3218 Guess Road - The 'dome Building'

36.037125, -78.928563

3218
Guess Road
Durham
NC
Year built
1989
Architectural style
Eclectic
Geodesic Dome
Construction type
Frame
Stone
Neighborhood
Northern Durham
Use
Restaurant
Building Type
Commercial
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(Via ReverbNation - 200something)

DomeBldg_Guess_091011.jpg

09.10.11 (G. Kueber)

On an all-things-dome website, 3218 Guess Road is noted as having been built in 1989 by "Tommy" with a "40 foot diameter, high-profile dome" and referred to as the "Desic Restaurant." It's certainly one of the more unusual structures in Durham - I certainly like it for that reason alone, even if I'm not sure how I feel about the aesthetics otherwise. Unfortunately for occupants, the landmark effect of an unusual-building-as-attention-getting is mitigated by a significant setback and situation behind other buildings. 

Pizza Palace did some time here after they left Hillsborough Road. As of Fall 2011, it is "Bella's Cuisine," which didn't inspire me with its sign, but has generated some online buzz for good, reasonable food and as of 11/10/11 sports a 4.5/5 rating on Yelp. 

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Comments

Submitted by Chuck (not verified) on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 1:23pm

Gary,  "Tommy" is Tom S King.  He built the Natural Spaces Geodesic Dome on Guess Road and another on Cole Mill Road.  Tommy is a Durham native.  His dad was Al King of Crabtree Pharmacy. 

Submitted by gary on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 2:54pm

Thanks for the clarification, Chuck - where is the one on Cole Mill Road?

Gary

Submitted by Tommy King (not verified) on Wed, 2/19/2014 - 6:50pm

I built the dome on Cole Mill as a residence for Van and Susie
Wilson who no longer live there. The dome is on the left just over
the Orange Co. line. It is way up on a hill right next to the power
Lines- probably not visible from the road except during the winter.

Submitted by OhDaniGal on Fri, 9/23/2016 - 3:30pm

This is now Costa Azul.

Bella's Cuisine moved to Carrboro in 2014 and sometime in 2015 or 2016 Costa Azul moved in, having moved from a 2721 Guess, a now-demolished location on the west side of Guess just north of I-85 (it and several other buildings were torn down to make way for a Popeye's.)

Submitted by OhDaniGal on Sun, 11/8/2020 - 2:12am

For various reasons I happened to look this one up on Google and the sign got even worse as Costa Azul: they took the wide, quarter-round, red with white lettering awning from the old location and installed it over the door here despite it being far wider than the wall on which it is installed.

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