Transfer Development Company, LLC; Clearscapes Architecture + Art; C. T. Wilson Construction Company, Inc.

The Carolina Coach Company was North Carolina’s first intercity carrier to be successful on a large scale. The company’s success was due in part to its participation in an umbrella group under which smaller carriers could transport passengers interstate while pooling resources for sales, advertising and scheduling.

The Art Deco-style building at 500 East Davie Street was completed in 1926 at a cost of $100,000.00 and served as the Company’s garage, repair shop and headquarters until 1939. The utilitarian form of the building reflects its original function as a bus maintenance facility. The large, open interior is unimpeded by columns or other structural supports and is perfectly suited for maneuvering motor coaches. The unobstructed floor space was made possible by the roof structure comprised of a series of triangular roof trusses. The clear span truss system and the voluminous, open, floor plan are the building’s main significant character-defining features.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, the building was purchased in 2017 by the Transfer Development Company for rehabilitation and adaptive reuse as a food hall. Using both Federal and State tax credits the rehabilitation work included selective demolition, new roofing, structural repairs to existing beams and masonry, re-glazing (or replacement, if necessary) of existing windows, new PME systems, a new wood and steel mezzanine, new finishes as needed and modernized utilities.

Much as the Carolina Coach Company’s mission was the exchange of passengers between network partners, the Transfer Food Hall’s mission is the exchange of food related goods, knowledge, and opportunities between venders, individuals, and the broader community of neighbors and visitors searching for fresh, local, and sustainable food options.

The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2022 Anthemion Award to Transfer Development Company, LLC; Clearscapes Architecture + Art; C. T. Wilson Construction Company, Inc. for the Commercial Rehabilitation & Adaptive Reuse of the former Carolina Coach Company Garage & Shop, 500 East Davie Street, Raleigh.