Architect of change 

As any architect knows, it takes a dream, a vision, and a plan to design buildings. And eventually it takes the wherewithal to actually begin construction. 

That’s where Eric Lindstrom started to help shape downtown Fayetteville into what it is today. As one of the first movers and shakers in the revitalization of downtown, Eric enlisted friends and colleagues in renovating buildings, and even got on ladders himself to help transform dilapidated and crumbling shells of buildings into functional and attractive structures with award-winning designs.  

Without Eric, downtown may not have the Cameo Art House Theatre, the Robert C. Williams Business Center (which replaced the historic LaFayette Hotel), or any of the other renovated buildings that now line Hay Street and the district’s adjacent streets. Eric’s vision and knowledge has helped the buildings spring back up to life through his architecture firm SfL+a Architects and his personal journey to purchase and renovate downtown buildings. 

For his efforts, Eric is being recognized June 13 as one of CityView Magazine’s 2024 Downtown Visionaries honorees, alongside John Malzone and Hank Parfitt. 

A true visionary 

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, Eric moved to Fayetteville in 1992 after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As he considered staying in Fayetteville, the notion of playing a role in revitalizing the city’s core began to percolate, even though at the time downtown featured plenty of abandoned and boarded-up buildings.  

“Friends thought I had lost my mind,” he recalled. “When I first came to Fayetteville, I was directed with a route that did not have me going through downtown despite my known love for downtown areas. It was just the way it was then.” 

During Eric’s first weekend in Fayetteville, he met John Malzone, Bill and Dawn Hester, and others who were working on buildings downtown. 

“I met John as he was working on Person Street and he took me up on a rooftop to meet the Hesters who were working on another building on Hay Street,” Eric said.  

It also was then that he saw the first building he would buy two years later at 240 Hay St. in 1995, across from what is now the Cameo Art House Theatre and Rude Awakening Coffee House on Hay Street. 

Making legislative change 

Eric was also responsible for drafting significant City of Fayetteville ordinances that had a huge impact in protecting downtown buildings in Fayetteville from disrepair and neglect, and allowing residents to live downtown. 

“It was around 1994 and residential living was not allowed downtown,” Eric said. “I went before the city council and they removed the barriers so we could create lofts and living spaces downtown.” 

Other significant elements that Eric helped draft were the “Boarded Up Windows” and “Demolition by Neglect” ordinances that allowed the City of Fayetteville to cite property owners for abandoned structures. The “Boarded Up Windows” ordinance that passed around 1999 gave property owners three to six months to take boards off the windows, he said, and even galvanized metal barn tin roofing off storefronts. 

“This created a new face for downtown,” Eric said.  

He said around a third of properties downtown had changed hands by that point. 

“That’s when new investors such as the Parfitts and others came in,” Eric said. “It was a fine of $100 a day if they didn’t take down the boards and siding off, and some of the old owners didn’t want to deal with the work needed when downtown had been neglected for so long.” 

Eric also said that was when the City of Fayetteville and the Public Works Commission wanted to bring in light fixtures that were not appropriate for the historic downtown revitalization efforts as they would not reflect the design and character of the district. Although the street poles would have brought functional light, they would not have created the visual interest and aesthetic appeal for the downtown revitalization plan, Eric said. 

“We created a downtown streetscape plan and the lights were done on Person Street with the same fixtures from Hay Street,” Eric said. “We made design guidelines for downtown.” 

The design guidelines took into account the historical architecture of the district and included site and setting instructions with rules for lighting, signage, and paving as well as exterior changes for paint, color, building materials, and storefronts. 

The demolition by neglect ordinance to hold property owners accountable for repairs and maintenance was needed after the boards came off the windows. 

“If a building was collapsing on itself, we had to figure out a way to protect the building and motivate others to help,” Eric said. “We were putting it all out there. People were investing.” 

Revitalized downtown events scene 

Eric served on the city’s Historic Resources Commission for eight years. He was also on the boards for the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County and the Cape Fear Regional Theatre for several years.  

Deborah Mintz, former executive director of the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, met Eric 30 years ago when she was the associate director at Cape Fear Regional Theatre. She says Eric came here as a young architect and fell in love with the community.  

“He saw extraordinary potential here,” Deborah said.   

