The old warehouse building at 411 W. Morgan Street once served as a freight depot for the United States Postal Service in Raleigh and is part of the historic warehouse depot district, a once thriving commercial warehouse corridor. In recent years, the shell of the former freight depot served as Jillian’s nightclub and was followed by a series of other short-lived tenants with diminishing investment in the building. After remaining vacant for several years, Niall Hanley of Hibernian Entertainment Group, purchased the building and breathed new life into the derelict space. This adaptive reuse included re-opening many windows – bricked up for decades – as well as adding new openings and skylights to introduce daylight for views that serve to create a permeable exterior, welcoming patrons from all sides. A central outdoor patio – covered with a timber framed structure capped by a translucent roof – serves as a focal point featuring a variety of communal seating options.
The best significant, character-defining elements of the existing building were retained with exposed brick walls, steel bow trusses and wood roof decking. The tone of the new Morgan Street Food Hall is further enhanced by columns covered in vining plants, subdued lighting, and design freedom for each venue to present a unique theme within a standard framework.
The first food hall to open in Raleigh, the Morgan Street Food Hall offers a new social hub for downtown Raleigh residents and visitors alike. Located across the street from the Citrix headquarters and having completed construction concurrent with the adjacent Dillon project, the timing could not have been better for an urban food hall. Niall Hanley and his team from Hibernia Entertainment gathered a select tenant mix which includes spaces for sixteen (16) local restaurateurs, as well as for nearly a dozen other small shops and vendors. An indoor/outdoor bar completes the social setting and ties together interior and exterior spaces.
The Morgan Street Food Hall is now a permanent fixture and popular destination complimenting the redevelopment and urban vibrancy exploding around the Depot National Register Historic District, offering a unique public space which can be shared and enjoyed by all.
The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2019 Anthemion Award to Hibernian Entertainment Group; New City Design Group; Kaydos-Daniels Engineers, PLLC; Maple Engineering, PLLC; AB Goodrich for the Commercial Rehabilitation & Adaptive Reuse of the former US Postal Service Freight Depot, 411 West Morgan Street, Raleigh.