York Family Collection of Cameron Village Drawings and Other Materials 1914-1915, 1948-2015

The York family has lived in central North Carolina since the mid-1700s and have made significant contributions to North Carolina, especially with their development projects in the Triangle area (Sharpe 2014, 379).

C.V. York founded the family business the York Construction Company in 1910 and built many landmarks in Raleigh such as the Memorial Auditorium, the Sir Walter Hotel, and the N.C. State Bell Tower. In 1949, his son, J. Willie York created the Southeast’s first shopping center, Cameron Village (Roberts, n.d.).

J. Willie York served as a member of the Raleigh School Board from 1957-1963 and played a major role in the monumental motion to desegregate the city’s school system (Edmisten 1987, 105). J.W. York married Mary Smedes Poyner, who was also from a prominent old Raleigh family. Her great grandfather was Reverend Aldert Smedes, who was originally from New York City and founded St. Mary’s School in 1842 (Edmisten 1987, 54). J.W. York’s son, Smedes York, became President of York Properties in 1977. He went on to serve on the Raleigh City Council from 1977-1979 and then he served as mayor of Raleigh from 1979-1983. He expanded into residential real estate and commercial construction businesses (About Us, n.d.).

The York family has been involved with the creation and evolution of Cameron Village, now known as the Village District, since its inception in 1949. J.W. York and his partner Raymond Bryan purchased 158 acres of land in 1947 and created a planned residential subdivision with shopping services, apartments, and housing (Peters, n.d.). The Cameron Village Shopping Center was created in 1949 and it was North Carolina's first mixed use development (Cameron Village Historic District, n.d.).

The Cameron Village Shopping Center is located at the intersection of Clark Avenue and Oberlin Road. The shopping center was designed by Norwegian architect Leif Valand (1915-1985). It consisted of 65 stores, 112 offices, 566 apartment units, and 100 private houses (Leif Valand, n.d.). Cameron Village’s ability to attract national chains such as Sears helped it lure many of Raleigh’s downtown businesses. For example, Nowell’s and Hudson-Belk relocated to the shopping center or opened branch stores there. In addition to a variety of stores, shoppers enjoyed the center’s quaint atmosphere and abundant parking (Peters, n.d.).

During the 1950s and 1960s, as suburban subdivisions spread across the state and nation, developers followed the lead of York and Bryan and encouraged the construction of shopping centers and strip malls near residential areas. In Raleigh, an increasing number of larger shopping centers were built: North Hills Mall (Raleigh’s first enclosed mall) opened in the 1960s, and Crabtree Valley Mall (the Triangle’s first “megamall”) opened in the 1970s (Peters, n.d.).

Cameron Village has experienced significant changes since opening in 1949. Several parking decks were added in the 1960s. In the 1970s, “The Underground,” a section located below street level that hosted popular restaurants and nightclubs like The Pier and Déjà vu, was established. “The Underground” was short-lived; most establishments closed during the 1980s. The shopping center has been renovated several times, including a restyling in the mid-1980s and another in the early 2000s. On January 28, 2021, Cameron Village Shopping Center was renamed the Village District to break with plantation owner and enslaver Duncan Cameron, for whom it was originally named. Today, the Village District has “over 100 distinctive stores, fine restaurants, intimate cafes and special services.” (Peters, n.d.).

Although the York family sold Cameron Village to Connecticut General Life Insurance in 1964, York Properties still manages the Village District. J. W. York’s son, G. Smedes York, stepped down as chairman of York Properties in 2009. His son, George York, then took over as chairman and president of York Properties. York Properties continues to manage other Raleigh developments, provide residential and commercial real estate services, and contribute to development projects (About Us, n.d.).

This collection also contains some blueprints of buildings that were designed by Norwegian architect Leif Valand (1915-1985). Leif Valand was a prominent Raleigh architect from the 1940s to the 1970s. He came to Raleigh in the late 1940s to work on the Cameron Village Shopping Center. He is also known for his other major architectural projects such as the Cameron Village Office Buildings and Apartments, Enloe High School, the Federal Building on New Bern Avenue, North Ridge Country Club, North Hills Shopping Center, the Velvet Cloak Hotel, the Central Raleigh YMCA, the State Administration Building, St. Michael's Episcopal Church, the Raleigh Women's Club, and many private residences (Leif Valand, n.d.).

References

About Us. York Properties, n.d. Accessed March 28, 2024.

Cameron Village Historic District, n.d., Raleigh Historic Development Commission. Accessed March 28, 2024.

Edmisten, Linda. J.W. Willie York: His First Seventy Five Years in Raleigh. Raleigh: Self-published, 1987.

Leif Valand. n.d., NCModernist. Accessed March 28, 2024.

Peters, Ken. Cameron Village (Village District), n.d. North Carolina History Project. John Locke Foundation. Accessed March 28, 2024.

Roberts, LisaSmedes York: Growing Up with Raleigh. Walter Magazine, accessed March 28, 2024.

Sharpe, John. Growing Up With Raleigh. SCL, 2014.

This collection contains architectural drawings and maps of Cameron Village construction and renovations of various shops at Cameron Village. Additionally, the collection has drawings and maps associated with other York properties around Edgecombe, Johnston, Nash and Wake Counties. This collection also contains some drawings of buildings that were designed by architect Leif Valand (1915-1985). Most of these drawings were produced by York Properties from 1952-2013. The types of buildings in the drawings include residential buildings, including houses and apartments; commercial buildings, including shops, restaurants, and salons; and industrial buildings such as warehouses. Types of maps include composite maps, boundary maps, site maps, and topographic maps.

Furthermore, this collection inlcudes other materials from the York family including a historical biography of J. Willie York, a ledger book, and photos of Cameron Village.

This collection is arranged into two series: Drawings and Photographs and Other Materials. The Drawings series has two subseries, "Cameron Village" and "Other Properties." The "Cameron Village" subseries contains drawings pertaining to the construction and renovation of Cameron Village, while the "Other Properties" subseries contains drawings related to other York properties. The "Photographs and Other Materials" series contains photographs and materials that depict Cameron Village and the York family.

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[Identification of item], York Family Collection of Cameron Village Drawings and Other Materials, MC 00745, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC

Related Archival Materials

• Leif Valand Architectural Papers (MC 00557)

Gift from the York family, November 2023 (Accession 2023.0158)

Processed by: Katelyn Cuomo 2023 November; Finding aid written by: Katelyn Cuomo, 2023 November; Digital materials processed by William Boyer, 2024 April; Photographs and Other Materials Series processed by Noah Anderson, 2025 March; Collection guide updated by Cathy Dorin-Black, 2025 March; unprocessed materials processed and Collection guide updated by Jadyn Mann, 2026 June.