The new Morgan Street entrance

Since the 1920s, the Junior League of Raleigh has improved the community and the lives of those within it through education, outreach, and voluntarism. About a year ago, the organization moved in to the lower floor of a former IBM research facility on Hillsborough Street near the Capitol Building.

Often overlooked, this 1960s commercial building is a fine example of the International Style. It has the distinctive flair characteristic of its highly accomplished architect, George Matsumoto, along with a rejuvenated new appearance.

A History of Serving Raleigh

At the time the Junior League was formed (then called the Junior Guild), there were similar groups of women organized for the bettering of their community. Not long after the formation, they joined with the Association of Junior Leagues International.

Bargain Box in Cameron Village

One of the most visible examples of the legacy of the Junior League of Raleigh is Bargain Box, a thrift store located in Cameron Village. Since its founding in 1951, Bargain Box has contributed clothing and other items to those in need as well as a substantial amount of resources toward the Junior League’s outreach efforts.

Since then, the women of the Junior League have funded a Boys and Girls club for Wake County, co-sponsored the restoration of the Mordecai House, created SAFEchild (a non-profit agency dedicated to eliminating child abuse), among many other causes that have improved the lives of countless Wake County residents.

Publisher of a Primary Source for this Blog

The Junior League has long played a role in historic preservation and celebrating local history across the country, and here in Raleigh the League is no different.

Among their other many preservation and awareness efforts was the publishing of a book in 1967 which has always been my number one Raleigh reference guide: North Carolina’s Capital Raleigh, by Elizabeth Culbertson Waugh. You can buy a recently revised edition at Quail Ridge Books.

Finalized rendering of IBM Research Facility, drawn by George Matsumoto October 18, 1963. Image courtesy of and copyright NCSU Special Collections.

In a Historic Building Designed for Computer Science

Given the League’s history of appreciation for local culture and architecture, it isn’t a surprise that they were looking for a space with history and in a style that Raleigh is known for. The building they chose once belonged to Capitol Broadcasting Company, but before that was home to IBM.

The significance of IBM’s arrival in Downtown Raleigh in 1965 can’t be understated. Although Research Triangle Park was then in development with the goal of luring multinational companies to North Carolina, IBM’s arrival was the beginning of a major transformation for the city.

Meet the Architect

George Matsumoto was one of the most talented and accomplished architects who taught or practiced in North Carolina. Although his education began at Berkeley, he had to find other education opportunities because of the forcible relocation to internment camps of Japanese-Americans in California during World War II.

George Matsumoto. Image courtesy of and copyright NCSU Special Collections

After studying under Eliel Saarinen at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, he briefly worked for Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill in Chicago before setting up a private practice in Oklahoma. In 1948, he followed many others from Oklahoma to teach at a new architecture school at State College.

He resided in Raleigh for about 13 years, before returning to his native California to teach at Berkeley. Matsumoto left behind a large collection of modern houses across the Triangle which won over 30 awards.

You can read more about George Matsumoto at Triangle Modernist Houses.

The IBM Research Facility From Concept to Construction

About two years after leaving the School of Design for his native California, he gained a commission to build a new research center for IBM on Hillsborough Street in Downtown Raleigh.

Undated proposal for IBM Research Facility. Image courtesy of and copyright NCSU Special Collections

The plans he presented to IBM went through a few iterations, starting out with a very open curtain-wall structure similar in design to the Brooks Hall extension at NC State he designed earlier.

Proposal for IBM Research Facility, June 10, 1963. Image courtesy of and copyright NCSU Special Collections

The openness of this and his other designs went beyond ample usage of natural light — the interiors were often open as well. His philosophy is best illustrated in a letter to a client about the benefits of a modern design:

Flexibility in design and in use, strength and economy of construction, and the use of larger openings to provide better lighting and ventilation as well as a feeling of openness — all contribute to a building whose aesthetic qualities are once again integral with its structure, function, and time. [...] At the same time it will have validity and beauty and perhaps be more meaningful in our present way of life.

–George Matsumoto, 1959

Corporate Espionage and a new Facade

It appears as though he had a demanding client with IBM, as I found several unimplemented designs for the new building at the NCSU Special Collections Research Center. At the time, the company was concerned with corporate espionage and the open interior and exterior were changed a few times to give more privacy.

Undated crayon on tissue drawing for IBM Research Facility. Image courtesy of and copyright NCSU Special Collections

With each iteration, the windows became smaller and more narrow. The end result was a structure similar to the crayon on tissue drawing in the photo above. Although the final plans were different from his other projects, it was a highly functional building for the purpose it was needed for.

