New W.N.A.O. — Radio and Television Center
This week for Flashback Friday we feature another classic 1950s-era photochrome postcard. It depicts the studio building of Raleigh’s first television station — WNAO-TV. We will also explore the building’s previous life as a swank 1940s-era night club.
New W.N.A.O — Radio and Television Center
Housing the Carolina’s Largest T.V. Studios
Located at 2128 Western Blvd.
Raleigh, North Carolina
It is bordered by N.C. State College — The N.C. State School for the Blind — and Beautiful Pullen Park
No message on our card this week, so let’s get right to it!
On July 13, 1953, Raleigh’s first television station, WNAO-TV, went on the air. The station moved into the repurposed former Club Bon Air at 2128 Western Blvd. The dedication of the new station was attended by various local dignitaries, including the mayor of Raleigh, Durham’s mayor pro-tem, and Sir Walter Television Co. and station executives.  The N&O reported that:
WNAO-TV may be seen over Channel 28, and regular programs, including some of the nation’s top shows, will be telecast from 5 p.m. until midnight seven days a week. — The News & Observer, July 13, 1953
WNAO-TV was owned by The News & Observer, which also owned WNAO Radio (1949). Durham’s WTVD television station began broadcasting in September 1954, and Raleigh’s second TV station, WRAL, aired its first programs December 15, 1956.
WNAO-TV used UHF transmission. In those days UHF broadcasts were unviewable without a special antenna adaptor. Even with one, the picture was frequently indistinct. Now whether this issue was a factor, coupled with air-time competition from the area’s other two local stations, I don’t know, but WNAO folded at the end of 1957; The News & Observer sold WNAO Radio the following year, and the newspaper opted to abandon broadcasting all together.
Before It Was WNAO-TV Studios
Nick Bougades and his business partner Gus Matinos, recent Greek immigrants to Raleigh in the 1940s, bought a small triangle of land on Western Blvd. at the juncture of  Ashe Ave., Bilyeu St. and (old) Avent Ferry Rd. in 1946. That year the pair opened Raleigh’s first night club — Club Bon Air. To house this post-WW II concept in adult entertainment, Bougades and Matinos erected a stylish Art Moderne building on the site. It featured many of the hallmarks of the style, including a curved entryway, ‘streamlined’ architectural detailing and lots of glass-block windows .
State Archives of North Carolina photo
This is how the stylish Club Bon Air appeared in 1946.Â
Included among the amenities of the Club Bon Air were a restaurant, private meeting rooms, a well-stocked bar, a dance floor and a small parking lot. Big Band, swing and jazz bands often played the Club Bon Air.
State Archives of North Carolina photo
This photo shows a view of the (unstocked)Â art moderne-styled bar of the Club Bon Air in 1946.
By 1950, the hey-day of the Club Bon Air had passed, as Nick Bougades (without partner Gus Matinos) was billing the former night spot as simply the “Bon Air Restaurant.” Within a year, Bougades left Raleigh.
The former Bon Air again saw action in 1951 as the Club Carlyle, but the revival was brief, and by 1952 that night club had also closed.
Following its occupancy by WNAO-TV 1953-1957, the building lay vacant. In 1959 the Town and Country Furniture store took possession of 2128 Western Blvd.
On an early Sunday morning in February 1964, flames were reported issuing from Town and Country Furniture. Within just a few hours, the iconic building had burned to the ground. In its news account of the fire, the N&O reported that “the two-story cinder block building [had been] constructed some 15 years ago and was opened as the Club Bon Air, a plush supper club.” (The News & Observer, Feb. 24, 1964)
Thus, was the end of an era.
Our Flashback Friday ‘Lusterchrome’ postcard this week was published by the Raleigh News Agency, and was printed by Tichnor Brothers, Inc. of Boston, MA.
Tichnor Brothers, Inc.  (1912-1987) 160 N. Washington Street, Boston and Cambridge, MA
A major publisher and printer of a wide variety of postcards types. Their view-cards were produced on a national level.
Their photochomes went under the trade name Lusterchrome. They also produced an early Tichnor Gloss series in offset lithography that was so heavily retouched they floated somewhere between being artist drawn and being a photograph. The company was sold in 1987 to Paper Majic.
“Flashback Friday†is a weekly feature of Goodnight, Raleigh! in which we showcase vintage postcards depicting our historic capital city. We hope you enjoy this week end treat!
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07/19/2013
Was this building on the lot that now has the old Circle K/convenience store at the corner of Ashe and Western?
07/19/2013
Raleigh had liquor-by-the drink back then?
07/19/2013
All kinds of stuff to learn about that little pocket of Raleigh lately!
07/19/2013
John: Yep, that’s the spot!
HWG: Good point — ah yes, the good old days of ‘brown-bagging.’ That probably explains why the photo of the interior shows an unstocked bar. I’ve amended the article to reflect that.
Ben: Yep,and there will be even more to learn about that area in future GNR posts!
07/19/2013
Maybe the bar got stocked with the brown-baggin’ bottles brought in by the clientele. As I recall, the lack of liquor-by-the-drink was what killed such night spots,and the notion that people could buy a mixed drink in public was fought to the bitter end by elements of the Bible Belt. But N.C. wasn’t going to be a contender in the fight for convention business until people could enjoy a grown-up cocktail. Back then we lived in a different world. A world of ‘Shine and brown bags. I wonder, what year were the Blue Laws repealed?
07/19/2013
I remember when the long awaited WRAL (Channel 5) started broadcasting they had limited hours–signing on in the morning and signing off in the evening. During the time when they were off the air their test pattern read “Channel 5 Is Now Alive.” As I recall they initially signed off with a choral rendition of “Dixie.”
