Looking out my new office window, I have a bird’s eye view of the former facility that served as the primary home for New Hanover County Government for more than two decades.
When it was constructed in 1989, the building was an indoor shopping center, complete with a food court and aquarium. We kept the aquarium during renovations in the early 2000s, but turned the shops into offices for our departments to operate out of.
It wasn’t always efficient as the needs of our organization changed, sometimes leading to space sitting unused. The complex could be difficult to navigate, especially when customers were looking for a specific service or department somewhere in the labyrinth of corridors. As the facility aged, we found spots that leaked or had difficulty handling the rain and wind associated with storms that roll through our area during hurricane season.
For years, we patched things up and adapted to keep the space functional. Now, we have a space that