Have you seen this restaurant (and deer)?

This photo was put into my hands the other day, with no information other than “Raleigh, NC” written on the back. I’ve passed it around to a handful of people, and no one seems to have any idea, so I thought I’d let New Raleigh readers take a stab at it… any guesses??

Jedidiah12/11 02:52 PM

I think it’s Olde Sitti.

Rusty12/11 03:01 PM

Do they serve venison?

Jessica W12/11 03:25 PM

Where is the deer? Am I a complete idiot?

ladye jane12/11 03:43 PM

It’s to the left of the little kid.

Cindy H.12/11 03:53 PM

just taking a stab at the first thing that popped into my head when I looked at it: Big Ed’s…

margo12/11 04:08 PM

it reminds me of mecca on martin street. i think it opened in the 1930s.

TSnow2760412/11 04:26 PM

What’s up with the sashes? The main guy has one and it looks like at least some of the guys on the left have them too.

Jessica W12/11 05:00 PM

oh THAT deer….

roi12/11 11:26 PM

I bet it is the Mecca.

Aislinn12/11 11:29 PM

I think the room is too wide to be the Mecca. That place is TIGHT…

Ladye Jane12/12 01:11 AM

It’s not Mecca.

luke12/12 02:35 AM

Raleigh used to have a lot of hotels, and meeting halls and such, on Fayetteville St. that have been torn down (or burned down). There also used to be a large Greek Orthodox population, i think, in Raleigh. Citizens used to hunt deer where Memorial Auditorium is now as well. Somewhere in the middle of all of this is where i think this picture belongs.

Arthur12/12 09:18 AM

You might want to take it to the owners of Mecca and other old places downtown to see if any off those folks can tell you. My father was born in 1939 in Raleigh and he is not sure of where it is either.

kg12/12 09:55 AM

yes, much too wide for the mecca and besides, the bar is on the wrong side.

Betsy12/12 10:09 AM

Amazing picture!
- Based on the women’s clothing style I would guess it dates to about 1895-1900. They are wearing leg-o-mutton sleeves and one wears an A-line skirt.
-
Sashes were often created and worn for parades or special events where people wanted to show some kind of group unity without the cost of matching outfits. Maybe these people are commemorating a grand opening or assembling here to leave for an event elsewhere.
- The orderly display of china and glassware on the tables and bar, with potted palms and other decor all in their places, would be consistent with staging a photograph for a grand opening or remodeling. The furnishings, decor, wallpaper, etc. are all very “au courant” for a date of about 1895, suggesting that there has been a recent upfit of the whole place.
-
I think that is a probably a little boy with the deer, as he does not wear pantalettes under the dress and I don’t see any bow or other hair accessory, and the hair is worn flat or sleek. He is not quite old enough to be in knee pants. But it *could* be a girl.

RaleighRob12/12 11:12 AM

^Wow you know alot about the Victorian era, Betsy. That was about my guess too. I also noticed electric lights on the ceiling, so this is certainly a well-to-do place for the time. (And tropical palms were definitely used to fancy-up a place in those days.)

What I can’t figure out is if the deer is stuffed or just very tame.

ladye jane12/12 11:33 AM

If you look really close, you can see it’s in a collar and on a leash.

Had done some research on the stove trying to get a closer date… and had put it around 1892-95.

Arthur!12/12 12:45 PM

The layout of the room reminds me of The Side Street Cafe in Oakwood in Raleigh but it could just be a generic layout of anyspace in any city. There is really nothing that dings it - except for the note on the back of the picture.

Jackie12/12 01:10 PM

Looks like Side Street to me

Lee Moore12/12 04:40 PM

Could it be one of the Raleigh Greek restaurants like the California Fruit Store on Fayetteville or the Berkeley Cafe in younger days? May be much earlier than those. Mrs. Dombalis of the Mecca may know or someone at Holy Trinity Church.

Betsy12/12 04:53 PM

Ladye Jane, this is pretty complicated, but you could estimate the width of the building by the photo, and then compare Sanborn Maps (fire insurance records) of Raleigh from years as close as you can before and after 1895. The maps will show building size and the use of the building. If a new restaurant opened, the change in uses of buildings between two maps of different years might show it.
- That’s pretty laborious and uncertain—the folks at the SHPO or NC Archives & History might have better research tips.

Lea12/14 07:44 PM

My gut reaction was Side Street, too.

Jones12/14 09:25 PM

Those sashes look like dress uniforms for a return soldiers, perhaps spanish american war? I am not much period dress, but the photographic style (I don’t know technical names either) looks wild west, so 1870’s to 1900. The interior of the building is definitely victorian. I would bet against it being any building still standing. For each one you guys mentioned (Mecca, Side Street) you are talking 50 or so that are now gone. In the period we are talking about, Fayetteville Street, Wilmington, and parts of Martin and Hargett are about all that had serious commercial activity. Ladye Jane…ahve you tried to magnify the sign in the center of the back wall to see what it says?

ladye jane12/14 10:28 PM

yeah, both signs say the same thing…. no smoking, no credit, and men please keep their coats on.

RaleighRob12/15 08:30 AM

^Wow. I thought Irregardless in the 1970s was the first restaurant in these parts to have No smoking, given the tobacco-state mindset here. To see that in a Victorian-era place is quite surprising.

dillyb4312/17 07:06 PM

My first guess was Side Street, too.

And Dookie Gobbler, if you don’t get the charm of Mary Lu and her crew, you don’t belong in Oakwood. She always has a smile for my family so the problem must be yours.

You’re no neighbor of mine!

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Ladye Jane Thursday, December 11, 2008