WILMINGTON — Details have emerged on what will replace a former downtown music venue, demolished last year, at 208 Market St.
READ MORE: Former downtown music venue demolished due to contractor mishap, apartments planned
ALSO: 208 Market St. owner files for $1.15M in repairs to avoid condemnation
Romero Architecture, on behalf of property owner Joseph Hou, has submitted plans for a three-story, mixed-use building inclusive of 1,034 square feet of commercial space and 14 apartments. The apartments will range from one to two bedrooms and be 664 to 1,010 square feet.
The development will be reviewed by the Wilmington Historic Preservation Commission on Thursday to affirm compliance with design standards, applicable in the city’s historic district. According to the case files on the property, the new building would be a non-contributing resource to the Central Business District Historic District Overlay, meaning only its exterior visible from the public right-of-way is subject to review.
The submitted documents indicate the new building will be painted in a three-coat stucco, colored matte black. In a letter accompanying the application, architect Rob Romero wrote the color and appearance is “congruous” with the wide variety of references within the area.
The building’s first story will feature storefront windows and entrances on the corners of the Market Street, allowing access for the commercial tenants to the east and residential tenants to the west. The upper stories will feature steel balconies and hydrostop decking.
The building would be named Luxe @ 208, in line with its new urban design.
The Historic Preservation Commission’s standards indicate new construction should be compatible with nearby properties. The Luxe development is neighbored by Ponysaurus Brewing, a brick building constructed in 1970 that once served as law offices before being retrofitted to include a moss-covered front façade On the other side at 200 Market St., is Coglin’s and Papercut Books, in a development constructed in 2017.
The standards also note a new building “shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use” and avoid creating a “false sense of historical development.”
“Being located in the central business district calls for innovative and future looking architecture,” Romero wrote in his letter accompanying the application. “As per HPC guidelines, it is our charge to design within our time but call upon congruous elements of the area to inform the new design.”
Design was inspired by the First Bank building across the street at 201 Market St., constructed in 1959 and designed by local architect Charles Hussey Boney.
208 Market St. was the former Blue Eyed Muse, razed in January 2024 after it was deemed unsafe. New Hanover County staff informed Port City Daily that Hou planned to turn the property into a two-story apartment complex, but site plans had not yet been submitted.
Built in1920, the property has served many facets of local entertainment — for instance, it was home to The Manor movie theater in 1941. In more recent decades, it housed multiple live music venues, such as Jacob’s Run, Ziggy’s By the Sea and Throne Theater. It last operated as the Blue Eyed Muse, which shuttered in 2017 after county building inspectors confirmed the building was unsafe.
The county issued a condemnation notice in June 2023; it listed poor condition of walls, defective construction and decaying issues posed public safety hazards. The structural integrity of the building was also deemed in question due to water intrusion and it faced a slew of code violations.
Hou hired HKS Construction to tear down the interior to a shell and replace the electrical system, remediate mold, fix the roof, stairs and rails, and install a new HVAC system, construct new bathrooms, as well as new plumbing. However, the contractors’ work created cracking, settlement and bulging of the walls, leading to a more unstable foundation, requiring the building to be demolished.
The Historic Preservation Commission will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday to discuss Hou’s new application.
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