414 W. FRANKLIN ST.

This structure was built between 1958 and 1961. It was first the Orange County Building & Loan Association and in 1963 was the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Merchants Association. (a.k.a. the Chamber of Commerce).

Civil Rights protest, July 19, 1963 (photo by Jim Wallace)

Civil Rights protest, July 19, 1963 (photo by Jim Wallace)

Civil Rights protest, interior, July 19, 1963 (photo by Jim Wallace)

The Merchants' Association was the setting for several Civil Rights protests, as the protestors were trying to get the Merchants' Association to convince local business to desegregate/integrate. On July 19, 1963 a demonstration at the Merchants Association resulted in 21 arrests for trespassing.

In January 1965 the Merchants' Association was robbed.

By 1968 it was the Bentwood Delicatessen; from 1969-1970 or 1971 it was the Ship Ahoy Fish House; from 1971 into the 1980s it was Flowers by Hackney. Etc.

Because of various businesses utilizing more than one storefront over time, the address has changed over the years. It was originally 414, then 412. It is now part of 410, and is the left section of the Mediterranean Deli.

View north west, November 2021 (via Google Streetview)