Staff
Sep 16, 20222 min
Friday Spotlight
107 & 109 West Main Street are contributing buildings in the downtown Wilkesboro Historic District. Both are single story brick commercial properties with parapet roofs, brick bulkheads, and replacement aluminum framed display windows and doors. The building at 107 was constructed prior to 1929 and features a corbeled brick cornice with terra cotta coping and recessed sign board at the upper facade. The lower facade is flush with the face of the building and clad in faux stone at an unknown date. The middle facade has been faced with black carrara glass. The building at 109 was constructed in 1920 and features a simple brick parapet with metal coping at the upper facade. The storefront is recessed at an angle. It too has been clad in faux stone and black carrara glass at the lower and middle facades, respectively. 107 W. Main St. is currently occupied by the Three Pink Flamingos Boutique, a Woman’s clothing store. 109 W. Main St. is currently occupied by the 50’s Snack Bar, a restaurant. Project Overview Archival Documentation Project Overview 107 & 109 W. Main St. Wilkesboro, NC 1 Because the building facade has been altered multiple times in the past, its design elements span different time periods. We believe the Carrara-type glass above the aluminum storefront once enframed the entire storefront and dates to the historic district’s period of significance. We suspect that the faux stone was added at a later date and replaced worn or damaged glass panels. It is difficult to guess the date of the replacement so it may or may not have been during the period of significance. Developing a rehabilitation plan that meets the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Historic Rehabilitation in this case is a little beyond the Main Street Fellows’ level of expertise, so we reached out to Jennifer Cathey with the State Historic Preservation Office for guidance. She offered 3 options to meet the Secretary of Interior’s Standards and also expressed concerns regarding stripping the facade down to expose the historic brick.
Design Form
About Our Partnership
Since March of 2016, the North Carolina Main Street Program has partnered with UNCG’s Interior Architecture Department and its Center for Community-Engaged Design to provide design assistance to designated Main Street and Small Town Main Street communities across the state. Undergraduate and graduate students are selected to become Main Street Fellows. The Main Street Fellows work with UNCG Interior Architecture Department Professors to complete facade rehabilitation designs and upper story apartment conversions in designated Main Street communities.