For the Commercial Rehabilitation of the former Pure Food Grocery, 1020 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh
The c.1939 Pure Food Grocery building located at 1020 Glenwood Avenue is situated at the heart of the Glenwood-Brooklyn Historic District. The one-story, rectangular form, stretcher-bond brick store contains an angled corner entry as well as large front display windows; and, was once the corner-grocery-store that provided service to much of the early twentieth-century neighborhood along Glenwood Avenue. The grocery was known as Greene’s Grocery to much of the community in more recent years. The building features large front display windows and contains a two-story rear elevation, likely used for storage for most of the building’s history.
Leased to various entities for many years, the old grocery store building was in poor condition and badly in need of rehabilitation. MA Allen Interiors bought the space to be used as an interior design studio. Changing the building’s function offered opportunities to develop creative design solutions maximizing storage and design function while creating a showcase for the interior designer’s work and, at the same time, reflecting the historic character of the building. MA Allen desired to create functional space for four designers, a resource library, multiple meeting spaces, a kitchenette and storage space while assuring room for future growth. A gable roof – added in the 1980s to replace the original flat roof – was removed and a new flat roof system was installed. New interior stairs were designed to connect the first and second floors of the building which had never been connected internally – the only entrance to the second floor had been from the street level on Glenwood Avenue. The original tin ceiling – the most unique feature of the original interior – was preserved and repainted. Custom cabinetry, built-in bookcases, and a rolling ladder were designed and installed to maximize storage space within the footprint of the small building.
In collaboration with the North Carolina State Historic Preservation office, the Pure Food Grocery renovation project was encouraged through the use of federal and state income-producing historic tax credits with an estimated private investment rehabilitation cost of $168,000.00. The formerly derelict old grocery building will now serve as a showcase for MA Allen Interiors; and, the successfully rehabilitated building will once more be an integral part of the Glenwood-Brooklyn neighborhood.
The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2017 Anthemion Award to MA Allen Interiors; Gupton Built, LLC for the Commercial Rehabilitation of the former Pure Food Grocery, 1020 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh.