The City of Hamlet, Sedberry Construction, Inc. and David E. Gall, Architect , PA received a merit award in August from the American Institute of Architects for the Relocation and Rehabilitation of the Historic 1900 Hamlet Passenger Depot in Hamlet.

The awards ceremony was held on Aug. 22 at the North Carolina Museum of Natural History in Raleigh in which 105 projects were entered and only a select few were honored.

“It’s a special honor for the owner to receive an award for the vision and undertaking of the project,” said architect David E. Gall.

The project earned the merit award after being assessed in an annual juried competition from various architects, this year the jury convened in Washington, D.C.

According to Heather Vance, director of programs and communications for the American Institute of Architects in Raleigh, the judges of the competition select award recipients based solely on the design of the building and is not comparative of other projects. This is to keep the judges’ opinion clear and objective.

“Merit awards represent the largest slice of work,” Vance said. “It’s the best work in the state.”

According to Vance, the jury members at the ceremony said the Hamlet Depot project was, “a very careful and detailed program”.

It is a unique honor for the Hamlet Depot to receive a design award based on the fact the depot is a historical building, according to Gall.

Gall’s firm, based in Winston-Salem, is also undertaking the renovation of the Tornado locomotive structure adjacent to Main Street Park in Hamlet.

The substantial work is set to be completed by Oct. 12 and the exhibits are set to open on Oct. 31, the same day as the Seaboard Festival, according to Gall.

The structure will house several antique vehicle exhibits, while the Tornado locomotive is the largest, a Model-T Ford and two historical fire trucks from the City of Hamlet will also be on display at the museum.

The Hamlet Depot has previously received the Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit from Preservation North Carolina, Merit Award from the Winston-Salem Section of NCAIA and a merit award from the N.C. Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.