CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 25 O o f P a r k V i e w PhoTograPhy By lea harTman By rachel a. Brune O utside on Hugh Shelton Loop and Schwarzkopf Drive, building con- tinues on the townhomes, los and condominiums that comprise downtown Fayetteville's newest community. Tucked into a banked curve across Bragg Boule- vard from the Airborne and Special Operations Museum, the paint is still drying on the walls, while other units are still in the middle stages of construction. At the far end of the first driveway, the new concrete sports a heart entwined around the initials "GB and DB." is is the address of quintessen- tial local couple, George and Dena Breece, the first family to call ParkView home. From the care- fully chosen location to the sto- ries behind each painting, photo- graph and piece of memorabilia, one gets the sense that this is the home the Breeces have been waiting their whole lives to move into. Home as a testament to their relationship A blooming hibiscus bush greets visitors with orange and yellow blossoms, their cheeriness reflected in Dena Breece's greeting at the door. e front leads to a narrow entranceway in which sits a small, wood table. Dena pointed out a framed photograph of her and her husband on their first anniversary in Hawaii — the first of many photographs and memorabilia throughout the house that have special meaning to the couple. George and Dena Breece will be able to say they have been there since the beginning "We really have surrounded ourselves with things that are memories that we've shared," said Dena, assistant professor of accounting at Methodist University, who is working on her PhD in accounting. e tour continued to George Breece's first-floor home of- fice, a medium-sized room with attached bathroom and closet, opening out onto the first of three open air seating areas. Here, George displays his wide-ranging collection of personal and professional mementoes, from a photograph taken with a young William Jefferson Clinton — sporting a nametag — as well as a football signed by the Methodist University football team, presented along with a championship ring by the team on the occasion of "George Breece Day." "is is my bling ring," said George, a former soldier in the Army and former member of the North Carolina House of Repre- sentatives, who is active in the civic life of Fayetteville. A recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, George speaks with both pride in and gratitude for his long history of public service. One element on the first floor gives a clue to the couple's love of art and support of local art- ists and crasman. An original painting by local artist Kyle Highsmith portrays the Fort Bragg Road home where George was born and raised. George was in the process of completing renovations for his mother when she passed, and so commis- sioned the painting to commemorate the location. "It's a special place in my life," said George. Each abode in the row of townhomes is three stories, with The First Couple living

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