The Renovation, Coming Full Circle

G. Milton Small III of Small Kane Webster Conley has long been a Community Advisor for the Junior League, and his firm spent a few years trying to find the right space for their new facility.

Junior League proposal as seen from Morgan Street. Rendering courtesy of Small Kane Webster Conley.

Appreciating this assistance as well as his firm’s history with the building, the Junior League chose Small Kane Webster Conley to modernize it while staying as true to history as possible.

The same firm (then G. Milton Small and Associates) handled construction of the building in 1965.

Junior League proposal as seen from Hillsborough Street. Rendering courtesy of Small Kane Webster Conley.

The renovation proposal got a nod from Matsumoto, who had worked with G. Milton Small Jr. extensively in the late 1950s and early 60s. Milton Small III recently showed Matsumoto the design:

I was out in California two years ago for our National AIA convention, and my wife and I were coming back in from northern California. Once I figured my schedule I called George Matsumoto who lives in Oakland, and he said to come by and have coffee. The next morning we drove into Oakland and spent an hour and a half talking to George. He lives by himself, but his kids–who are in their fifties now–are there and take care of him. He has his Eames chair and lives in a wonderful little house on the hill in the forest. He thought [the new design] was a good addition.

– Milton Small III

New facade facing Hillsborough Street

The League worked with architect Brian Jones and the resulting transformation is open, new, and modern, yet is also closer to the original design and Matsumoto’s other buildings. It is a great success story in adaptive reuse.

The Junior League Today

The new Center for Community Development continues on the mission of community involvement. It also serves as affordable meeting and training space for businesses, individuals, and nonprofits.

The over 1800 members are still primarily focused on providing leadership development for women. Since 1930 they have raised over $4.8 million for the services of women and children.

If you’d like to learn more about the Junior League, please visit their web site.

New Life as a Research Facility

While the Junior League has occupied the first floor for about a year, the upper floor has been vacant. That changes in January of 2012, when Brooks Bell will operate from 711 Hillsborough Street. Design and interior work is currently taking place in advance of the move.

Brooks Bell is a company that specializes in user research and analytics. Utilizing data mining, A/B testing, and other research methods, they are able to provide companies with more effective ad and commerce campaigns.

In 2012, this modest yet historic and pretty building and the people inside will contribute toward our local economy as well as the community. Although not paired with a residential component, it is a truly mixed use space accommodating non-profits, charity, outreach, business, and leadership training.

Raleigh is incredibly lucky to have this resource which furthers society, builds leadership skills, and helps those in need.

Further Reading

• Junior League of Raleigh
• Small Kane Webster Conley
• Brooks Bell
• Previous articles tagged ‘Milton Small’

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Capital Coca Cola Bottling Company, 1941. From the Albert Barden Collection, North Carolina State Archives.

Right past the Morgan Street Bridge lies the foundation and structural artifacts of a long gone building. Looking much like the rest of the Warehouse District, the utilitarian building in the photo above was home to the Capital Coca-Cola Bottling Company. The space is now home to Men at Work Care Care Center.

Unfortunately, the only structural remains of this building are the steel support beams in the secret underground lair in the photo above.

A Small and Dark Place

These days, the only use that this hidden space sees is to provide refuge for passing travelers or the homeless.

The only object in the room was a perfectly flat and unrolled sleeping bag. I was surprised to see it in cleaner condition than when I visited it a few years ago. I’m not sure who would have spent the time to clean it up, but I’m glad they did.

The entrance to this underground lair is a small window on a briar-infested hill leading to the rail lines that cut through the Warehouse District.

the tracks that are visible from the hidden lair

Access is easy enough, but exercise caution if exploring for yourself. This is an area out of view and is likely sought out for that very purpose, in addition to its proximity to the tracks.

Coca-cola Bottling Co. on S. Wilmington Street. Date/copyright holder unknown

A Look at Coca-Cola in Raleigh

One early reference to Coca-Cola in Raleigh that I found is the undated photo above of a bottling plant located on 115 South Wilmington Street. This address is now the entrance to a parking garage and is between the Prairie Building and the block with Gravy and Sitti.

A 1916 Raleigh City Directory lists the address of 216 S. West Street for the Raleigh Coca-Cola Bottling Works. It is unknown to me what relation any of these three Coca-Cola affiliates may have had with one another.

Today, you can see a vintage painted Coca-Cola ad on the Berkeley Cafe building on Nash Square.

