The Pepper Building ~ 116 West 4th Street

The six-story Art Deco Pepper Building was completed in 1928 during the roaring 20's. The smooth-cream terra-cotta ornamentation became a signature detail of the architects Northup and O’Brien who designed O'Hanlon building across the street. This is the first art deco building with it's lion head spouts.

The building was later named "The Pepper" after Thomas Pepper, a tobacco warehouse owner.  He worked for RJ Reynolds Company as a buyer until he could save enough money to make it on his own by purchasing several warehouses with his partner,  J.B. Vaughan in 1887. Mr. Pepper worked inconjunction with RJ Reynolds to store their tobacco. The Phoenix Hotel rose from the ashes of a masses fire in the back. The Hotel would find itself burned to the ground in 1913.  

In 1928, the Pepper building was built on it's spot with an agreement in place with the Gilmer company.

The South's modern department store by the Gilmer company opened in the basement and sub-basement. Oscar H. Davis, president of the Gilmer Inc. firm, moved to Winston-Salem in 1925 with a vision of a high-class department store in-town for residents. The store was upscale and modern for the times. People from all over drove to see the new Davis-McCollum Department Store's grand opening on October 28, 1928. Strangely the store was sold to the store manager, C.W. Van Dyke, renaming the store Van Dyke's Inc. 

The Gilmer Company still owned the building, but leased the land from Thomas Pepper. Unfortunely, the success did not last for long. Barely a year after the grand opening, the Great Depression and the Stock Market Crash hit. The Gilmer Company struggled to make their land lease payments for years. Finally, in 1932 the Gilmer Company surrender the building and the ownership went to Mr. Pepper.

Since changing hands, the Pepper Building has been home to many different businesses. The last tenant was the Winston-Salem Transit Authority who moved out in 2000. The  grand old building sat empty for years waiting it's purpose.

The building has been part of a major revitalization project which called for it to be torn down. Concern citizens and a passionate historic preservation architect, David Gall, fought to save the building. Their efforts won! Part of Winston's history would be saved.

The building aquired new owners again.

The new owners hired David Gall to catalog the details of the building for preservation. In 2000, the building still contained a lot of the beautiful original fabric curtains and wall paper.  The original plaster ceiling in the rooms were intact with Zenitherm finish on the walls from the 1920s and the light fixtures. Many of astonishing features intact were Terrazzo floors, cast iron stairs with marble treads, and original cast iron radiators. 

Today the building is home to the Indigo Hotel and Sir Winston Wine bar after a major renovation. The original details have been kept for the future generations and admired by the patrons.

Step inside, take a look and enjoy the glamour once again!

*This concludes your "Talk" of the Pepper Building.

Please proceed to the next stop at 206 W. Fourth Street just up the street.