above Holga image credit: Ben Spiker

Although my ‘bar hopping’ days are long gone, I do enjoy going out on occasion for drinks with friends to any of downtown Raleigh’s ‘public houses.’ One of my favorites is the Landmark Tavern on E. Hargett Street.

This quintessential neighborhood bar has been open for little more than a year now, yet it has already achieved, well, landmark status. The low-lit interior is cozy and well appointed with wood paneling, stained glass panels, antique-style light fixtures and comfy booths. It is a very inviting space. There’s even a private outdoor beer garden.

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Many people overlook the stately three-story building known as Grosvenor Gardens as they hurry down Hillsborough Street.  I consider this to be quite a blessing, and it may the reason this apartment complex dating from the 1930s remains an urban oasis of sorts.

Grosvenor Gardens is one the three apartment complexes built between the 800 and 1100 blocks of Hillsborough Street.  Erected in 1939 by developer Sidney J. Wollman, it was considered ahead of its time in the use of natural lighting and the efficient use of outdoor space.  Named for the Grosvenor Gardens hotel in London, architect James Edwards, Jr. designed the building modeled after the Georgian Revival style.
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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.

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