The area where the bottling plant was once located

So What Happened to the Building?

Raleigh Firefighting historian Mike Legeros lists a fire at this plant in 1948 as one of Raleigh’s largest, and I can’t find any record of activity here after that date. The Capital Coca-Cola Bottling Company has operated out of a location at 2200 South Wilmington Street since 1956. It’s a safe bet that a catastrophic fire spelled the end of this structure, although I’d like to know where the company was operating from in the intervening 8 years.

There are some remnants of the building, including a few brick walls, imprints in the concrete flooring, and electrical boxes such as the one in the photo above.

a medianera

You can see the outline of the building in the form of a medianera on an adjacent building left standing. You can also discern outlines in the concrete that indicate an industrial past.

These days, there is no industrial use of the area and it’s pretty quiet. During the day, you can get your car detailed by the Men at Work guys. At night, you can work out at a secret weightlifting bench next to the small cinderblock building. The large open space is now home to a couple of benches and a bird bath.

Occasionally, passing drifters catch some sleep in the hidden lair underneath this picturesque space.

Related Articles

• Echoes of an Era Past
• Like a Phoenix from the Ashes: Raleigh’s Downtown Warehouse District
• The Warehouse District From Above

UPDATE March 29

Image courtesy News & Observer Publishing Company

The Raleigh Fire Department Historical Society has this breathtaking photo of the Coca-Cola plant fire in 1948. Interestingly, you can see the building where Men at Work Car Care Center is today (lower left).

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Side Street Cafe in Oakwood

The painted advertisement on the side of a building is a rapidly fading artifact of urban life, much in the same way that entryway mosaic is a disappearing commercial art form. There seem to be fewer remaining examples in Raleigh than in other similarly-sized cities, probably due to the historical propensity to demolish rather than renovate and recycle the buildings in the city’s core.

[skip to the 6/14 update]

The Hargett Street Treasure Chest

Hargett Street is home to the largest concentration of fading painted ads. My favorite remaining example is the Raleigh Furniture Store mural above.

Aerial view of the same mural.

A puzzling ad is above Holly Aiken’s store on the corner of Hargett and Wilmington Streets. Most is unintelligible, except for the top letters which spell out Cyclone. I am unaware of what product this represented, or if it has any ties to the old G&S Department Store that was once at that location.

The Heilig-Levine Furniture Building in 2008

Chances are you’ve seen the most prominent example, the painted advert on the Heilig-Levine Building. Its location at the near center of downtown’s hot spots could make it the most memorable.

S.H. Kress & Co

Barely visible Kress mural visible from Salisbury Street

I recently spent a small amount of time wandering around downtown in tourist mode–looking up rather than straight ahead. In the process I discovered something new: Raleigh once had a Kress department store.

Kress Department Store in Asheville. Image credit: Jesse Dotson

I was familiar with the store as there is beautiful neoclassical Kress building in my hometown of Asheville. The Kress department stores were known for their unique appearance. The founder  viewed the buildings for his five-and-dime stores as works of art that beautified the urban landscape. Compared to other examples across the country, Raleigh’s Kress store seems rather plain. It is located next to the State Supreme Court Building on the corner of Morgan and Fayetteville Streets.

The Industrial Remnants

A couple of the Dillon buildings in the Warehouse District have green and yellow painted signs. The company has since relocated out of downtown.

The Melrose Knitting Mill is one of Raleigh’s few remaining former textiles buildings. Barely visible in the image above is “Melrose Knitting Mill Co.”. On the right appears to be the word “underwear”. The space is currently being transformed into a nightclub and office space.

Painting Over the Past

Image credit: Ian F.G. Dunn

As businesses relocate, go under, or simply change tastes, these artifacts get painted over. Just recently one such example was painted over on Peace Street (above).

North Carolina Equipment Building in 2007

The North Carolina Equipment Building on Hillsborough Street once had a painted rooftop sign and facade advertising the business once at the location. City ordinances once had the rooftop tractor in jeopardy when ownership of the building changed, but in the end it got to stay. Unfortunately, the original typography and colors of the business name have since been painted over.

No Longer Around

Lawyer's Building Mural, barely visible in top part of the left building

The Lawyer’s Building (former State Theater) was painted as well. It was destroyed last year to make way for the new Wake County Justice Center.

Bringing It Back

Despite the move toward vinyl or other forms of advertisement (heavily restricted by city zoning laws), there are a few who still use paint as the medium of choice. 518 West on Glenwood Avenue has a beautiful modern painted sign.

