History of 217 Middle Street in Historic Downtown New Bern, North Carolina
Present Owners: Michaelé Rose & John G. Watson
This history begins in 1907 when a series of dry goods stores destroyed by fire had stood on this footprint and owned by the Hanff family who sold the vacant lots after the fire to Solomon and Charles Coplon in 1911. S. Coplon & Sons built 215-217-219 on Middle St., as a three-part commercial building that still stands today on this footprint.
All three sections were built and constructed for rental use by 1913. When completed the first businesses to grace this three-part building were New Bern Furniture Company at 215, R.L. Simpkin’s Dry Goods Store at 217, and Hyman Cohen’s Billiard Room at 219.
(*Reference: The Historic Architecture of New Bern and Craven County Book. Peter B. Sandbeck. Pg 354)
It is easy to see the full design and symmetry of this structure once the leaves have dropped off the trees. Full-height pilasters divide the three bays, allowing each bay to have its own storefront. The original diamond-patterned brickwork adjacent to the upper windows has been restored in all three bays of this building.
In the 1950s and ‘60s Downtown New Bern was on a mission to modernize the facades on these buildings. We also know a Virginia Dare franchise, ladies clothing store, rented here in the mid-1950s and closed in 1960. Who owned Virginia Dare? Was it Howard of 1951? What we do know is he put his name and date at the top of this building. If you look up you can still see his name today in 2024.
In 1991 we purchased 217 Middle Street from William and Ruth Waters and began repairing and restoring this beautiful old building back to its original condition. The roof was partially collapsed with water entering from above, the upper windows were cemented closed, plumbing and electrical were antiquated and the mold… There are not enough words to paint an image of all the issues.
Here we are 30 years later and the year is 2024 and we are still working on renovating this historic building. I hope you stay tuned for my next blog post as I tell you our story of preserving a beautiful building we felt was and is worth saving.
