User:Vernon Building

The Vernon Building (Established 1883), Greensboro, North Carolina
1883: The Vernon Building was built, Italianate style; owned by Will Armfield; he ran Vanstory Clothing company (sold expensive men’s clothing to Guilford county and surrounding counties)

1887: sold to Robert Vernon (and Virginia Vernon); Robert worked for the railroad; Virginia named it the “Vernon” and family name was put on cornice in gingerbread mill work; they had 3 children: Ernest, Will, and a third unknown

Unknown Date: W. T. Grant Depart ment Store occupies Vernon building

Unknown Date: Belk Department Store occupied building next door that was removed to widen Washington Street

Late 1800s: Virginia and Robert moved to Charlotte

1933: Records show Virginia, Ernest, and Will living at 625 Hermitage Court in Myers Park (~6000 sqft home in wealthy neighborhood); they owned a Packard; family money came from oil wells

Unknown Date: Virginia passed away; building owner name changed to Ernest C and Will S Vernon and Heirs (cousins to Ruth Vernon Best (Ruth’s husband owned Best Drug Store on MLK Jr. Dr), mother of Bob Best – retired Greensboro engineer)

Unknown Date: Will passed away (never married); Ernest was single until Will died, was blind, then married May (his caretaker); they were wealthy and bought a $300 spittoon at an antique store

Unknown Date: Ernest passed away; May remained at Myer’s Park house; Ernest willed Vernon building to Ruth Best and four other cousins; Ruth outlived the others and sold Vernon Building

1984: sold to First South Properties (First Baptist Church) for $167.5K;

1985: sold to John S. Meier (married to Beverly T. Meier) for $175K; both operated “Anne Marie”, a retail and women’s apparel manufacturing company

1992: John Meier killed by bandits while on a fabric buying trip to Guatemala

1993: building owner name change to Beverly T. Meier

1995: Beverly married Victor Morcos and building owner name changed to Beverly T. Morcos; renovation plans begin by Milton Kern; Washington Street side was flush against a brick wall, wall removed exposing Vernon Building for retail space on 1st floor; apartments created on 2nd and 3rd floors; penthouse created on 4th

1999: Liberty Oak moves in

Unknown Date: Vanecci Shoes moves in; Hints moves in; Salon Blu moves in

2005: sold to Vernon Building, LLC (Dr. Joseph Weiss, psychiatrist turned real estate developer, and unknown) for $1.75M

2006: around May, Victor and Beverly moved out of the penthouse in the building to a townhouse

2007: sold to Vernon Building II, LLC for $1.776M