The Horseshoe Courtyard team is back on site again!
Since the team stepped away from their site in mid-March (due to COVID-19), the trenches under the tall screens were filled with topsoil in preparation for planting the vines. In the coming weeks, the site will be graded and additional dirt will be added, bringing up the site ground level four to six inches. Gravel will also be installed in the south end of site, where the brick pad will be formed.
Before the team begins any concrete work under the walkway, the gas line needed to be moved away from the building’s eastern facade so that it would not be cast in concrete. The day after the line was moved, Spire Energy relocated the gas meter around the corner and connected the gas line to the meter (image above is before the job was completed).
New signage for Project Horseshoe Farm!
Current Logo for the organization
Another element that the team has been working on is signage for Project Horseshoe Farm (PHF). At the moment, there is a sign by the front door that lets people in the community know where they are located. However, unless visitors are familiar with the organization, new users may not know how to find the program. The team studied a series of images from Greensboro in the 1900s to gain knowledge on the types of signs that were previously downtown, including current nearby signs, both hung and painted.
Studies of scale and hanging strategies 
Modular iteration using the typeface and colors of the organization
An important factor when considering different signage strategies is typography, not only for the aesthetics, but also for legibility and scale. There are different design strategies when considering pedestrians vs. vehicles on Main Street. The team considered a system of modular signs depending on the types of signs the organization might need, such as the primary sign at the front entrance or smaller programmatic ones. In terms of typography, the current typeface that Project Horseshoe Farm uses was tested, as well as the program’s logo. The team also researched typefaces that were previously found in the old cornice of the building (when it was a hotel) and the threshold plate at the front entrance of the building.
Old cornice for the Greensboro Hotel 
Threshold plate for Hotel entrance
After meeting with PHF’s Director, Dr. Dorsey, and Sarah Hallmark, the Assistant Director, the team’s designs were narrowed down to three possibilities, all in either a cream or white background. Since the windows and the base of the building will be painted white, like in the mock up image above, they are considering a white background. Stay tuned for the final decision!