07/19/2013
Liquor-by-the drink as it was called, got enacted by the NC Legislature in 1977. The bill allowed each county to hold a referendum to see if that county would allow it. Wake County held its referendum in March of 1979, it passed.
07/21/2013
The article mentions Club Bon Air was Raleigh’s first night club. What other night clubs were around in the era? And do the Homer Briarhopper and Jim Thornton clubs fall into that category? Those much-beloved establishments are the only two nite spots I can think of. Sounds like Club Bon Air, by virtue of its name, sought to cater to Raleigh’s elite. There must have been other clubs looking to serve that demographic.
07/21/2013
Hollywoodgirl,
Does Johnny’s Supper Club count? See the 27 April 2012 story about that establishment.
07/21/2013
Did Johnny’s have entertainment? Did they have dancing? Did Ricky Ricardo’s band play there?
07/21/2013
Johnny’s Supper Club opened in 1948. http://goodnightraleigh.com/2012/04/johnnys-drive-in-grill-raleighs-first-and-finest-raleigh-north-carolina/
The Paradise Club joined the party about the same time. It was located on South St. and catered to an African-American clientele. “Paradise Club and Grill; 202 W. South St.; Fine Foods, Beer and Wine; 7pm till 4am; Reservations Tel.9125” We hope to have more on this forgotten Raleigh nightspot in a future GNR post.
07/21/2013
EL Morroco Supper Club was located on South Saunders Street in the 1950s and 1960s. Like Johnny’s they featured dining and dancing.
07/22/2013
Someone, others please correct if I’m incorrect, but I was always told that “Club 15” located on what is now S. Saunders Street when S. Saunders was part of NC Highway 15 that ran north-south through part of central NC before it’s designation was also merged with NC Highway 501 to become, of course, Hughway 15-501, etc., anyway as a native Cary/Raleigh-ite I was told early and often that Club 15 was Raleigh/central NC’s first true night club.
Club 15 was owned by “Buck” Preslar and it was Buck that helped give Jim Thornton, “The Barefoot Boy From Broadslab”, his own start in the nightclub business at a location just down the street from Club 15 where S. Saunders merged with S. Wilmington.
I think there’s a hotel now where the old Club 15 was and after the club closed it became the location for Toledo Scales for many years thereafter before they themselves closed.
In the interests of full disclosure, I need to say that even though he passed many years before, I met and married his oldest child/daughter in 1976/79 and she told me the story of Club 15 and even had a record of Buck’s voice made on one of the early live record/cut-on-demand machines where you could pay to have a record recorded/cut live on-site and said record was labeled “Buck Preslar MC’ing at Club 15, Raleigh NC”.
I look forward to any comments this generates.
07/22/2013
Fascinating, Mr. Craig. Again, a story only you are perhaps equipped to tell. Information like this is most welcome.
08/19/2013
@hollywoodgirl: Many of the “Blue laws” are still in effect. NC is still one of the few States that does not allow “Happy Hour”. :)
08/20/2013
KRDU, I think happy hour was legal until specifically outlawed in the 80’s.
I recall when liquor by the drink was made passed. I was in high school then. My old man told a story of taking in a game at Yankee Stadium on a business trip. Some other fan had a radio on and could not believe the story he was hearing on a national news broadcast.
08/24/2013
FYI: “Blue Law(s)” refer to being open for business on Sunday. They did not specifically refer to alcohol. The blue laws kept the Raleigh/Southland Speedway from hosting races on Sundays. Among other things this led to the speedway closing. I can’t remember any kind of store being open on Sunday! I sure did not know that the WNAO building had been a night club!
08/24/2013
Circa 1966-67 I worked in a pharmacy in Raleigh. It was open on Sundays. We were not allowed to sell certain items. I remember that we could not sell cosmetics. What else? I don’t recall.
10/27/2014
I worked at WNAO-TV in “fifties” as TV technical director at this studio location and also at WNAO-AM-FM-TV transmitter site.
Anyone remember the “Sportsmans Pad” and good live jazz?
Fred
10/29/2014
Did Fred Haney also work with WRAL AM FM?
I was there from 1958 to 1962.
Paul Mitchell
11/10/2014
Paul: I was CE of WRAL-AM-FM, Tobacco News/Sports Network.
Virgil Duncan was busy with getting TV up & running. I left
January 1960 to accept position with VOA in Washington DC which wound up with a 38-year career as a Foreign Service Officer. Were you at Radio or TV ?
Fred
11/10/2014
Ref: hollywoodgirl’s query: Yes, Johnny’s had live music, dance floor, entertainment, etc. The bandstand was up in the rafters, hanging over a corner of the dance floor. I played a big upright bass then, and it was a struggle to get it (and the drum set) through the little access door. Only room for a small combo to play. Big bands would come thru Raleigh and would set up on the main dance floor for a one night stand.
11/10/2015
Fred Haney,
Remember thr Frog and Nightgown – jazz?
02/04/2018
I worked at WNAO-TV in the 50s with Paul Montgomery, Jim Simpson, Homer Briarhopper, Alan Browning, Joe Cutter and others. Pete Tripodi did a kids show in the afternoon. I have the postcard and several 8x10s. Ted Powers doing a ball game at Pullen Park. The great guitar player Jimmy Capps came often, Lionel Hampton stopped to see Simpson who played jazz vibes. I did a record show from atop Bird’s Drive In on Fayetteville Highway. We called it the Bird’s Nest. What a memory maker to run across this piece. Thanks for the trip.