Here is a look at several places around Winston-Salem and Forsyth County that have undergone physical changes over the years. If you haven’t been out and about recently, you might have missed some of these changes.
Northwest High School opened in 1955 and was a high school until 1963, when North Forsyth High School opened. Northwest then became a junior high school. Today Northwest is a middle school, and the physical plant was enlarged just a few years ago. If you haven’t driven on Murray Road lately, you might not have seen the transformation and you might not recognize that the former Northwest High School is still located within the new plant.
In 1947, Hawthorne Food Market was located at 1305 S. Hawthorne Road. There was one business located next door, and they were the only structures located in the 1300 block that went to the Knollwood intersection. In fact, the city limits ended at Knollwood Street. Just a few years later, in 1955, there were several small businesses located in the 1300 block. Some of these were Andrews Pharmacy, which was across the street, and Hawthorne Furniture Company, Hawthorne Hardware and Variety Store, Forsyth Mantel & Tile Company, Tom Vernon Barber Shop, Hawthorne Soda Shop, Dairy Queen, an Esso Service Station, and a restaurant named The Peacock. There was also a business called Hunter’s Yearbook Service, possibly the forerunner to Hunter Publishing Company. Andrews Pharmacy moved into the Hawthorne Food Market building in 1963, and then they relocated to Trenwest Drive in 2013, changing their name to Andrews Apothecary. Today, Stella Brew is in the 1305 building, joining other small neighborhood businesses that specialize in coffee, smoothies, martial arts, hot dogs, pizza, and more.
Ray’s Starlight Restaurant had a following in Winston-Salem before it even moved to this city. Ray Goad owned the Ray’s Kingsburgers chain and Ray’s Starlight Restaurant in Mount Airy. The new restaurant in the Stratford Shopping Center opened in 1970, located across from the Farmer’s Dairy Bar. The restaurant was short-lived in this location. Today, Nitsa’s Apparel is located in the former restaurant site, having moved from its previous location off Stratford Road near Hanes Mall in 1995. Nitsa’s Apparel is a family-owned boutique that has been in business in Winston-Salem since 1964. Montaldo’s was also located in this building, prior to Nitsa’s Apparel.
It’s hard to imagine that there was a line of businesses in the 100 block of S. Hawthorne Road in 1948. Of course, there was also a line of businesses on the opposite side of the street, but some of those businesses are still there. The businesses in the photo are the Ardmore branch of the U. S. Post Office, Kroger Store, and Patty’s Sandwich Shop. In the distance you can see a peaked roof which was the service station on the corner of First and Hawthorne. Interstate 40 took out many of the businesses on both sides of the street in the area known to many as “the foot of the hill.” So there are no businesses today from Beach Street to First Street on this side of the street.
The Masons moved around quite a bit in Winston-Salem. One of their new homes was built in 1955 on Miller Street. This new home was built on a piece of property between Stratford Road and Cloverdale Avenue. Stratford Road was just beginning to boom in 1955, with the coming of the Thruway Shopping Center and Interstate 40. The Masonic Lodge was serviceable for many years, but the Masons found that the layout was not helpful to people with mobility problems. Publix Food Market purchased the property, removed the Masonic Lodge building, and built a new store that opened in 2016. The Masons have a new home on Country Club Road and will celebrate the opening of the facility today (September 15, 2016). Look for an historical post on the former homes of the Masons coming on this website later this year.
Just a few yards down from the new Publix store, a building just became vacant. For many years the building on the opposite side of the road, almost beneath the Interstate 40 bridge, housed the Forsyth Humane Society. This was a busy and noisy place, filled with dogs and cats looking adorable and hoping to be adopted. It was also crowded, so a new facility was designed to house the Humane Society. The Yacht House, a seafood restaurant on Country Club Road, closed and the building was transformed. It opened this summer as the new home of the Forsyth Humane Society.
“Then” images courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection. “Now” photos by Molly Grogan Rawls.
Stay tuned for the next delicious post on September 22nd, featuring Mac and Cheese.
