May is just around the corner, bringing Preservation Month and this year’s theme, “Power of Place,” which highlights how preservation enriches our communities. Building on the response to our inaugural “Places in Peril” (PIP) initiative launched in 2024, Preservation Raleigh is expanding our efforts for 2025.
Earlier this month, we asked for your help identifying endangered historic properties, and we thank everyone who submitted a nomination for our 2025 PIPs.
April has also been a time for sharing updates on our original 2024 PIPs across our social media channels. Read below for those updates, or visit our Facebook or Instagram pages.
Now, based on your submissions, we’ve curated a list of eight new Places in Peril for 2025. Throughout the upcoming month of May, we’ll feature these newly identified sites on our blog and social media. This brings our total focus to sixteen important and endangered Raleigh properties this year.
PIP Updates, April 2025:
The Brimley-Upchurch House, 313 East Cabarrus Street
Why it made the 2024 list: For many years, the house has been vacant and deteriorating, and was lacking plans for preservation. Learn more about this house in our original article: https://preservationraleigh.org/…/05/16/312-east-cabarrus/
Update (April 2025): Promising news for the Brimley-Upchurch House. In March of this year, Steel Projects purchased the house with plans for a full rehabilitation! Steele Projects Company has restored numerous structures in the area including First Vanguard Presbyterian Church and the Charles A. Haywood House. We hope to see work begin in the next several months.
Char-Grill and Elmwood
Why they made the 2024 list: These two adjacent landmarks, the iconic “Googie” style Char-Grill and the historic antebellum Elmwood house, were designated ‘in peril’ due to significant development pressure. The parcels they occupy have been rezoned for a 20-story tower, threatening the existence of the Char-Grill in its current form and requiring the relocation of the Elmwood house. Original article: https://preservationraleigh.org/…/10/chargrillelmwoodpip/
Update (April 2025): Here’s the latest on Char-Grill and Elmwood:
CHAR-GRILL
The Char-Grill, a 1960’s style fast-food take-out restaurant, is for sale again with Trademark Properties after developer Wilson/Blount, under contract to buy the parcel, backed out because of rising interest rates.
“Googie” is the style of Postwar Optimism, with its Futuristic, space-age look, loud signs, and dramatic rooflines to grab the attention of people driving by. The development was marketed as “one of the last remaining development opportunities in Glenwood South.” The 20-story tower zoning allows 507 residential units, 65,000 square feet of retail, and 356,000 square feet of office space. Raleigh’s downtown market is soft now and the value of the property has come down, but the owners emphasized that if they got a good offer they would take it. Wilson/Blount had pledged to incorporate a new Char-Grill into the ground floor, but when the parcel sells, current owners plan to rebuild the restaurant somewhere else downtown.
In 1960, Snow Associates, Raleigh architects and engineers, designed the Modernist restaurant for original owner Bruce Garner. Garner and later, his son-in-law, ran the restaurant. Current owners bought it in 1979 and have operated it since then.
Char-Grill will be selling its delicious charburgers, french fries, coffee and shakes for the foreseeable future. Drive on over to Raleigh’s last “Googie” fast food destination and stand under the kooky convex/concave canopy to place your order while looking up at the new towers around you. Preservation Raleigh Inc. wants to preserve the cultural vibe of this historic fabric when the popular take-out spot runs out of time.
ELMWOOD, 16 North Boylan Avenue:
The stately antebellum home, built in the 1810s, is in its third century at its original location facing Hillsborough Street. Its time is running out. Along with the Char-Grill located in front of it, these two Raleigh landmarks occupy several parcels that have been rezoned for a 20-story tower. Attorneys William and Cathryn Little, owners of Elmwood, operate their law office there. The pre-Civil War landmark, on a busy downtown street, its attorneys’ shingle hanging outside, has a quintessential Southern charm.
But old Raleigh is in its biggest transformation since the 1950s, and Elmwood must be moved to make way for a high-rise future. Raleigh developer Wilson/Blount was under contract to buy the land where Elmwood and Char-Grill are located, but withdrew from the agreement last year. The rezoning for a 20-story tower allows 507 residential units, 65,000 square feet of retail, and 356,000 square feet of office space. The zoning is contingent upon relocation of the house. The property is back on the market.