A bit more minimalist, the Oakwood Cafe sign announces it presence to motorists going down Person Street.

Lincoln Theater during an outdoor Disco Biscuits show a few years ago

The grandest example may the Lincoln Theatre, with a mural of President Lincoln driving a Lincoln automobile.

Side Street Cafe before the Coca-Cola ad was restored

Side Street Cafe after restoration

Side Street is a cozy yet spacious cafe in Oakwood, about a block away from the Governor’s Mansion. A little over a year ago the exterior got a makeover, breathing new life in to one of Raleigh’s oldest restaurants. It occupies a rather unique spot – both a historic advertisement, and in great condition.

I’m fairly certain that there are more examples of these fading ads in Raleigh. What have I missed?

June 14th Update

I missed quite a few. Below are a few historic and several contemporary examples of hand painted commercial art.

An ad for the Carolina Cafe and Coca-Cola

One particularly dated example is the Carolina Cafe above the Berkeley Cafe.

The Village Subway

Above are the painted commercial advertisements for the businesses in the Village Subway. It was an underground series of stores, music venues, and night clubs in Cameron Village that hosted national acts in the mid 70s to early 80s. Some of these included R.E.M., the Police, Pat Benetar, Dead Kennedys, and Black Flag among many others.

If you’re interested in this sort of thing, you should check out a fantastic flickr set of a series of hidden subway posters recently discovered in the London Underground.

After Sanders Ford dealership left downtown for the suburbs in the late 60s, the building sat empty  until Artspace took over in the 80s. They incorporated their logo into the historical painted one.

Clearscapes occupies a building in the warehouse district, with “Water Works Supplies” over their main entrance. Their business name was incorporated to the facade in the same style.

The image above was taken through the prototype for Thomas Sayre’s rings that are currently on the grounds of the NCMA.

Another one of the Dillon Buildings in the Warehouse District

Center Line, in the Warehouse District

Legends Night Club

42nd Street Oyster Bar

The Dive Bar

William Cozart in the Warehouse District

Related Articles

• The Lost Art of Entryway Mosaic
• Echoes of an Era Past

Further Reading

• Late 19th Century Graphic Design in Raleigh (New Raleigh)
• Up There, a documentary about hand-painted advertisements
• Fading Ad Blog

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The second annual Bee Ball hosted by the Beehive Collective is Saturday, May 22nd at the Berkeley Cafe. Last year’s event was a real hoot with some fantastic music and dapper-dressed folks, this year will be no different. Tickets are $10 and the money goes to a good cause.

More info from the Facebook event:

Join the beehive collective for our annual dance party and benefit. We’ll once again be joined by the Atomic Rhythm All Stars from 8:30 pm to 11 pm, with a DJ and dance party to follow.

You’ll also have a chance to vote for your prom royalty. Visit http://www.thebeehivecollective.org/beeball/ to check out the court and vote for your favorites.

Be sure to buy your ticket early at http://www.thebeehivecollective.org/beeball/. See you there!

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The Beehive Collective is a local non profit that’s mission “is to pollinate community giving in Raleigh and inspire young women to lead.” As part of that mission, the Collective hosted The Bee Ball: A Second Chance Prom. The event, held at The Berkeley Café, appeared to be a stunning success; filling the Café to near overflowing with a good time had by all.

(photo by John Morris)

Live music was provided by the local big band ensemble The Atomic Rhythm All Stars. The Atomic Rhythm lived up to its name, putting out solid music playing both classic standards and a wonderful rendition of the Super Mario Theme.

A pleasant couple shares a moment in the patio area.

The hula hoop girl pauses for a photograph

Two members of The Atomic Rhythm pose for a picture in between sets.

There was a plethora of photographers at the event.

While all the couples at the prom were adorable, these two definitely took the cake. They were fantastic dancers, and for some reason reminded me of the Fitzgeralds. This picture, while far from great, was the best one I got, the rest they’re just a blur with a smear of grin.

I wasted a lot of memory space trying to catch them dancing before finally asking them to pose. They told me they took horrible staged photographs, but I think any fault with this photograph is mine.

These guys were also quite wonderful. They tolerated me photographing them for far longer than most people can stand, and were really thrilled about having their picture taken. I had about half a dozen pretty good shots of them, but I think this one and the next one were my favorites.

Probably my favorite shot of the evening

By far one of the greatest outfits of the evening.

