In 1928, Calvin Coolidge was President of the United States. The first machine-sliced and wrapped loaf of bread was sold in Chillicothe, Missouri. Charles Lindbergh was presented with the Medal of Honor for his first trans-Atlantic flight. The first regular television programming began in Schenectady, New York by General Electric's television station W2XB. Disney's Mickey Mouse had his first talking appearance. And the R.J. Reynolds building was commissioned and completed.
It was a skyscraper, a large corporate office building, designed by Shreve & Lamb of New York, and built by the James Baird Construction Company of New York. While the architects were asked for, "an effect of conservatism along with attractiveness, but to avoid flashiness," some wondered about that as the building was very handsome with gray-brown marble from Missouri, black marble from Belgium and buff-colored marble from France covering the walls and floor. The ceilings were festooned with gold leaves, and the grillwork, elevator doors and door frames were bright, gleaming brass. The building was completed at a cost of $2.4 million dollars. At 22 stories, 315 feet with a 65 foot flagpole, it immediately became the tallest building south of Baltimore, Maryland. In 1929, it won the national American Association of Architects award for best building of the year.
While the Reynolds building was constructed for corporate and professional offices, it continues to stand, now housing a hotel, apartments, and office space. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
Many do not know that the Reynolds building was the design inspiration for the much larger Empire State Building in New York City, by the same architects, Shreve & Lamb. At some time in the planning or construction of the smaller 22-story building, the dream of an immense 102-story skyscraper was born, nurtured, and then came to fruition in 1931 when the Empire State Building was complete. In 1979, the Empire State Building's general manager sent a card to the Reynolds Building which read:
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DAD
On the 50th anniversary of the Reynolds Building, we would like to offer our congratulations to the structure that served as the architectural model for New York's famous skyscraper. The Empire State Building is one of the world's wonders and we are appreciative of its roots in Winston-Salem, N.C. We hope that the Reynolds Building will continue to serve R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. well, just as the Empire State Building serves the people of New York City.
Robert L. Timber
Vice-President and General Manager
Your first task in completing this virtual cache is to find and admire this historic building in Winston-Salem, NC, and then to answer ALL the following questions and perform the tasks listed below.
1. Take a photograph of your GPS with a recognizable part of the building in the background (for reasons of privacy, you are not required to photograph your face, although it is permitted, if you like). Upload your photograph along with your log.
2. As you admire the building, near one of the corners of the building, there is a bird. Look up, look down, look all around until you locate this elusive bird. Please send me a private message with the name of this bird. DO NOT POST THIS INFORMATION PUBLICLY OR IN YOUR LOG.
3. Finally, across the street from where you find the bird, you will find four short pillars each carved with a picture of a type of tree. In your message to me, include the type of tree. DO NOT POST THIS INFORMATION PUBLICLY OR IN YOUR LOG.
What Kind of Cache Is This?
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.