William West, Telegram Reporter, brought great news this past week. The four Fleming Apartments have been been restored. I first saw this property with Randy Adcock several years back. He was exploring the idea of creating a museum there. Having grown up in Evanston, IL. where apartment-living happens in wonderful structures, I could admire this two-story building at the southwest corner of Sunset Avenue and South Franklin Street. Great location and floor plans. The size and craftsmanship are notable. The two apartments on the first floor are about 1,600 square feet. The two apartments on the second floor are about 1,550 square feet. These are some photos I took on that visit before the renovation.
We have Kip Meadows to thank for this save. I loved his quote, “These apartments have so much character — and, so, I thought it was important that they be put back into use as apartments now that there’s some life coming back into downtown.” Restoring Fleming Apartments makes Kip a hero in my Main Street purview.
Retaining the history/story of Main Street architecture and beyond is like putting vanilla ice cream on top of warm apple pie. Shout Out: Please gather as much information as you can about where you live be it a shot gun, bungalow, four-square, Victorian, mid-century, or your tree house.
Mr. West’s fine article talks about the research that Lisa Meadows provided. Having this information about the Apartments adds to the value of its restoration and makes Rocky Mount that much richer.
The building was constructed by a doctor in 1928 who had the idea to provide housing for nursing students who came to study at what was the nearby Park View Hospital.
According to a narrative by Lisa Meadows posted on social media in 2021 about the building, the list of residents through the years included the late Rocky Mount Senior High School educator Kate Kitchin and the late city health nurse Annie Gaynor.
Lisa Meadows noted Gaynor was the subject of a Telegram story in 1964 because she operated a nonprofit newspaper clipping service out of a love for doing things for others. In time, the location was purchased by the late Alexander Biggs, who was a local attorney before becoming a District Court judge, and the building became a mix of commercial and residential.
Terracotta tiles have replaced the asphalt roof restoring its original look. Details like this make this restoration a great example of preservation at work. Kip’s optimism for the revitalization efforts taking place help dismiss the early concerns of long time residences who worried, ‘our history is going to be taken from us.’ Just as the Smokehouse restaurant brought people downtown for their great food, they helped dispel, ‘you can’t go downtown because…’
Enough can not be said over what this single completed project means in honoring the past and building a future. Here is a great quote from Kip, “There’s a lot of progress that’s been made.” Indeed, this is true and bringing new life to the Fleming Apartments is what ACTION demonstrates.
This Main Street blog post is dedicated to Kip with admiration and appreciation. I’m sure you agree, he has earned the right to lead the Rocky Mount Parade down Main Street ASAP.
Main Street Rocky Mount 