Over eight historical buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries make up the Cotton Exchange of Wilmington, the shopping complex you see here. Among these is the Old James Sprunt Cotton Exchange building, once home to a business that claimed to be the largest exporter of cotton on the east coast until its dissolution in 1950. The complex sits on what is now North Front Street in downtown Wilmington and currently comprises over 20 shops and restaurants, all housed within restored historical structures.
The center is privately owned by Jean and John Bullock, who purchased it in 1990. Take a moment to imagine an earlier chapter: by the 1970s this once bustling railroad hub and port city had greatly deteriorated after many industries left when the Atlantic Coastline Railroad moved its headquarters to Florida in 1961. In an attempt to recreate Wilmington, the Wilmington Redevelopment Commission began demolishing buildings to make room for new ones, since demolition was, at the time, cheaper than renovation.
Picture those restored façades now sheltering lively storefronts, brick and cornices stretching along North Front Street.