221:
that the surrounding residential area was beset with crime, drug trafficking, with many properties owned by absentee landlords. Despite this, investors began to take an interest in the street's real estate, as the rest of the downtown area revitalized. Hamlin Drug survived the decline and general departure of independent drug stores from urban areas in North
Carolina before it closed in 2017, becoming the last of the historically black businesses from the earlier era to depart. In April 2021, the Raleigh ArtBeats organization and the city government sponsored the painting of murals by TJ Mundy along the street to commemorate the street and its historical black businesses.
213:
while other merchants moved their operations elsewhere in search of more space. Black consumers, due to improved civil rights, were also able to shop in more places. The
Lightner Arcade underwent a series of ownership changes until it burned down in June 1970. The Delaney family sold their building that year to a black physician, who converted the first floor of the structure into a restaurant. By 1982 many of the buildings on East Hargett were vacant and the Royal Theatre had been demolished, though some black businesses remained. In 1985 the Delaney Building was listed as a contributing structure to the
154:
68:
51:. It was named for Frederick Hargett, one of the commissioners tasked with planning the city. Initially, Hargett was host to a mix of residential and commercial spaces. In 1800 the city market was established along East Hargett. A cluster of saloons and bars were established in the area, which were collectively referred to as "Grog Alley". The market was moved in 1840, but by 1860 East Hargett was dominated by businesses and thus the only other street in Raleigh to join
20:
96:, a black architect and mortician, sought to establish a funeral business and office. He originally looked for space along Fayetteville Street, but when this proved unworkable he sought property on East Hargett Street. In 1909 he erected the Lightner Building there. In 1911 he received a state charter to set up a funeral business and founded the Lightner Funeral Home on October 1, operating it out of the first floor of the Lightner Building.
181:. In 1935, Mollie Huston Lee founded the first black public library in Wake County within the Delaney Building. The state Negro Division of Education also maintained offices there. By 1940, East Hargett peaked with 51 black-owned and 27 white-owned businesses. In 1959, 46 black-owned and 23 white-owned businesses remained.
220:
Modest renovations of East
Hargett buildings were undertaken in the 1980s, but restorations steadily increased after 2002. A report issued by the Raleigh municipal government in 2007 assessed that there was "very little commercial development" and few African American businesses along the street, and
165:
branch building. The branch opened to the public on
January 1, 1923, making Mechanics and Farmers one of only 119 banks in the United States at the time—and the only African-American-owned bank—to operate a branch. By that year, black-owned enterprises outnumbered white ones on the street. Most black
88:
and Walter T. Harris opened People's Drug Store on East
Hargett Street. People's Drug Store was renamed Hamlin Drug three years later. The pharmacy filled prescriptions issued by black physicians and maintained a soda fountain which was popular with local students. It also maintained a lunch counter.
123:
In the 1910s
Lightner and his brother Ralph, a mechanic, operated an automobile repair garage on the street. In 1921 Lightner built the Lightner Arcade and Hotel across the street from the Lightner Building. The arcade quickly became a center of social activity for Raleigh's black community, and was
75:
East
Hargett Street was proximate to historically black neighborhoods in east and southeast Raleigh. In the late 19th century, black businesses were scattered across Raleigh and catered to a racially diverse customer base. In 1900, most establishments on East Hargett Street were white-owned, though
119:
also enabled growth. Black businessmen and professionals were drawn to the thoroughfare by both being attracted to a sense of community and being forced off of
Fayetteville Street. Black neighborhoods in east and southeast Raleigh also rapidly expanded during this time. Unlike other black business
212:
in 1945. In the 1960s, commercial activity moved away from downtown
Raleigh, as more people began to shop at new malls and shopping centers and by the middle of the decade East Hargett Street had begun to economically decline. Some black businesses consolidated or fell under corporate ownership,
114:
Lightner subsequently oversaw the construction of many businesses along East
Hargett Street, and thus sparked a shift in the concentration of Raleigh's black-owned businesses from Wilmington Street to East Hargett, which became known as the city's "Black Main Street" or "Negro Main Street". Real
34:. It was plotted in 1792 as one of the original streets in the city, and in the early 1900s hosted a concentration of black-owned businesses, thus earning the monikers "Black Main Street"/"Negro Main Street". The street experienced an economic decline in the 1960s.
