The former Hellenic Orthodox Church, located at 211 S. Person Street by Moore Square, stands as a tangible link to an important part of Raleigh’s early immigrant history. Completed in April 1938, it served as the first purpose-built sanctuary for Raleigh’s Greek community. While the parish outgrew the chapel and relocated to Lead Mine Road in the 1970s, their former home remains a solitary survivor of Moore Square’s pre-war eastern edge.
A Heritage Built from Nickels
The roots of Raleigh’s Greek community reach back to the late 19th century. Gus Vurnakes, recognized as the first Greek immigrant to settle in the city, arrived in 1885 and opened the California Fruit Store on Fayetteville Street the following year. More Greek families soon followed, making North Carolina’s capital their home and establishing businesses across downtown. Among them were the Russo and Saparilas families; Pota Vurnakes and her husband George Vallas, who founded National Art Interiors in 1944; Nick Dombalis, who opened the Mecca Restaurant in 1930; and George and Mary Charles, founders of The Roast Grill restaurant, along with many others.
For Raleigh’s small but growing Greek community, the church quickly became a social, cultural, and religious anchor. In the 1920s, parishioners worshipped in rented rooms on South Salisbury and South Blount Streets, including a space above a grocery store in City Market. As the community became more established, they sought a permanent home. Roughly two dozen families pooled $4,665, modest gifts that averaged just $12.60, and purchased a lot across from City Market. By the 1930s, they had begun building a church of their own.
Once the structure was completed in 1937, the parishioners, guided by Reverend George Stefanis, worked to finish the interior. This included a beautifully hand-carved iconostasis, a traditional Orthodox screen adorned with religious icons that divides a nave from a church’s sanctuary. Purchased by Raleigh Rescue Mission in 1972 and rededicated as the “Open Door Chapel” in 1978, the building currently serves the downtown community as the W.E. Mangum Children’s Development Center, and is operated by the Mission.
Preservation Concerns
The chapel now faces significant pressure from impending high-density development. This includes the City of Raleigh’s “Moore Square East” project, which proposes to redevelop adjacent city-owned parcels as a mix of affordable and market-rate housing. While this project aims to meet critical housing needs, the entire block has been rezoned to allow for heights between 12 and 20 stories, including the parcel where the chapel stands.
Despite its historical and cultural value, the former Hellenic Orthodox Church currently lacks formal protections:
- It is not included in the Moore Square National Register Historic District.
- It is absent from Raleigh Historic Landmark designation.
- It is not listed on the RHDC “Places Worthy of Preservation” list.
- It is outside the boundaries of the Moore Square Historic Overlay District.
Following the structure fire and recent demolition of 306 E. Hargett St., this chapel is the last remaining vestige within what was once a densely-developed community. Without intervention, the significant cultural history it represents will vanish as the block transitions to modern mid-rise and high-rise development.
How You Can Help
Preservation Raleigh is advocating for the protection of 211 S. Person Street to ensure its historic and cultural value remains part of the city’s evolving landscape.
- Request Historic Recognition: Reach out to the Raleigh Historic Development Commission (RHDC) to advocate for the building’s inclusion on the “Places Worthy of Preservation” list.
- Engage with City Planning: Monitor Moore Square East redevelopment project updates, and participate in public comment opportunities by emphasizing the importance of preserving both the last trace of the streetscape’s pre-war character and this key link to Raleigh’s Greek immigrant history. Just as the preservation and adaptive reuse of the historic Esso station across from Moore Square on E. Martin Street is a required component to the redevelopment plans of that block, so too should the preservation and adaptive reuse of the Hellenic Orthodox Church. Preservation Raleigh strongly believes that incorporating historically and culturally significant resources makes for more compelling redevelopments.
- Support Local History: Share this article to raise awareness about the immigrant communities that helped build Raleigh’s downtown.
Further Resources
- Raleigh Moore Square East Redevelopment Plan
- History of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
- https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/holy-trinity-greek-orthodox-church-raleigh/
- https://www.raleighrescue.org/our-solution/childrens-new-life-plan
- https://www.facebook.com/RaleighRescue/photos
- https://cef.my.salesforce-sites.com/apex/resource?id=001U000001YTrKfIAL
- https://raleighnc.gov/planning/services/raleigh-historic-landmarks-rhl
- ‘Places Worthy of Preservation’ list.
- Moore Square Historic District https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/WA0192.pdf#:~:text=The%20small%20Greek,the%20larger%20and%20more%20impressive
- https://www.ncpedia.org/listening-to-history/vallas-pota
- https://hellenicgenealogygeek.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-greeks-of-raleigh-north-carolina.html
- Raleigh City Museum, “Businesses That Built Raleigh,” 2001.