The Velvet Cloak: It’s gone

Various landmarks from Raleigh’s long-ago Whiskeytown era covered in “Losering” have been disappearing in recent years, and the latest to go under the wrecking ball is the Velvet Cloak Inn, a longtime “Old Raleigh” institution that has stood on Hillsborough Street in West Raleigh for more than 50 years. The Velvet Cloak used to be one of Ryan Adams’ temporary between-couch residences back in the late 1990s, before he left town for good. But the clock has been ticking since last summer, when the property was sold to a developer who plans to build another NC State student-housing project (similar to the one that displaced The Brewery nightclub further west on Hillsborough Street a few years back).

The clock finally struck this week. Demolition of the Velvet Cloak commenced yesterday, and the main building where the lobby used to be has already been reduced to a pile of rubble. I took this picture this morning; I’d say the whole thing will be gone by the end of the week.

Check out a video of the demolition so far here.