Open house shows Edgerton Building apartments
By Matt Caulder
Published in News on February 12, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Meghann Mays, left, and Jill Williams visit downtown Goldsboro's newest apartments in the Edgerton Building.
It has been almost 45 years since Doris Mooring stopped working in the Edgerton Building on Walnut Street in downtown Goldsboro.
When she left in 1971 for a new job she would never have dreamed her old office would become someone's kitchen.
But that is just what happened.
Bill Edgerton, current owner of the building bearing his last name, opened up the second floor of the building Friday evening to showcase the four newly renovated apartments opening up for rent later this month.
In the middle if the 1960s the building served as Cecil Best's law office.
Ms. Mooring started working for Best in 1962 in what is now a renovated two bed, two bath apartment with re-done hardwood floors, original plate glass walls and a modernized kitchen.
Ms. Mooring came with her friend to see how her old stomping grounds had changed and to reminisce about her time there.
"I remember it was hard on me back then climbing the stairs," she said. "I would have to stop sometimes three times on the way up because of my asthma. I had really bad asthma. There are 28 steps, I know that for sure because I used to count them."
On Friday evening she walked around between the different apartments, soaking in the changes from when the second story of the building was a mesh of lively offices two blocks down from the courthouse.
"This was my first job," she said.
Edgerton bought the building in December of 2012 to house the Optimist Club computers for kids program.
He later decided to renovate the second story as four apartments.
Edgerton was the general contractor for the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp. building renovation and DGDC Director Julie Metz said "he got the bug."
"I just figured the second floor would be great for apartments," Edgerton said.
The apartments aren't quite finished and Edgerton isn't ready to advertise them yet for rent, but the open house was a way to drum up interest and show people what can be done with older buildings like his.
The Edgerton building was constructed as a three-story building in 1900 but the third story burned in 1930.
Instead of rebuilding the third story, a roof was placed on the second story of the building and it has been that way ever since.
Ms. Metz said the Edgerton building apartments are a much needed resource in downtown and are the exact type of project the city needs.
"We helped the Edgertons connect with the right building," she said. "The building was perfect, it even had their name on it."
As part of the renovation Edgerton used federal and state tax credits for historic renovations.
Meghann Mays was looking at the apartments with her friend Jill Williams.
Ms. Mays moved to Goldsboro from Dallas.
"I like the old features of the building and the tall cabinets," she said. "I love the downtown atmosphere."
People like Ms. Mays are exactly the type of person the apartments are geared towards so close to all that downtown has to offer.
The two bed/two bath units will rent for $1,000 a month with the two bed, one bath apartments renting for $950 a month.