The Second–and Forgotten–Location of The Raleigh Times
Chances are you’re familiar with what is arguably the most prominent icon of downtown Raleigh’s resurgence: The Raleigh Times Bar. You may also be familiar with the namesake of that bar, The Raleigh Times, which served as the city’s afternoon newspaper for more than 100 years, spanning the period from 1879 until 1989. What you may not be familiar with is the building the paper occupied after it moved in 1920 from its original home on Hargett St. The second Raleigh Times is located on W. Martin Street, facing Nash Square.
Historical photograph by Barden, Ellington’s Studio, Raleigh, N.C.
To accomodate its expanding operations, the building pictured above was built in 1920 specifically for the afternoon daily. The Raleigh Times was headquartered here and ran its presses at this location until 1955, when the News & Observer bought them out and folded the paper’s operations into their own.
In 1959 the building was vacant, but by 1962 the N.C. Farm Bureau was occupying the space. It was probably around this time the original façade was covered with the Modernist version that now adorns it. In terms of construction, it occupies a very unique niche: early 20th century commercial style, coupled with a mid-century modernist street-front façade.
The Farm Bureau remained there for many years. Currently, this building, the forgotten Raleigh Times, serves as leased office space for various tenants. Adjacent to it is the former Western Union building, where Taz will soon open up his fourth corner market.
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01/29/2009
Ah yes . . . “Evening hours are reading hours.” I delivered the Times on my bike for a short while in the early ’70s. A fun after school job.
01/30/2009
If anyone wants to see how the modernist facade on the former Raleigh Times building looks in the daytime, go to this recent post on New Raleigh http://www.newraleigh.com/articles/archive/taz-to-convert-downtown-western-union-to-store/
As you can see, the panels are painted a blah beige. As I recall, during the Farm Bureau’s tenure they were a bright blue, similar to those on the Garland Jones Office Building just up Martin St. and on the Brooks Hall studio-classroom annex on the NC State Campus.
06/04/2011
I had two routes for the Raleigh Times – the late afternoon run was ‘way out on the highway, past the Ralston Purina plant. The other was ‘way out on another highway, out past King’s Department Store, and a golf driving range.
The busiest day ever, needless to say, was the day JFK was assassinated. We paperboys were told to get our routes done ASAP (not difficult, because school dismissed early that day). I was dropped off in a neighborhood that was totally strange to me, across from a church that had burned down part-way the previous month. The supervisor dropped me off with four bundles of newspapers (200 copies) that sold for a nickel each. Within two hour I asked to use a telephone and begged for another five or ten bundles. That was a terrible day – but lots of us paperboys made what seemed like a ton of money.
06/07/2011
My father was a pressman at the TIMES around 1955.
02/06/2012
I worked in display advertising with Geo. Hooks as my boss in 1953=54 at The Raleigh Times. Then I went to Ivy-Taylor as Advertising Director and my boss was Mr. Thomas. The good old days………