Spotlight on The Historic Magnolia House

Greensboro Native, Natalie Miller, has recently moved back to Greensboro to take on the family business The Historic Magnolia House located at 442 Gorrell Street. The Magnolia House is a Green Book site in Greensboro, NC that housed African American writers, actors, athletes and musicians as they traveled south to perform during the Jim Crow era. 

• Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this former motel was recognized in 6 editions of The Green Book as a highly recommended place to stay for Negro travelers in North Carolina.
• Identified as a Distinctive Destination with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Click here to read more.
• Of the 300+ documented Green Book sites, we are 1 of maybe 6 open and operating currently within its historic context in the entire state of NC.

Within these walls embeds the history of our space are memories of James Brown playing in the street with neighborhood children, Joe Tex signing autographs on the front porch and moments captured with Ike & Tina Turner, Ray Charles, James Brown, James Baldwin, Sam Cooke, Jackie Robinson to name a few. As we strive to preserve and restore the Magnolia House both structurally and operationally it is a community effort.

The Magnolia House and the Downtown Greenway partnership is a perfect example of bringing together the Greensboro community. Both projects share a common theme of creating a space that will unite and bring communities together to create memories, experiences, and history. Natalie truly believes the Downtown Greenway is a key part of the very important Greensboro Transformation Movement that is taking place.  The Magnolia House will be accessible to the Downtown Greenway from stairs at the Gorrell Street bridge and Murrow Boulevard. The Freedom Cornerstone on the Downtown Greenway will be fabricated and installed in October 2020 which will be located one block south at the corner of Gate City and Murrow Blvds. Click here for map of what is open now on the Downtown Greenway.