10-year challenge: 5 changes to Wilmington-area places since 2014

It's a social media fad that crops up from time to time.

It's the 10-year challenge, which means a comparison between what something looks like today compared to 10 years ago.

And given the rapid nature of changes throughout the Wilmington area (yes, meaning a lot of development), it stands to reason there's plenty of change to see after a span of double-digit years.

Here are a few of them.

Princess and Third streets, downtown Wilmington

In 2014, a new office building was going up at the corner of Princess and Third streets in downtown Wilmington. The five-story, 69,000-square-foot office building was completed in 2015 and currently serves as the main branch of Truist Bank. It also holds offices of Cordell & Cordell and a Dunkin' donuts among other offices.

Brunswick River Bridge, Leland

Road projects aren't new to the area, and in 2014, construction crews worked along the Brunswick River Bridge along U.S. 74/76 in Leland. The causeway project was completed in Nov. 2016. Ten years after the original photo was taken, Leland traffic is impacted again while repairs begin on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge that will close some lanes. The N.C. Department of Transportation anticipates the repairs will be done around Memorial Day.

Fort Fisher State Historic Site

In this photo from November 2014, Paul Gross prepares to drill a hole in one of the support beams of new fence as J.C. Paxton looks on.

Ten years ago, the Fort Fisher Historic Site was replacing a previous replica of the fence installed in the 1960s due to the wood weathering over the years. The $140,000 cost of the project was paid through state repair and renovation funding. In 2024, Fort Fisher Historic Site is currently building a new visitors center. The $25.5 million project, which is slated for completion in May, will bring a 22,000-square-foot facility to handle the site's more than 1 million visitors a year.

Blakeslee Air Force Recreation Area, Kure Beach

Construction crews work on building new homes in November 2014 at the Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area (now Blakeslee Air Force Recreation Area). Now completed, the recreation area has been a longtime campground and recreation area in Kure Beach used by members of the military and their families. The name change, done in 2023, was chosen to honor Col. Donald James Matthew Blakeslee, a military aviator who set an American record during his career by flying more than 500 operational sorties and accumulated 1,200 combat hours.

Town Creek Park, Winnabow

Construction crews were working to complete Town Creek Park's concessions stand with restrooms in August 2014 in Winnabow. The 55-acre park that has baseball fields, soccer fields, a dog park and other amenities was opened in the spring of 2015.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: From 2014 to 2024: How Wilmington, NC places have changed in 10 years