Late last year, Center for Craft announced a brand-new phase of its development: a campaign called Building a Future for Craft. Thanks to a grant the Center received from the Buncombe County Tourist Development Authority at the end of 2018, they have officially reached 90% of their $11 million goal for the project. That $11 million dollars will go straight back into a number of goals, including restoring + expanding their existing gallery spaces to include classrooms, co-working facilities + conference rooms for small biz incubation. For all you makers + curators, the Center will offer generous grants + fellowships.
As Center for Craft looks to the future of their space, they are keeping one eye on the past, too. The Asheville Design Center has been working with Center for Craft to conduct extensive research on the history of 67-71 Broadway St., Woodfin St., Chicken Alley + Carolina Lane (the alley behind Chicken Alley) to better understand how they might incorporate the history of those downtown places into their renovations.
So, today we’re taking a look at some historic images of the Broadway St./Woodfin St./Lexington Ave. area. (Shoutout to Center for Craft for sharing these with us.)
The Center for Craft building dates all the way back to 1912. For perspective, William H. Taft was our president, New Mexico + Arizona had just been added as states and the RMS Titanic sank (without the Vanderbilts, who decided last minute to cancel their trip).
The Enterprise Machine Company was the first occupant of the building, according to a listing in the Asheville City Directory. They rented all three floors of the building (which was built from bricks + steel) for offices, a machine + repair shot, and a supplies warehouse. They even had an elevator for the cars. The company was especially unique because they had all the in-house machinery to manufacture auto parts locally in Asheville instead of getting them shipped in from other places in the country. We’ve always kept it local, y’all.
Here’s 70 years of history on Broadway Street.
1919: Enterprise shuts down after an unfortunate welding explosion that kills two workers, and Asheville Transfer + Storage Company moves in.
1930: A battery company, auto repair store, and an auto dealership are all listed as briefly renting the space
1931: Morgan Brothers, a wholesale material supply company, takes over the building. According to Center for Craft’s archival documents, Morgan Brothers expanded to several adjacent buildings down the block. So business must have been pretty good.
1976: Hutchson + Biggs land surveyors move in
1987-1996: The property sits vacant
1997: Lark Books + Fiber Arts Magazine, which published craft books, take over.
2013: Center for Craft purchases the building + opens in the space.
Today, Center for Craft plans to use that space to bring its vision for a National Craft Innovation Hub to life.
See photos from this historic area of downtown + learn what’s next for the area here or by clicking the button below. ⬇️
There are few things I love more than historic photos of downtown Asheville. It’s changed so much, but we walk on the same streets as the people who lived + worked in Asheville in the 1900s did. Crazy. I’m so grateful for orgs like Center for Craft that work to preserve the rich history of the spaces that make us. Don’t forget to check out their website, and follow them on Facebook for all the latest deets on projects, events + cool artist talks.
What do you think about these old photos? Let us know by replying to this email, or drop us a note on Facebook or Instagram.
Photos courtesy of Center for Craft unless otherwise indicated.
