Work on Project Grace is moving full speed ahead at the corner of North Third and Grace streets in downtown Wilmington.

New Hanover County’s $56 million redevelopment of its downtown library branch and the Cape Fear Museum reached a key milestone last month when crews removed a tower crane from the construction site. Meanwhile, New Hanover County officials are looking for public art proposals for the development’s outdoor plaza to highlight the impact of Michael Jordan and his family.

The recently removed tower crane helped contractor Monteith Construction build the superstructure of Project Grace, which is made of cast-in-place concrete, said Monteith Construction President and CEO Bryan Thomas. 

“We’ve poured about 8,000 yards of concrete out there to date,” Thomas said about Project Grace. “Each truck holds about 10 yards of concrete, so roughly you’re talking 800 trucks of concrete have been delivered to the job site so far and that’s between foundations and the building structure.”

The crane also helped install the steel beams that eventually will support solar panels on the building’s roof. The crane’s removal in late November marked a shift in Monteith’s work from the structure to exterior and interior upfits. 

Crews have already begun installing brick veneer on exterior walls along Second and Third streets, Thomas said, and the project’s glass-and-aluminum “curtain wall system” or its walls of windows are expected to go in in the coming weeks. Monteith has had between 140 and 160 employees working at the project’s site every day with others working off-site to fabricate and prepare materials, according to Thomas.

As crews make progress on the structure, Monteith is working with contractors to install everything that goes above the structure’s ceilings or inside of its walls, including plumbing, mechanical and electrical wiring.

The project’s next milestone is its dry-in stage, which is expected to begin next spring. 

“That is when the roof, the exterior wall systems, the outside veneer and the glass systems are complete … then you start turning on interior systems, lighting, electrical systems (and) mechanical systems,” Thomas said. “From the outside, the building essentially looks complete, and then there's, of course, tons of work that goes on on the inside, upfitting all the shell space and all that sort of thing.”

Construction is currently on schedule, with Monteith aiming to turn the completed library side of the structure over to New Hanover County in August 2025. The library is expected to be operational by late 2025. Around the same time, Monteith expects to wrap up its work on the Cape Fear Museum portion, which is expected to open mid-year 2026.

New Hanover County is also looking for public art proposals to pay tribute to Michael Jordan and the Jordan family. The art would aim to “enhance the outdoor downtown plaza in front of the new library and museum with a large-scale sculpture,” according to a request for proposals issued by the county last month. 

“The vision for this public art would be to honor Michael Jordan and the Jordan family, and pay tribute to their local, national, and global impact in a public space for all to see,” the request states. “Currently, there is no other public statue or artwork honoring Michael Jordan in Wilmington, so this will be a unique centerpiece in the community that is long deserved.”

Michael Jordan moved to Wilmington at the age of 5 and grew up in the Port City, attending Laney High School. New Hanover County and the Jordan family initially explored plans for a stand-alone museum dedicated to Michael Jordan and his family’s legacy late last year, but New Hanover County announced those plans fell through earlier this year. 

The county, in coordination with Deloris Jordan and the Jordan family, envisions a “sculpture representative of Michael Jordan and the family” that serves as a symbol for lifting others up with an emphasis on children and families.

“It should depict strong values, a journey to excellence, and a drive to succeed and dream big,” the request states. “The power of family and the importance of a strong foundation for children to grow need to be a key element in the artwork. It should also reflect the lasting legacy and impact that Michael Jordan and his family have had on Wilmington and New Hanover County.”

The deadline for proposal submissions is Jan. 13 with submittals being evaluated based on artistic qualifications, technical competence and comparable scope of past works, demonstrated ability to complete projects on time and within budget and established presence as an artist.

The county continues to have a “strong partnership” with the Jordan family, according to Alex Riley, New Hanover County's communications and outreach coordinator, and will keep the Jordan family informed throughout the process. Art designs will be shared with them for review and approval ahead of the designs being finalized.

The art will be funded through New Hanover County’s public art policy, which allocates 1% of construction costs for a capital project to public art or placemaking components, Riley wrote in an email to the Business Journal. The county aims to have the art installation completed by the time the library and museum are fully operational in May 2026.