For the Commercial Rehabilitation of the former Dr. Pepper Bottling Plant, 416 Dawson Street, Raleigh
The two-story, three-bay-wide yellow brick Art Moderne style commercial building at 416 Dawson Street was constructed in 1935, where it operated as the Dr. Pepper Bottling Plant for nearly forty years until 1972. The building is a contributing resource in Raleigh’s Depot National Register Historic District. It features clustered brick pilasters flanking the south bay of the facade, large plate glass display windows, and an extensive factory space to the rear. On the north side, a low, one-story wing with two garage doors is recessed from the street.
The commercial structure needed a complete rehabilitation. A new slab floor was poured and a new roof was installed. New steel columns and footings were installed to support a new interior mezzanine created off of the second-story bottling room. The new mezzanine structure connects to the existing second story which once held the offices of the bottling operations. The original second-story faced Dawson Street and was closed off from the adjoining gable-roofed warehouse space. The upper wall between these two spaces was eliminated so that the mezzanine now provides a dramatic full-height connection between the entry level and the upper story. The existing wooden stair was retained with new steel hand and guardrails. The warehouse space boasts a twenty-foot tall vaulted ceiling left exposed over the new open-office plan. Within the interior, new reception, break area, and conference rooms were built as required.
On the exterior, the large glass plate windows and the historic rolled aluminum storefront were restored and repainted. The distinctive iron-spot brick was cleaned and repaired. Where necessary for masonry repair, new brick was sourced to match the existing historic brick. The original steel windows were repaired and reglazed. New glass rollup doors were installed in the masonry openings that formerly opened to loading docks. The building was faithfully restored according to Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation; and, the owner will be seeking historic tax credits for the project. A new tenant is currently in residence.
The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2016 Anthemion Award to Empire Properties; Maurer Architecture; Empire Hardhat Construction; Alliance Architecture; Lysaght & Associates, PA; Crenshaw Consulting Engineers, Inc. for the Commercial Rehabilitation of the former Dr. Pepper Bottling Plant, 416 Dawson Street, Raleigh.