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Picture

Empire Hotel Block
Salisbury, North Carolina

In Partnership with Historic Salisbury Foundation

The Empire Hotel Block holds court over nearly half the block on 200 South Main Street in Salisbury, NC. While construction began in 1855, the Empire actually began life in quickly changing times when the first of the combined three buildings’ doors opened as the Boyden House in 1859. The railroad, which would become the central path of travel and commerce for the town, had just arrived. In its youth, the hotel was known as grand accommodations for sleeping during train stopovers and offered a fine breakfast for those looking for a meal when just passing through. At the end of the 1800s, the impressively featured ballroom was hosting local high society’s social life, attracting the attention of Napoleon Bonaparte McCanless.

By the 1900s, the hotel needed a facelift to stay current with the times. Famed architect Frank P. Milburn, who designed the Salisbury Depot, expanded and rejuvenated the hotel with a Beaux-Arts facade, and it took a new name, Central Hotel. Even Charlie Chaplin is believed to have swung by with his legendary, comedic style while on a tour for WWI Liberty Bonds. When jazz came of age in the 1920s, the ballroom hosted dance classes and then social dances before falling into the austerity of the 1930s. With the crunch of World War II, the hotel transitioned into a sensible housing option with most of the rooms being converted into apartments and the ballroom being necessary short-term housing.

In the 1960s, after many of the location’s most colorful residents had passed on, the hotel closed. It was purchased by Mary E. Ragsdale who lovingly had the remnants of storefronts removed and the brick facade restored. While the portico and roof domes couldn’t be saved, the building was, fortunately, saved. Downtown Salisbury, Incorporated (DSI) purchased the building in 2007 and is hoping to continue preservation efforts toward the restoration of the Empire Hotel with several proposals, allowing an important and unique structure in the center of Salisbury’s downtown to once again contribute to the town center's vitality.

2 Investigations at this location:

  • Saturday, April 24th, 2021
  • Saturday, July 10th, 2021

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  • Homebase
  • About Us
    • Our Members
    • Join Our Team
  • Partnerships
    • Theatre in the Park
    • Mordecai Historic Park
    • Murfreesboro Historical Association
    • Past Partnerships >
      • Historic Salisbury Foundation
  • Reviews
  • Schedules
    • Public Investigations
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
  • Locations
    • Commercial (4) >
      • Murfree-Smith Law Office
      • Salisbury Ice House
      • Wallace Annex
      • William Rea Store
    • Confinement (6) >
      • Brushy Mountain Penitentiary
      • Eastern State Penitentiary
      • Ohio State Reformatory
      • Old Chester County Jail
      • Old Wikes County Jail
      • West Virginia Penitentiary
    • Schools & Dormatories (3) >
      • Borden Building
      • École des Abrissaux
      • Hertford Academy
    • Entertainment (6) >
      • Bobby Mackey's
      • Carolina Theater
      • Lincoln Cultural Center
      • Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
      • Temple Theatre
      • Theatre in the Park
    • Estates (8) >
      • Andrew-Murphy
      • Bellaire House
      • Clarke House
      • G. S. Tucker
      • John Wheeler House
      • N. B. McCanless
      • Norwood House
      • Roberts-Vaughan House
      • Vincent Allen
      • Dr. Walter Reed House
    • Hospitality & Tourism (5) >
      • Country Squire
      • Empire Hotel
      • Grand Old Lady
      • Salisbury Depot
      • Seaboard Station
    • Landmarks (2) >
      • Castle Mont Rouge
      • Lake Shawnee
    • Medical & Emergency (7) >
      • Cresson Sanatorium
      • Old Fire Station No 5
      • Old South Pittsburg
      • St. Albans
      • Sweet Springs
      • Trans-Allegheny
      • Trivette Clinic
      • Waverly Hills
    • Military (2) >
      • Fort Mifflin
      • USS North Carolina
    • Museums (11) >
      • Bellamy Mansion
      • Brunswick Museum
      • Burgwin-Wright
      • Ferry Plantation
      • Hall House
      • Jefcoat Museum
      • Joel Lane House
      • NC Museum of History
      • Mordecai Park
      • Poplar Grove
      • Robert Cleveland
  • History Speaks
  • Presentations
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us