Preservation Raleigh Inc. considers the rescue of this significant treasure to be a top priority. Elmwood is one of a handful of pre-Civil War residences located on their original sites in inner-city Raleigh. This reprieve is only temporary. We need the support of Raleigh citizens who value our historic legacy to help us find a new place for this ancient home.
Richard B. Harrison Library
Why it made the 2024 list: This architecturally significant library (designed by Milton Small Jr.) and culturally important site faced vulnerability due to surrounding development pressure from upzoning along the future New Bern Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. Concerns included its lack of protective designation and potential demolition or relocation. Original article: https://preservationraleigh.org/2024/05/14/harrison-library/
Update (April 2025): GREAT NEWS regarding the Richard B. Harrison Library!
The good news is that Harrison Library is no longer a Place in Peril!! Last year the city of Raleigh upzoned parcels on New Bern Avenue to allow for high density development along the first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line to be built in Raleigh. (Link: https://raleighnc.gov/…/serv…/what-bus-rapid-transit-brt )
PRI fretted about the survival of historic Harrison Library, built in 1968 from a design by Raleigh’s premier mid-century modern architect Milton Small Jr. It is one of the few surviving examples of Small’s work, and one of his most important because it signifies Raleigh’s commitment to the Black community during the segregated Jim Crow era. There was talk about moving the library to the now vacant Department of Motor Vehicles ( (DMV) site. The Raleigh Historic Development Commission sent a letter to Wake County’s Library Commission to declare their intention to landmark the library, owned by the county. Commissioner Adamson, liaison to the Library Commission, concurred that the county also wants to landmark the library. Thanks to the passage of the Wake County Public Libraries referendum last November, Richard B. Harrison will receive public funding for a rehabilitation.
The pristine modernist building, heavily used by the community, has a lot of deferred maintenance that needs to be addressed. Library staff anticipate the renovation and believe that it will include a new interior layout and new furniture. This community icon of east Raleigh will be updated to function as a community center along the new rapid transit bus line corridor.
Prince Hall Historic Overlay District
Why it made the 2024 list: Since its designation in 2012 as Raleigh’s first Black and mixed-use historic overlay district, Prince Hall has faced relentless pressure from developers and the one law firm they employ, determined to chip away at the district’s integrity. Despite strong pushback from preservation advocates, Council-appointed boards, and the community, City Council has de-designated 25 parcels–including 13 contributing historic structures to make way for speculative development, nearly all occurring since 2022. Once capped at roughly three stories, heights for rezoned parcels now allow upwards of 30-stories, situated directly adjacent to one and two-story historic structures. These rezonings resulted in the loss of historic, architectural, and cultural assets from the district’s protective boundary, and include the former Haywood Funeral Home, Cumbo’s Barber Shop, and the Rogers-Bagley Daniels-Pegues and Charles Frazier houses, both significant to the history of Shaw University. Driven by targeted development campaigns as opposed to the loss of historic value, these removals have weakened the district’s integrity and emboldened speculative development, placing not only every remaining historic resource within Prince Hall at risk, but every other historic overlay district.
Update (April 2025):
In response to developer interests, City Council launched an unprecedented review of Prince Hall’s boundaries and future in 2023. In October 2024, they removed yet another parcel for a planned 7-story hotel, against the recommendations of Council appointed boards, the State of North Carolina, and preservation advocates. Since then however? Silence.
But something powerful is happening on the ground.
A once-quiet and underutilized corner is now a vibrant hub thanks to Little Native Coffee Co., which brought new life to a former shoe shop and subsequent salon at 426 S. Person Street. Their success has expanded to include the Littlest Shoppe and the Littlest Tea
Room—welcoming a steady stream of both neighbors and visitors alike—as well as a small outdoor market with performers on the patio many weekends.
