By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com
KANNAPOLIS ó Phyllis Beaver believes science, textiles and NASCAR can co-exist.
They just need the right presentation.
So the Visitors Center in downtown Kannapolis, which rather disjointedly displays renderings of the N.C. Research Campus alongside textile artifacts and Dale Earnhardt memorabilia, will close soon for an extensive renovation.
“It’s all a hodgepodge right now,” said Beaver, marketing director for the Research Campus. “Each of these entities deserve their own special focus.”
Campus developer Castle & Cooke North Carolina, not the city, owns and operates the Visitors Center.
Since Pillowtex closed in 2003, Kannapolis has morphed from a mill village into a biotechnology hub. But textiles remain a treasured part of the town’s history, as does native son and race car driver Earnhardt, who died in 2001.
Beaver said Castle & Cooke, owned by campus founder David Murdock, will keep all three parts of the Kannapolis story in the Visitors Center.
“It’s very possible to have all of those featured here and to give people good information about what we have in the community,” Beaver said.
Town historian Norris Dearmon said Castle & Cooke will take good care of textile artifacts in the center, including J.W. Cannon’s desk and many items bearing the Cannon brand.
The Kannapolis History Associates hopes to build a textile museum someday, but the economy has stymied fundraising efforts, Dearmon said.
Castle & Cooke angered NASCAR fans last year when the company and the Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau asked the city to remove flags along Dale Earnhardt Boulevard in preparation for a visit from Martha Stewart.
The city and developers quickly reassured fans they were not abandoning Earnhardt or his memory.
Murdock wants to honor both textiles and racing as he develops the Research Campus, Beaver said. He owned the textile mill from 1982 to 1986 and is still the largest property owner in Kannapolis.
Beaver pointed out that Murdock bought a bronze statue of Earnhardt that stands in the Research Campus.
The Visitors Center renovation will include roof repairs and other maintenance. A closing date hasn’t been set, but Beaver recently notified tenants in the Village.
Beaver and her staff will move into the Castle & Cooke office during the renovation.
She said a strategic planning committee will give advice during the process.
Constructed in 1941 as the Swanee Theater, the building re-opened in 1974 as a visitors center.
The building includes a 100-seat auditorium, and several groups have upcoming events scheduled. Castle & Cooke will fulfill its commitments, Beaver said.
“The space will be useable to some degree,” she said.
The old Bank Building is available as backup, she said.