Yesterday I got to attend a preview party at The Cotton Room! But before I tell you about The Cotton Room, a bit of Durham history might be in order…
In the 1880s Durham, NC became home to many tobacco companies and textile mills. What’s now called Golden Belt was originally The Golden Belt Manufacturing Company, a textile factory that made thread and produced pouches for Bull Durham tobacco. Operations stopped in 1996, but it has been renovated and turned into an “urban arts campus” with beautiful lofts, commercial space, artist studios, and event venues like The Cotton Room.
Triangle Catering is going to be operating The Cotton Room, and starting in October ‘09 (after renovations) you can rent the space for weddings & other events. They plan to keep all the textile mill character, like exposed brick walls, archways, mechanical pulleys, and huge, beautiful windows, but will update it with contemporary decor.
The food at The Cotton Room will be southern-inspired, and if it’s anything like what was served yesterday, it will be fantastic. Check out what we ate:
YUM. You can see more of my photos from The Cotton Room on Mint’s flickr!
Thanks for the invite, Golden Belt!
I love the looks of the Cotton Room, and really hope that the space will still occasionally be used for open-to-the-community events, like hosting The Monti, music performances, or art exhibits. I love the space as a public meeting grounds for Durhamites, and while the Cotton Room looks like it’s going to be a stunning and classy event setting, I really hope it continues to be accessible to everyone, at least once in a while.