Deborah said the office space on Burgess Street that Eric’s business SfL+a Architects built was so impressive that the Leadership Fayetteville classes of the Greater Fayetteville Chamber put it on their tour. Leadership Fayetteville is a nine-month professional leadership and development program, which engages participants in experiences that help them become better community leaders. 

“It was one of the coolest spaces around and showed how wonderful an adaptive reuse space could be. It was built out of the original gym of the FILI Armory,” Deborah said of what Eric and his associates did with the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry Armory. “We said it was a perfect example of if you dream it, this is what could happen.” 

Eric was one of the early business owners to contribute to the expansion of 4th Fridays, which brings thousands of people downtown every month, she said. 

“When we started 4th Fridays, it was just art galleries,” Deborah said. “But he allowed for further density of creative experience when he offered up his walls to hang art and opened his doors for refreshments. This is one small example for someone who has done so much. He said, ‘I love it and I love what it can be.’ 

“He put his expertise, wallet, and whole heart into the development of downtown Fayetteville,” she said. 

And Eric’s legacy doesn’t just include the Cameo Art House Theatre. His work as an owner and design director with SfL+a Architects has helped shape other parts of downtown, including Festival Park, Market Square, the internationally award-winning parking deck on Franklin Street, and the Huske Hardware House brewing company.  

“If our firm hasn’t renovated it, we’ve walked through and done a site plan,” Eric said. 

Eric’s social impact 

Jan Johnson and Pat Wright, owners of Moonlight Communications, SkyView on Hay, and the Rainbow Room, also laud Eric’s influence on downtown. 

“If you see it downtown and it’s cool, then Eric probably had a hand in it,” Pat said. 

Jan said she and Pat were inspired by Eric’s work and his love of historic preservation. 

“The reason we bought our building [Rainbow Room] is he promised to hold our hands the entire time,” Jan said. “He partnered with us every step of the way.” 

Pat and Jan eventually won three Carraway Awards of Merit through Preservation North Carolina for the restoration of the Rainbow Room and Hotel in 2003 and SkyView on Hay in 2016. A third Carraway Award of Merit was for their documentary “After the Dust Settles” in 2008. 

They say it was Eric’s willingness to show his renovated building to anyone who wanted to see it, his loft, and his shared knowledge and expertise that not only helped them, but also others, make downtown a better place. 

“His campaign was to get people to work and live downtown,” Jan said.  

Eric and his husband Kennon Jackson met in Washington, D.C., 16 years ago and have made a home in the loft renovated by Eric. Jackson serves as the chief of staff at the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, where Eric also served on the board for several years. Eric also chaired the first downtown Public Arts Committee for the first three years.  

Eric’s latest project is “Act 2” for Cape Fear Regional Theatre, which will add more space and capacity for a growing number of productions, camps, and classes. The new addition to the theater will include two new education studios, an updated lobby with a coffee shop/bar, and a rooftop cabaret space, its Managing Director Ella Wrenn told CityView. It’s breaking ground this month. 

“We knew when we started sketching the theater that we first wanted to make the lobby more welcoming, then I suggested taking advantage of the roof and it grew from there,” Eric said. 

Cape Fear Regional Theatre Artistic Director Mary Kate Burke calls Eric a phenomenal artist and the vision behind the new facility.  

“His eye, his knowledge of the arts, his thoughtful and methodical approach to design, and, most importantly, his dedication to the arts and the nonprofit community are unparalleled,” Mary Kate said. “It is truly a gift to be able to imagine and envision something where it doesn’t exist, but it’s remarkable to make those visions come to fruition.” 

It is the experience of seeing those visions come to life that Eric considers part of his greatest works. Among his myriad accomplishments, renovating a park gazebo in a neighborhood of his old hometown of St. Petersburg is one of the things he is most proud of in his career.  

“As an architect, it is more than just buildings,” Eric said. “It’s seeing a new quality of life. That gazebo now houses Santa every Christmas and more. It’s making a difference.” 

He feels the same way about SfL+a Architects sponsoring the fireworks display at A Dickens Holiday celebration, which brought a backdrop to the candlelight procession and became a tradition for the annual event. 

Eric said he is looking forward to what is coming next with a new generation of business owners bringing fresh ideas for downtown. 

“Being here in Fayetteville has given me so many opportunities,” Eric said. “It has been fun to come up with things that are new and being able to think creatively. Everything changes and change is good.” 

Read CityView Magazine’s “The Downtown Issue” June e-edition here.