{"nrhp_refnum":"97001498","name":"Odd Fellows Building","other_names":["Commerce Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"19 W Hargett St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Raleigh","county":"Wake County","state":"NC","lat":35.778012871000044,"lon":-78.63972989199993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-12-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A ten-story steel and masonry office building at the southeast corner of West Hargett and South Salisbury streets in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, built in 1923-1924 for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and later known as the Commerce Building.","why_significant":"It is a well-detailed Neoclassical skyscraper using the classic base, shaft and capital design, and one of only two surviving North Carolina buildings by G. Lloyd Preacher and Co. It is also tied to the Odd Fellows, who built it to house their temple and to earn rental income for an orphanage.","narrative":"Rising ten stories at the corner of West Hargett and South Salisbury streets in downtown Raleigh, this office building was erected in 1923-1924 by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Designed by G. Lloyd Preacher and Co. and built by John E. Beaman Construction Co., it follows the classic skyscraper formula of a base, shaft and capital. Cream-colored brick, limestone and terra cotta carry Neoclassical detail, including Odd Fellows symbols such as an all-seeing eye, an ax and a serpent, plus a cornerstone marked with three chain links. The Odd Fellows used the top floors as a temple and rented 115 offices to professional tenants, directing the income to support their orphanage in Goldsboro. It is one of only two surviving North Carolina buildings by Preacher's firm and ranks among Raleigh's 1920s skyscrapers. Window replacement and interior remodeling have occurred, but the exterior retains its notable decoration and its original office use continues.","period_of_significance":"1923 - 1947","architect_builder":"G. Lloyd Preacher and Co., architect; John E. Beaman Construction Co., builder","architectural_style":"Late 19th & Early 20th Century American Movements/Skyscraper; Late 19th & Early 20th Century Revivals/Neo-Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Continues in its original primary use as office space with ground-floor commercial use; interior renovation begun in 1982 was still being completed in 1997.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:51.288102-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/83/7226/47722683/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/97001498.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001498/a22d3c6929-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001498/a22d3c6929-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"FoxDon","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Odd_Fellows_Building_(Raleigh,_North_Carolina).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">FoxDon</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Odd_Fellows_Building_(Raleigh,_North_Carolina).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"07001412","name":"Fayetteville Street Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/fayetteville-street-historic-district-07001412/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47722683","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odd_Fellows_Building_(Raleigh,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7077335"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/wake-county/odd-fellows-building-97001498/"}