From Vacant to Vibrant: A Decade of Progress on Main Street

Then & Now: A Celebration of Main Street’s Revival

I recently rediscovered a collection of photographs – images that capture the stillness before the revival, the patience of brick and mortar before progress took root. These photographs are mostly from 2012 of historic architecture in our area posted by Lance Taylor: PRO POstUs. In 2012, Main Street Rocky Mount was a different place. The grand facades of our historic buildings stood silent, their windows reflecting only the memories of a once-thriving downtown. Storefronts sat empty, waiting for the next chapter, waiting for someone to believe in their potential.

Today, Main Street tells a different story. Those same buildings now hum with life. Where vacancy once lingered, businesses thrive. LaRema Coffee House, once an empty bank lobby, now welcomes neighbors, students, and professionals with the aroma of fresh coffee and the warmth of restored wood and exposed brick. Station Square, once a quiet echo of what used to be, has become a vibrant hub for offices, retail, and community events. The Douglas Block, which stood as a fading reminder of a historic African American business district, has been beautifully restored, honoring its legacy while housing new businesses and cultural spaces.

The naysayers who still complain overlook what these photos reveal: proof of progress. Restoration takes time. Revitalization happens in phases. No, Main Street isn’t finished—but it is alive again. Entrepreneurs, preservationists, and visionaries have breathed new energy into these historic spaces, proving that restoration is not just about the past—it’s about the future.

For those who still see only what’s left to be done, I invite you to look again. Look at what has been accomplished. These photographs are not just relics of where we started, but markers of how far we’ve come. The journey of revitalization is never instant, but brick by brick, step by step, progress stands undeniable.
Let these images serve as a tribute—not just to what was, but to what is and what will be. Main Street is writing its next chapter, and that is something worth celebrating.

Planters Bank 1 Rocky Mount NC
Contributing Building – Rocky Mount Central
City Historic District – National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #80002826 2012

H. W. Simpson of New Bern designed this three-story brick commercial building for
Planters Bank Corporation. The bank was still operating out of this building in 1980, making it Rocky Mount’s oldest bank in continuous use by the same company. The building’s Classical Revival elements include granite quoins, window sills, and flat-arched window lintels; fluted pilasters flanking the first-story entrances and some window bays; and a primary entrance surround with fluted……..

Old Bank-Bookshop Rocky Mount NC Built in 1926 as the Rocky Mount Savings and Trust Contributing Building – Rocky Mount Central City Historic District – National Register of Historic Places NRIS #80002826 Architect: Frank Milburn

Old PO Rocky Mount NC
Contributing Building – Rocky Mount Central
City Historic District – National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #80002826
Built: 1914
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Oscar Wenderoth

Bellemonte House NC Wesleyan College
Rocky Mount NC
National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #89002132

Davis Furniture Rocky Mount NC
Contributing Building – Rocky Mount Central
City Historic District – National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #80002826
Built ca 1925

Kress Building Rocky Mount NC
Contributing Building – Rocky Mount Central
City Historic District – National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #80002826

Abandoned Building, Rocky Mount, NC
Uploaded on April 24, 2018
Taken on April 7, 2017

An abandoned building in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Much of downtown Rocky Mount is vacant.
Uploaded on April 24, 2018
Taken on April 7, 2017

Abandoned Building, Rocky Mount, NC
Rear of an abandoned building in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Taken on April 7, 2017

1970 Welcome Sign, Rocky Mount, NC
An old “Welcome to the City of Rocky Mount” sign in a window display in downtown Rocky
Mount, North Carolina.
Uploaded on April 24, 2018
Taken on April 7, 2017

This blog post is written in celebration of all those who continue to contribute to the revitalization of Rocky Mount, NC. “If you believe, clap your hands!”

(Peter Pan comes to the edge of the stage and asks the audience to clap for Tinker Bell whose light is fading,)