With numerous opportunities for thoughtful and sensitive infill, the district’s remaining vacant lots hold so much potential—a plethora of unique opportunities for creative development that adds much-needed density while maintaining, preserving, and enhancing our precious historic fabric. In late 2024, City Council authorized the sale of two of their vacant parcels to Habitat for Humanity for a small, affordable, multi-unit development, demonstrating that a historic overlay district can meet both housing needs and preservation goals.
This is proof: our historic places matter. They anchor communities, inspire and facilitate connection, and fuel creativity.
Read the 2024 article here: https://preservationraleigh.org/…/prince-hall-historic…/
The Beckwith-Farlow House (412 North Wilmington Street)
Why it made the 2024 list:
This state-owned property faced an uncertain future with no clear preservation plan, leaving it vulnerable despite its historical significance. https://preservationraleigh.org/…/beckwith-farlow-house/
Update (April 2025):
Here’s the latest on the Beckwith-Farlow House:
Unfortunately, the situation has become more precarious.
Despite accepting an offer on this property in 2009, as of April 2025, the State Properties Office has failed to close on the sale, and in fact, re-listed the surplus property for sale in March of 2025 for $100,000; structure only, and on the condition it be moved.
Repeated attempts by the original accepted purchaser, Preservation Raleigh, and other concerned citizens to contact the SPO regarding this situation have received no response to date.
The accepted offer to purchase included the vacant state owned lot on the SW corner of Polk and Blount St. The recent sales information does not include a lot for relocation and at $100,000 is likely to doom the structure to the wrecking ball unless the City, the State, preservationists and other interested parties prevail upon the state to honor its 2009 agreement. Doing so would make this a win-win situation. The State would be relieved of a surplus property, the Blount Street streetscape would enjoy the replacement of a beautiful structure on a long vacant and unused parking lot, Raleigh’s tax base would grow, and Raleigh’s history and cultural heritage would be honored.
The E.B. Bain Water Treatment Plant
Why it made the 2024 list: Despite its designation as a Raleigh Historic Landmark and listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the Bain Plant’s prolonged vacancy and the significant challenge of finding a suitable adaptive reuse project placed its future in question. https://preservationraleigh.org/…/bain-water-treatment…/
Update (April 2025): Here’s the latest on the E.B. Bain Water Treatment Plant: There has been no change to the ownership or situation of the plant since last year. This unique Art Moderne structure remains privately owned by Empire Properties of Raleigh and is protected by historic covenants. Extensive work is required to adapt the building for a new use, and Empire Properties continues to offer the property for lease or sale on their website, seeking a tenant or developer to rehabilitate it into retail, office, or another use that activates this “hidden gem.” While the building awaits its next chapter, it remains vacant and in need of significant investment for adaptive reuse.
The Royster House (121 S. Boylan Ave.)
Why it made the 2024 list: This site was designated as in peril due to development pressures. Original article: https://preservationraleigh.org/2024/05/07/121-sboylan/
Update (April 2025): While the Royster House remains threatened, Raleigh preservation groups continue to advocate for its survival.
In January of 2024 an Administrative Site Review was approved for construction of a 20-story mixed use development on this and two neighboring parcels. While this is an early step in the development process and the developer has agreed to allow the house to be moved, time is still running short.
Earlier last year, The Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood (SPHO) set out to find a home for the structure. A city-owned lot at the corner of Morson and East Street had great potential, but the SPHO was sadly outbid.
Both Preservation Raleigh and SPHO continue in their efforts to find a suitable location for the house.
The Ligon House, 573 E. Lenoir Street
Why it made the 2024 list: Faced the threat of demolition or continued deterioration due to neglect.
Original article: https://preservationraleigh.org/2024/05/30/ligon-house/
Update (April 2025): We reported on the Ligon House in May of last year, and sadly, there have been no efforts to stabilize, renovate, or move the house. The current owner of the house is Ashkan Hosseini with Hoss Holdings. In talks with the RHDC in 2021, he indicated that he hoped to save the house by moving it to a lot at the corner of Bloodworth Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Preservation Raleigh is asking our followers to encourage him to follow through on this plan before it’s too late.