Briggs Hardware Building
Encyclopedia
The Briggs Hardware Building is a four story historic building in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina
built in 1874 by Thomas Briggs to house his family-owned hardware store. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Currently the building is home to the Raleigh City Museum
, and is owned by a joint group of non-profit organizations.
". It would remain the tallest building in Raleigh for the next 33 years.
Briggs Hardware would continue to serve the city from this location until 1995 when the store finally moved to a new location outside of downtown. The hardware store is still owned and operated by the family to this day.
Soon after the building was completed, a legend
circulated about how Thomas Briggs was able to afford to build such a large and elaborate building following the Civil War
. The legend claimed that sometime prior to the Union
occupation of Raleigh in 1865, Briggs converted all of his Confederate
money into gold and silver coins. He then took the coins, stuffed them into pipes, found a distinctive grove of trees, and buried the money to prevent Union soldiers from stealing the money. When the soldiers arrived in Raleigh they set up camp near the grove of trees and cut them down. After the troops left, Briggs allegedly spent the next few years searching for his money. When he finally found the coins, he used the money to build his new hardware store.
was housed here, as well as a Lutheran church congregation, the Raleigh Little Theater and offices of a number of attorneys and insurance companies.
The front facade of the building displays an example of the lively architectural taste of the mid-to-late 19th century. The contrast of red brick with light accents was a favorite of the high Victorian Gothic style. The hoods and drip molds over the windows are medieval in style, while the tall, bracketed cornice
shows the influence of the Italianate.
The building is four stories tall with a basement running below wooden floors. The original wood floors remain in the building.
The building runs the entire length of one city block (between Fayetteville & Salisbury Streets) and is surrounded on either side by two similarly long buildings. The result is a long narrow interior with no side windows. In the center of the building is an opening going up to windows on the roof-top that serves as a skylight for all four above-ground floors. The absence of windows along the side of the building made this skylight opening a necessity in 1874 when there was no electricity
.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
built in 1874 by Thomas Briggs to house his family-owned hardware store. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Currently the building is home to the Raleigh City Museum
Raleigh City Museum
The Raleigh City Museum is a local history museum associated with Raleigh, North Carolina. The museum is located in the historic Briggs Hardware Building on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh and has a number of exhibits and programs that are free to the public.- History :The Raleigh City...
, and is owned by a joint group of non-profit organizations.
Briggs Hardware
In the 1850s Thomas H. Briggs opened his hardware store on Fayetteville Street with partner James Dodd. The partnership with Dodd ended in 1868 and the store became Thomas H. Briggs & Sons. Business was good and in 1874 Briggs was able to construct a new building for the family business. The new building stood at four stories and was called Raleigh's first "skyscraperSkyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
". It would remain the tallest building in Raleigh for the next 33 years.
Briggs Hardware would continue to serve the city from this location until 1995 when the store finally moved to a new location outside of downtown. The hardware store is still owned and operated by the family to this day.
The legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
circulated about how Thomas Briggs was able to afford to build such a large and elaborate building following the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The legend claimed that sometime prior to the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
occupation of Raleigh in 1865, Briggs converted all of his Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
money into gold and silver coins. He then took the coins, stuffed them into pipes, found a distinctive grove of trees, and buried the money to prevent Union soldiers from stealing the money. When the soldiers arrived in Raleigh they set up camp near the grove of trees and cut them down. After the troops left, Briggs allegedly spent the next few years searching for his money. When he finally found the coins, he used the money to build his new hardware store.
Additional Uses
While the lower floors were used for hardware sales, the building’s upper levels saw a variety of uses over the years. In the 1890s, the Oak City Guard rented space for drill practice. Later, the city’s first YMCAYMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
was housed here, as well as a Lutheran church congregation, the Raleigh Little Theater and offices of a number of attorneys and insurance companies.
Building description
Thanks to the Briggs family and preservation efforts the building looks today much as it did when it was first built.The front facade of the building displays an example of the lively architectural taste of the mid-to-late 19th century. The contrast of red brick with light accents was a favorite of the high Victorian Gothic style. The hoods and drip molds over the windows are medieval in style, while the tall, bracketed cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
shows the influence of the Italianate.
The building is four stories tall with a basement running below wooden floors. The original wood floors remain in the building.
The building runs the entire length of one city block (between Fayetteville & Salisbury Streets) and is surrounded on either side by two similarly long buildings. The result is a long narrow interior with no side windows. In the center of the building is an opening going up to windows on the roof-top that serves as a skylight for all four above-ground floors. The absence of windows along the side of the building made this skylight opening a necessity in 1874 when there was no electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
.