Historic downtown Salisbury hotel to be revitalized through $25 million project

SALISBURY, N.C. (WBTV) – A historic hotel in downtown Salisbury will soon be brought back to life as part of a $25 million restoration project.

The three-phase renovation of the iconic Empire Hotel began Thursday evening with a groundbreaking ceremony on Main Street.

Once completed, the hotel will include 38 permanent residences, 35 boutique hotel rooms and a regional American steakhouse. Renovations will span more than 100,000 square feet.

The first phase of the project, called “Empire Row,” will create a collection of rowhomes, entire-floor lofts and private courtyards.

“We are excited to finally embark on this journey to restore what was once the crown jewel of downtown Salisbury,” developer Josh Barnhardt said. “Empire Row is just the beginning of a multi-year project, bringing with it the boutique hotel and steakhouse to Main Street.”

Construction on the hotel first began in 1855, four years before it formally opened in the spring of 1859. Throughout the building’s history, it was also known as the Boyden House, Davis House and the Central Hotel before eventually becoming the Empire Hotel.

The hotel was a gathering place during the Civil War, and was occupied by federal officers following the Civil War, according to the building’s history page on the county website. On April 1, 1870, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and his daughter took a carriage from the Salisbury Railway Depot to the Boyden House to have breakfast.

There was at one time a domed ballroom on the top floor. The history page also said there was a tunnel from the hotel to the Meroney Theater, put there so the actors could go back and forth without going outside into crowds and inclement weather.

The hotel closed for business in 1963, and according to developers, has largely sat empty since.