101:"Every Negro who wanted to into business in Raleigh wanted to be on East Hargett Street because we had built it up. Everybody who came to Raleigh felt he hadn't been to the city until he had been to East Hargett Street."
1276:
184:
The Hamlin family sold their drug store in 1957 to John M. Johnson and Clarence Coolidge Coleman. They maintained the lunch counter through the 1960s before eventually dropping the service.
173:
In 1926, physician Lemuel T. Delany arranged for the construction of the Delaney Building and, with dentist George Evans, opened the city's second black dentistry practice. The
967:
Historical Raleigh from its foundation in 1792 : descriptive, biographical, educational, industrial, religious; reminiscences reviewed and carefully compiled
1154:
Regester, Charlene (2005). "From the Buzzard's Roost: Black Movie-Going in Durham and Other North Carolina Cities during the Early Period of American Cinema".
1286:
177:
slowed black business development on East Hargett, though the Mechanics and Farmers branch was one of only two banks in Raleigh to not close in wake of the
628:
569:
385:
Shaffer, Josh (April 3, 2007). "100 years of nursing Raleigh to health: Hamlin Drug, N.C.'s oldest black-owned pharmacy, survives city's changes".
146:, a black twice-weekly newspaper. Hamlin Drug moved into the building before relocating to an adjacent structure. Black civic leader and physician
120:
districts in the United States during this time, East Hargett attracted a mostly middle class clientele and had a reputation of respectability.
84:
racial segregation grew more entrenched, black-owned businesses began to concentrate along Wilmington Street. In 1904 black businessman
1281:
858:
1237:
1202:
1131:
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1089:
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140:. The building also housed a theater (for both movies and vaudeville performances), a restaurant, barbershop, and the offices of
125:
214:
933:
891:
Shaffer, Josh (April 9, 2007). "Humble district turns high-rent: Investors find Hargett Street and a neighborhood changes".
194:"I don't think that time will ever come back, and I don't want it to come back. But I miss the way this street used to be."
77:
52:
331:
1141:
1004:
Benjamin, Karen (2012). "Suburbanizing Jim Crow: The Impact of School Policy on Residential Segregation in Raleigh".
808:
166:
activity was concentrated along the 100 block. Lightner and his brother sold the Lightner Arcade in May 1925 to the
162:
142:
128:. During its existence it was one of two hotels in Raleigh that would accept black customers and hosted musicians
178:
1250:
The house that Dr. Pope built: Race, politics, memory and the early struggle for civil rights in North Carolina
48:
31:
480:
360:
457:
161:
Also in 1921, W. T. Jomn opened the Royal Theatre on East Hargett. The following year, Lightner built a
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116:
934:"Inspired by George Floyd protests, local artist paints ode to Raleigh's Black Main Street"
1248:
1035:"'Ours is a Business of Loyalty': African American Funeral Home Owners in Southern Cities"
200:
1215:
Campus to Counter: Civil Rights Activism in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, 1960–1963
76:
there were nine black businesses. After about 1902, black establishments migrated off of
629:"Black Main Street: Murals mark the lost history of Hargett Street in downtown Raleigh"
137:
1270:
1183:
1025:
908:"Raleigh's new Moore Square is democracy squared. It's designed to welcome everyone"
420:
209:
129:
85:
1227:
1192:
1121:
1100:
1079:
984:
1123:
Express Lanes & Country Roads: The Way We Lived in North Carolina, 1920-1970
753:
Flagg, Michael (May 21, 1985). "The rise and decline of the black Main Street".
666:
133:
16:
Street and historically African American neighborhood in Raleigh, North Carolina
1034:
1229:
John Hervey Wheeler, Black Banking, and the Economic Struggle for Civil Rights
1167:
1053:
1017:
150:
maintained offices in the Hamlin building before relocating down the street.
