My husband Jim and I have only gotten to know Raleigh in the past five years, since we moved here. We didn’t know the Raleigh Sandwich Shop when it was a bustling hub of downtown life, dating back for decades to the 1930’s. But this week, when I visited the site with artist Patrick Shanahan and DRA Economic Development Manager Paul Reimel, we all shared a sense of anticipation as owner of the property, James Calvert unlocked the front door.
With no electricity, it took a moment for our eyes to adjust to the dim light that revealed a scene out of Dickens’ Great Expectations. Like Miss Havisham, I felt that life might take up again any minute in this dusty space where in spite of peeling paint,the bar still seemed to resonate with life. Bending our heads to go through an opening to the staircase leading to the second floor, we entered into a more thoroughly dark room where James held a battery operated light to indicate an old fireplace on the back of the right wall.Who would have guessed that our BEST initiative would have led to this moment? Yet this connection with Raleigh’s history, as well as the intention for its future was just the thing that had motivated us from the beginning.The goal of our meeting was to show Patrick’s sketches to James so that he could envision BEST’s plan for transforming the front of the building. Patrick’s idea is to create panels for each window so that people who pass by will have a sense of looking into the building. With exaggerated perspective, he will reveal glimpses of the inside of both floors as we wished we could see into the past and future.Do you wonder about the actual history of the building, as we did? We were delighted to find our answers in the blog GoodnightRaleigh.com:
- Black restaurateur George Latham operated an “eating house” at 215 from 1911-1916, and an African-American physician, Dr. LE Capehart, occupied the second floor from 1909 until 1912.
- In 1919 Pete Lavlakos opened the Raleigh Fruit Store at 215 S. Wilmington St. He sold it to Michael Thevis in the early twenties, and by 1925 it was owned by John Capetanos. In 1937 he renamed it the Raleigh Sandwich Shop.
- John’s younger brother Christ Capetanos arrived in the U.S. in 1950 and soon went to work for his brother. When John died in 1960, Christ assumed ownership of the restaurant. He and his wife Mitsa ran the venerable Wilmington St. landmark until his retirement in 1989.
The building was purchased from Leon Capetanos, Christ’s nephew by the Calvert family, who presently has it on the market. Says Robert Mooney: “The building was purchased by my family Mary Pat Calvert, (my sister) James Calvert, and Kyra Mooney (my wife). We worked very hard since then, acquiring historic approvals, permits, etc. It was always our intent to restore and save the Raleigh Sandwich Shop. Kyra and I even drove to Michigan to purchase the historic 1920′s bar so to ensure the interior would match the rich history.”
Artist Patrick Shanahan designs window panels reflecting an appreciation for both the building’s history, and its continuing potential as a gathering spot in a block of downtown that has enjoyed a resurgence of vitality and night life.
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Photo courtesy NC Division Archives and History
The Raleigh Sandwich Shop as it appeared in the mid-1950s.
Stay tuned for the next chapter! Look for Patrick’s panels to be installed by the beginning of April.