Briggs Hardware Building

This four story historic building is an iconic part of Fayetteville Street. Built in 1874, the Hardware Store (owned by Thomas H Briggs and his family) became known as Raleigh's first "skyscraper". Thanks to extensive preservation efforts by the Briggs family, the building still looks much like it did when it was built. The contrast of red brick and light accents is typical of the Victorian Gothic style. Since the building was flanked on either side by similarly structured buildings, the Briggs hardware store was built with an opening in the center of the building that goes up to windows on the rooftop. Having no windows on the sides of the building made this skylight a necessity in the days before electricity.

After the building's completion, a legend began to circulate about how Thomas Briggs was able to afford such a nice building following the Civil War. Legend stated that Briggs converted his Confederate money into gold and silver coins, hiding it around the city prior to the Union occupation of Raleigh in 1865. After the troops left, Briggs was said to have spent some time searching for his hidden fortune, using it to build his hardware store when he found it.

Briggs Hardware served the city from this building until 1995, when the store moved to a new location. The new store is still owned and operated by the Briggs family. Presently, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is home to the Raleigh City Museum.

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Introduction

While out shopping a few weeks ago, TJ and I came across a book called Remembering Raleigh. It’s a collection of historic photos of places around Raleigh, from the late 1800s through the 1960s. As we were looking through the book, we thought it would be cool to check out the same spots shown in the book to see how places have changed over the years. And so, our latest project, “Presently Exploring the Past”, was born. We’ve set out to find the places featured in the book, and try to recreate the photos of what is in those same locations now. Each post will feature the photo from the book, our photo, an overlay of the old and new pictures together, and a little history about the location. Please feel free to leave your comments!