1070:
975:
424:
North Carolina Architects & Builders : A Biographical Dictionary
81:
780:
Hetzer, Michael (February 1990). "Real Estate: Churches Hit the Decks".
1258:
1175:
1197:. Vol. 1. North Carolina African-American Heritage Foundation.
23:
East Hargett Street at the intersection with Wilmington Street, 2014
1081:
Downtown America: A History of the Place and the People Who Made It
361:"Rx for success: For a century, Raleigh pharmacy put people first"
152:
66:
47:
Hargett Street was plotted in 1792 as one of the first streets in
18:
1126:. Vol. 5. North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.
844:
832:
707:
124:
considered one of the best hotels for black clientele along the
109:
on the importance of East Hargett Street to the black community
71:
East Hargett Street with the Lightner Arcade on the right, 1926
868:(Spring ed.). U.S. National Park Service. pp. 5–6.
1253:(PhD thesis). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
332:"East Hargett Street was center of black life and business"
527:
525:
523:
1221:(PhD thesis). University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
986:
The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap
721:"Household of Ruth Pays $ 108,000 For Home In North Car"
464:. Vol. 21, no. 32. August 10, 1940. p. 7.
298:
296:
294:
1099:
Kulikowski, Jennifer A.; Peters, Kenneth E. (2002).
1277:
African-American history in Raleigh, North Carolina
208:Development on the street slowed after the end of
809:"Downtown Raleigh fire one for the history books"
605:
555:
458:"Lightner Funeral Home Operates Modern Business"
192:
99:
1149:, Raleigh Historic Properties Commission, 1992
859:"Rehabilitating Raleigh's "Black Main Street""
399:
8:
481:"Hargett St: A Mecca For Blacks For Decades"
444:
426:. North Carolina State University Libraries
419:Bishir, Catherine W.; Harpe, Jason (2020).
794:
695:
667:"Two Story Building Collapses At Raleigh"
531:
380:
378:
376:
374:
1194:The Heritage of Blacks in North Carolina
878:
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653:
593:
543:
503:"Off the beaten path: Pope House Museum"
496:
494:
475:
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784:. Vol. 10, no. 2. p. 55.
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325:
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568:Christensen, Rob (November 10, 2017).
354:
352:
249:
845:Delaney Building Landmark Report 1992
833:Delaney Building Landmark Report 1992
708:Delaney Building Landmark Report 1992
302:
115:estate acquisition by black merchant
7:
970:. Raleigh: Edwards & Broughton.
906:Welton, J. Michael (July 26, 2019).
807:Leonard, Teresa (October 27, 2017).
570:"When Raleigh elected a black mayor"
501:Woltz, Rebecca (February 26, 2020).
330:Mills, Beverly (February 28, 1982).
237:
1287:Streets of African American history
1191:Simmons-Henry, Linda, ed. (1990).
1105:. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing.
14:
1048:(1) (Fall 2015 ed.): 57–71.
1232:. University Press of Kentucky.
1143:Delaney Building Landmark Report
487:. April 2, 1992. pp. 19–20.
359:Best, Bonitta (April 12, 2007).
157:East Hargett Street in the 1940s
1212:Suttell, Brian William (2017).
1084:. University of Chicago Press.
126:East Coast of the United States
635:. Capitol Broadcasting Company
627:Leah, Heather (June 2, 2021).
215:Moore Square Historic District
1:
1120:Parramore, Thomas C. (1983).
1247:Zogry, Kenneth Joel (2008).
1226:Winford, Brandon K. (2019).
1063:The Urban Negro in the South
989:. Harvard University Press.
932:Brown, Joel (May 25, 2021).
673:. August 8, 1922. p. 9.
606:Kulikowski & Peters 2002
556:Kulikowski & Peters 2002
1065:. New York: Vantage Press.
1061:Carter, Wilmoth A. (1962).
