Winstead Electronics at 126 N.W. Main, the Philips Building, also known as the Bulluck Phillips Building, has been part of Rocky Mount’s downtown streetscape since 1907.
Designed by local architect John C. Stout, the two story brick building is an impressive example of Beaux Arts architecture.
Four Corinthian pilasters frame the upper story, arched windows feature keystones, and a denticulated, bracketed metal cornice crowns the facade. These details reflect the elegance and ambition of the city’s commercial growth in the early twentieth century.
Over the years, the building has served many purposes. At one time, it provided meeting space for Rev. Conger’s congregation from the First Presbyterian Church when the church could not hold everyone.
Later it became home to the Wilkinson, Bullock Company. Today, it houses Winstead Electronics, a local business known for decades of service in electronics and computer repair.
Tthe architect, John Christie Stout, born in 1860, trained under master builder Thomas A. Kluttz before establishing his practice in Rocky Mount and Wilson. His early works showed Queen Anne influences, but after 1900 he embraced the Neoclassical and Beaux Arts styles.
Stout left his mark on downtown with commercial buildings like the Philips Building, and on residential neighborhoods such as Falls Road, where he designed distinguished Colonial Revival and Classical Revival homes.
His legacy also includes notable works listed on the National Register of Historic Places, such as the W. J. Little House in Robersonville, and the Valentine Wilder House in Spring Hope.
A building like this deserves recognition. Look up and notice the curve of a window, or the lines of a cornice. When we do this, we catch a glimpse of the hands that built it, the lives that passed through it, and the way Main Street still keeps its promises to remember.
Main Street Rocky Mount 