These guys were also pretty amazing dancers – the girl was one of the photographers there, and was kind enough to end with a big pause so I could catch a shot. Photographing dancers in the dark without a flash is always an interesting experiment.

Two more members of The Atomic Rhythm.

A dapper gentleman. This guys outfit was really sharp.

Music in between sets was provided by DJ Drew Diggle.

Another wonderful pair

I’m not quite sure I ever understood what was going on here…

Lori, Reagan, and David Millsaps, Publisher of New Raleigh

The Atomic Rhythm (photo by John Morris)

The evening early on (photo by John Morris)

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Eric S., aka Surge, hosts the show on Afterhours on Wednesdays from ten until midnight. Each show he plays one of two almost completely opposite genres: 80s house or liquid funk drum and bass.

GNR: You must be one of only a handful of radio DJs that exclusively use vinyl. In an era where more and more DJs are switching over to CDJs and using MP3s, what is it about vinyl that you love?

S: I love the sound that comes off the vinyl. CDs and MP3s have a metallic tone that’s just not as full in terms of the sound that’s produced compared to vinyl. Every DJ has their own preference, and most of the time it really depends on the DJ’s musical ear.

The other thing about vinyl that I love is the control it offers. CDs/MP3s and CDJs don’t allow for the DJ to come in direct contact with the track as is the case with vinyl. So with a lack of contact, you lose a little bit of control in terms of beatmatching.

GNR: Have you ever played sets other than drum and bass and 80s house on your radio show?

S: Right now I strictly play dnb and 80s house sets. I’ve been interested in moving into other genres like techno and gabber for a while, so I might add some genres to my repertoire before I sign off and begin producing only recorded and live sets upon request.

GNR: How often do you perform at Switch (Tuesday night drum and bass at The Berkeley)? Do you ever try and introduce 80s house to that scene?

S: I perform at Switch once in a blue moon, if you know what I mean. There are so many dnb DJs out there that the “DJ market” is really quite flooded at the moment, so trying to break the pattern and introduce 80s House like I have been is tough to do.

GNR: How long have you been a part of Afterhours on KNC?

S: I’ve been a part of Afterhours at WKNC since 2001. I started training with DJ Spunky, but I never really started spinning vinyl until 2003. By then I had made some friends that DJ’d vinyl, so finding equipment/records was never really a problem, and some of my friends were willing to give away their old records.

Starting out, there was never really anybody there to show me how to DJ, which made things really difficult, since I started out not really knowing vinyl was still being sold. When it comes to mixing, I consider myself a self-taught DJ.

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From left to right: Julia Demarre, and Allyn Stewart, Avi Wenger (author of the performance), Katherine Myers, Ronnie Ruedrich, and David Sedaris

The cast of  “Openings Windows and Passages” peering up from the floor of Lot 13 in this promo shot by Mark Herdter in 1979.

Just as Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street is currently undergoing a Renaissance, likewise is the city’s old industrial warehouse district located between downtown and the railroad tracks. New housing units intermingle with nightclubs; lofts are filling long empty warehouse spaces; and it is emerging as a focus of downtown nightlife. The warehouse district is awaking from the long slumber it had fallen into after the hustle and bustle of its industrial glory days had faded.

The freight depot between Cabarrus and Davie in 1971.

The freight depot today.

For more than half a century, and well into the 1950s, the warehouse district bustled with activity. It was the home of many rail-dependent industries such as machine shops, foundries, ice plants, coal yards, oil and feed mills, and bottling plants. And of course, there were the warehouses — dozens of them!

This is the old Capital City Ice and Coal plant at the corner of W. Hargett and the train tracks.

This is a view of the warehouses behind the ice plant being torn down in 1972.

When I was a freshman at N.C. State in 1970, I moved into my first apartment in the old Page House in Boylan Heights. If I needed to go downtown for anything, I made my way along the Martin Street viaduct. The bridge spanned the tracks and rail yards from Boylan Avenue to West Street, and deposited you right into the middle of the warehouse district. By that time, however, Dillon Supply and Peden Steel dominated the area. Their massive brick buildings exuded a lonely drabness, which in my young mind I associated with the Soviet Union. It wasn’t a place you wanted to linger, and certainly not to pass through at night. Nevertheless, it wasn’t long before I was beguiled by the rail yards, empty buildings and architectural curiosities. With my trusty Kodak in tow, I set out to explore the area. I explored a long-closed ice plant and the adjoining frame and brick warehouses, and investigated the underground chambers of a burned out Civil War era warehouse. I discovered a “secret” entrance to the catacombs beneath the old Coca Cola bottling plant and, accompanied by a friend, explored that dark and scary place. For just plain fun we would sometimes hop a slow-moving string of railcars for a short trip through the switching yard.

