Aycock is a neighborhood in the northeast area of the North Carolina city of Greensboro, which is located in the United States. The Charles B. Aycock Middle School, which is located inside the boundaries of the area, is the inspiration for the name of the Aycock neighborhood. In Greensboro, it is one of three historic districts, and it contains a large number of residences built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
When textile magnate Caesar Cone graded and paved Summit Avenue in 1895, it marked the beginning of the Aycock neighborhood, which served as a link between downtown Greensboro and Cone’s production operations.
The neighborhood’s convenient position near downtown and the Cone mills made it a popular choice for city inhabitants. It was during this period that they built magnificent homes in the Queen Anne style, complete with turrets, porch railings interwoven with brackets and spindles, and intricate window forms. Although later houses are influenced by Colonial Revival and Craftsman styles, nearly all of the houses in the district have broad front porches, mature trees, and spacious floor plans in common.
After being forgotten for decades, the neighborhood was rediscovered in the 1970s by artists and designers looking for spaces with vast rooms and reasonable rents. The Aycock neighborhood, which is sometimes referred to as the “funky alternative” to Fisher Park, which is located across the railroad lines, has worked hard to advance the neighborhood while maintaining its unique character.
Aycock’s citizens aren’t afraid to go for their dreams. In 2003, the community was at the forefront of citywide efforts to keep Major League Baseball in their neighborhood, and they set high standards for the reconstruction of the Summit Avenue corridor.
Members of the Aycock neighborhood argue that plans for new building in the form of shops and houses on unoccupied property along the Avenue will defy the idea of historic neighborhoods as staid. Their goal is to reconnect their section of town with the city’s thriving central business district.
The World War Memorial Stadium, built as a monument to veterans of the First World War and later home to such renowned baseball players as Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Carl Yastrzemski, Roger Maris, and Derek Jeter, is one of the city’s most notable attractions.
The Greensboro Farmers’ Curb Market is open year-round and offers a wide variety of fresh flowers, meats, and vegetables. Included among the notable residences are a castle-like Vaught House, the Mediterranean-inspired Sigmund Sternberger House, and the Charles B. Aycock School, which was built by the New York architectural firm Starrett and Van Vleck.