Vault Make-Over

Before & After

Fast and Furious

Before....

The drywall goes up...

You can see the beginnings of the walnut bar...

The mudders on stilts...

The painters put in a full day...

(Thanks to everyone who helped!)

More Progress

Couches moved in.

















A meeting of the minds over the plans.

Work is Good

The contractors are working.

Joel is building boothes.

Paint is going up on the walls.

The Board of Health is pleased with our plans.

Random people are emailing to ask when we open.

It's happening. It's really happening.

History of the Building - Part One

Curious about the vault itself, I started doing some research on the original insurance company: Imperial Life Insurance Company. The building was built in 1925. Interestingly enough, one of the founders was the maternal grandfather of novelist and great patron of North Carolina arts and literature John Ehle. If you haven't read any of Ehle's novels about Western North Carolina, you are missing one of the greats. His novels clearly show he is a man who wrote ahead of his time.

But back to the building. It sits on the corner of College Street and Rankin Avenue, but back in the 1920s, College Street was actually called Government Street.

Close call. The city almost required that we remove the door, but if we screw a "doorstop" into the floor that will prevent the door from closing we can leave it.

Why is it called Rankin Vault Cocktail Lounge?

#1 - Location: 7 Rankin Avenue
#2 -The 11 x 16 Vault inside for private seating.













#3 - They serve cocktails.