Thomas H. Briggs raised the four-story Briggs Hardware Building in 1874, once called Raleigh's first skyscraper. Built in 1874 by Thomas H. Briggs to house his family-owned hardware store, this is the structure once called Raleigh’s first “skyscraper. In the 1850s Briggs had opened a hardware shop on Fayetteville Street with partner James Dodd; after that partnership ended in 1868 the business became Thomas H. Briggs & Sons.
Business prospered enough that Briggs could erect this four-story landmark, which remained the tallest building in Raleigh for the next 33 years. The family business operated from this location until 1995, when the store moved outside of downtown, though the hardware remains owned and operated by the Briggs family to this day. The building itself was recognized for its significance when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and it now houses the City of Raleigh Museum under the ownership of a joint group of non-governmental organizations.
Picture four generations of the Briggs family serving this city from these floors, its four stories framing the downtown streets and buildings.