On February 1st, 1960, four young men from North CarolinaA&T State University entered the F.W. Woolworth department store indowntown Greensboro, North Carolina and sat at the lunch counter. What followedwas a movement that has had a resounding impact across the decades and aroundthe world. 

The Woolworth building and the lunch counter were the flashpoint for the“Sit-in” movement in the United States.  These architectural elements -important historical artifacts - have been restored to form the framework andnucleus of the exhibits at the ICRCM.

The design team worked with the North Carolina State Historic PreservationOffice to identify the significant building elements that would be restored inthe new museum. The lunch counter, the art deco staircase that leads to thegallery space and lecture hall on the lower level, the plaster cofferedceilings and the terrazzo floors were all restored and incorporated into thedesign.  Newly constructed elements of the project, while clearlydifferentiated from the existing architecture, complement and support the historicstructures.

The spacious lobby includes a glass enclosed museum shop, a reception counterand a slate wall accented with inset horizontal lighting. This compositioncreates a contrast with the historic architecture, providing a clearlydelineated path down the escalator to the immersive exhibit spaces on the lowerlevel. The visitor experience culminates with a return to the main level wherethe restored lunch counter is presented. Here, the multi-media driven exhibitputs the historic sit-in into context and offers patrons the opportunity forreflection. In totality, the ICRCM design creates an evocative and powerfulblending of the past, present and future.