This is how the Martin Street viaduct looked in 1971. It was originally built in 1913.

This is the 2008 view. The viaduct is no more, but notice how much the skyline has changed!

Part of the train switching yard with some of the warehouses surrounding Lot 13 on the left.

Raleigh’s Contemporary Art Museum at night– CAM

Long before CAM came onto the scene, the warehouse district was a magnet for many of Raleigh’s artists and designers. At least by the late ‘70s, the area was attracting the avant garde art crowd and artistic endeavors such as performances and installations were experimented with. One of the sites used was the Civil War warehouse lot. Only two walls were then standing above ground level and the exposed concrete floor. This site was reborn as Lot 13. Beginning in 1978 a friend created a series of installations there. One of these involved fabricating a mock steel truss modeled after that of the old Boylan Ave. bridge, which was within sight of Lot 13. It was constructed of black-painted 2×4s mounted high up on the wall, and was visible from the bridge itself. The truss remained there for many years afterward. In 1979 in an empty warehouse adjacent to Lot 13, another artist friend staged a performance piece he called “Openings Windows and Passages.” Among the cast of that troupe was a young David Sedaris, now author extraordinaire.

This is a night time view of the only remaining portion of the Civil War era warehouse, aka lot 13.

The early 1980s saw the William-Cozart woodshop and sales gallery on S. Harrington Street, and Anthony Ulinski’s Dovetail fine woodwork on Commerce Street enter the scene. Both are still in their original locations.

John Dancy-Jones relocated his Paper Plant bookstore to W. Martin Street in 1985. It was a popular venue among the Raleigh art crowd of the time and featured Thursday night poetry readings, among other events. John invited artists to show their work in the Paper Plant gallery and the associated Sunday afternoon receptions became a mainstay. I remember two events at the Paper Plant that stand out in particular: One was an installation by artist Ron Ridgeway called The Buddah Wall and the other was a pefrormance piece by Clyde Smith and Ginny Webb. Way in the back of the Paper Plant was a dark and windowless room, on the walls of which Ron painted hundreds of small Buddah figures. Lit by candlelight, the effect was rather eerie. I wonder if it is still there today. The performance piece was acted out in the front window of the shop. I don’t remember too many details of the piece itself, but I’ll never forget the look on John’s face as he contemplated the real possibility of the two performers crashing through the plate glass window! Photographer Doug Van de Zande opened his studio next door to the Paper Plant about 1987. He was renowned not only for his artistic photographs but for his annual Halloween bashes, as well. His studio is still in the warehouse district, having moved over to S. McDowell Street 10 or so years ago. Thomas Sayre established his sculpture studio above the Paper Plant by the late 1980s, joined by architect Steve Schuster.

Bill Hickman ran his metal sculpture studio out of a warehouse on S. West Street for a number of years in the early ’90s. Fine artist Nancy Baker operated the Tire Shop Gallery and studio on S. Dawson from the mid to late ’90s. And architect Kurt Eichenberger opened his business in a remaining section of the old Allen Foundry complex about this time, too.

These days the warehouse district is becoming known as a burgeoning urban nightclub scene. Ever since a low-end live music venue, the Embers Club on W. Davie Street burned down in 1970, the area had been devoid of any nightlife at all. Then the The Berkeley opened on W. Martin in the mid ‘80s. To quote a friend: The Berkeley “absolutely pioneered alternative culture in 1980s downtown Raleigh.” Around this time, too, the granddaddy of Raleigh’s gay clubs, The Capital Corral (aka C.C.s) opened its doors. On the fringe of the warehouse district were the short-lived Culture Club on W. Morgan and the raucous Fallout Shelter (aka the Fall Down Shelter) on S. West.

So, what goes around comes around, I guess. And although its glory days as a zone of industrial activity are no more, the warehouse district is certainly rising from those ashes as a center of downtown Raleigh’s arts and club scene — not without thanks to those early visionary urban pioneers who were willing to take a chance.

300 block of W. Martin St. in 1973. The Paper Plant later occupied the storefront in the left center of this view.

Same view a few nights ago. Not much has changed, has it?

Raleigh’s skyline as seen from the rail yards in 1971.

Raleigh’s skyline as seen from the rail yards in 2008.

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217 W Martin St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 821-0777
Get directions

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