways to protect the neighborhood's history. Some options include making the area a historic district or offering preservation incentives.” 

This project is part of the Percent for Art program.