1303:
983:Baradaran, Mehrsa (2017).
727:. May 30, 1925. p. 3.
188:Decline and rehabilitation
163:Mechanics and Farmers Bank
1282:Streets in North Carolina
1168:10.2979/FIL.2005.17.1.113
1078:Isenberg, Alison (2009).
55:in serving as the city's
1018:10.1177/0096144211427114
1006:Journal of Urban History
940:. WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham
30:is a street in downtown
1033:Bunch-Lyons, Beverley.
964:Amis, Moses N. (1902).
912:The News & Observer
893:The News & Observer
813:The News & Observer
755:The News & Observer
574:The News & Observer
387:The News & Observer
336:The News & Observer
49:Raleigh, North Carolina
32:Raleigh, North Carolina
1042:The Southern Quarterly
938:ABC 11 Eyewitness News
857:Parker, Jenny (2010).
196:
158:
103:
72:
24:
156:
70:
22:
546:, pp. 119–120.
148:Manassa Thomas Pope
78:Fayetteville Street
53:Fayetteville Street
28:East Hargett Street
1259:10.17615/vp95-m724
462:The Carolina Times
400:Simmons-Henry 1990
367:. pp. 1A, 6A.
365:The Charlotte Post
240:, pp. 37, 39.
179:stock market crash
159:
107:Calvin E. Lightner
94:Calvin E. Lightner
92:In the late 1900s
73:
25:
797:, pp. 60–61.
740:, pp. 54–55.
698:, pp. 57–58.
608:, pp. 52–53.
507:The Warren Record
421:"Lightner, C. E."
252:, pp. 44–45.
168:Household of Ruth
63:Black Main Street
57:business district
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1102:Historic Raleigh
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1162:(1): 113–124.
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1012:(2): 225–246.
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881:, p. 240.
871:
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795:Parramore 1983
787:
772:
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742:
730:
712:
700:
696:Baradaran 2017
688:
676:
658:
656:, p. 124.
646:
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596:, p. 123.
586:
560:
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536:
532:Parramore 1983
519:
490:
485:The Carolinian
467:
449:
437:
404:
402:, p. 255.
392:
370:
348:
307:
305:, p. 162.
290:
288:, p. 121.
278:
276:, p. 228.
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143:The Carolinian
138:Duke Ellington
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879:Benjamin 2012
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594:Regester 2005
590:
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558:, p. 52.
557:
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544:Isenberg 2009
540:
537:
534:, p. 59.
533:
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43:Establishment
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944:November 10,
942:. Retrieved
937:
927:
915:. Retrieved
911:
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874:
865:
852:
847:, p. 3.
840:
828:
818:November 12,
816:. Retrieved
812:
802:
790:
781:
775:
768:Suttell 2017
763:
754:
738:Winford 2019
733:
724:
715:
710:, p. 4.
703:
691:
684:Winford 2019
679:
670:
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637:. Retrieved
632:
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577:. Retrieved
573:
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510:. Retrieved
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428:. Retrieved
423:
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339:. Retrieved
335:
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262:Suttell 2017
257:
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210:World War II
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130:Cab Calloway
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86:James Hamlin
74:
46:
27:
26:
957:Works cited
917:November 9,
639:November 9,
250:Carter 1962
134:Count Basie
1271:Categories
303:Zogry 2008
225:References
1184:194012170
1054:2377-2050
1026:143153851
430:March 16,
238:Amis 1902
199:Attorney
1071:42847031
782:Business
579:June 13,
512:June 13,
341:June 13,
82:Jim Crow
1176:3815472
976:3644932
671:The Bee
633:WRAL-TV
38:History
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203:, 1985
136:, and
1219:(PDF)
1180:S2CID
1172:JSTOR
1147:(PDF)
1038:(PDF)
1022:S2CID
862:(PDF)
80:. As
1234:ISBN
1199:ISBN
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1086:ISBN
1067:OCLC
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991:ISBN
972:OCLC
946:2021
919:2021
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