American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation Purchases New Home at High Point
Furniture World News Desk on
7/1/2019
The 17,500 sq. ft. building is located just one block from the International Home Furnishings Center in the heart of the High Point Market.
The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation announced that it has purchased the building at 311. S. Hamilton Street. The Foundation has hired Freeman Kennett Architects to craft a permanent home for the industry to gather and a showplace worthy of the industry.
The 17,500 sq. ft. building, located between Green and Russell streets, formerly was the showroom for Flair Enterprises. It is located just one block from the International Home Furnishings Center in the heart of the High Point Market.
“As a $110 billion industry, we have helped people around the world create their own warm and personal homes. Now, we have the opportunity to create a home of our own, located in the Home Furnishings Capital of the World™,” says David Gebhart, president of the Foundation board of directors, and founder and CEO of Global Views. “The Home Furnishings Hall of Fame will be a world-class gathering space and symbol of innovation, excellence, and leadership. This will be our home away from home where we can tell our story, map our future, and honor our leaders.”
Built in 1996, the beautiful two-story structure features 14 ft. ceilings, an impressive two-story atrium with natural stone and a grand double staircase in the entryway. It will house the Foundation’s memorabilia, library and the Hall of Fame Foundation offices. In addition, other industry organizations have expressed an interest in locating their offices in the building, with shared meeting space to support synergy among the various industry associations. It also will be available for outside events, both for the industry as well as the community.
Last year, the Foundation hired its first curator and historian as an important step in fulfilling the part of its mission to preserve the history of the home furnishings industry and to tell our story. The Hall of Fame has been instrumental in preserving the organization’s current memorabilia and extensively researching and visiting other museums to lay the groundwork for our new home furnishings exhibits. The new space will allow the Foundation to expand its collections and to preserve materials for future generations.
The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc., is an industry-wide organization founded to preserve its history, to celebrate exceptional individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the U.S. home furnishings industry, and to inspire a new class of innovation and leadership. Membership includes eligibility to nominate candidates for consideration by the Selection Committee, and the opportunity to help preserve the history and heritage of the industry. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, 92 percent of all funds support our history and leadership programming. The organization currently is based in High Point, North Carolina, at 202 Neal Place, and can be reached at 336.882.5900.