Grand United Order of Odd Fellows Building
An early commercial building, this utilitarian, three-story painted brick structure was originally a clothing warehouse and manufacturing facility. The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows (GUOOF), an African American fraternal organization, purchased the building in 1891 and converted the interior into an assembly space, offices, and retail. Tenants were integrated until 1915, when black professionals and businessmen occupied the entire building and it became one of many venues for Raleigh's African American community. GUOOF used the building as a lodge until 1961. Restored in 2007, many original building elements were reconstructed to period appropriate standards. Today it is the earliest extant building associated with an African American benevolent society in Raleigh.
Date: ca. 1880