The 1898 Icehouse served during an important era of industrialization in the American South and enabled the local Herring industry to blossom.  The building itself has been faithfully restored back to its original 19th Century industrial format with open truss structured interior and large cork room for keeping the Herring catch preserved.  The design plan for the Herringbone in Edenton has always been to treat the building as not only a restaurant but also as one of the many historic attractions in Edenton.  The Conger building is one of the largest surviving buildings that served the Herring Fishery that once thrived in the Albemarle Sound region.  We decided to use these historic ques as we made all the decisions on the representation of the building.  

The first part of the process was to expose all the historic material that was left in the building.  This was mainly a process of deletion.  The building had been turned into a town office facility and contained around 19 different spaces complete with bad carpeting drop ceilings and miles of metal studded walls that hid all the 19th century structure that was underneath.   Around 25 dumpster loads of modern materials were removed to reveal the 1896 Ice House.  

What we found was an amazingly intact brick building with partially original windows and the remnants of many of the main features of the old building.  One of the stars of the building is the intact roof structure complete with great decking and scissor trusses.  The entire South Side of the building, which is the restaurant’s main dining room, was once lined with cork and acted as a gigantic cooler for the herring that were offloaded from the pier that was once attached to that side of the building.  Remnants of the cork mats remain on the wall and lend the room its name as the cork room.  Also complete in the building is the original crane that transported ice from the front of the building to the water facing side where it was off loaded onto boats.  

Down East preservation has brought further historic material to showcase it’s history and add to its eastern NC theme.  All these design cues from a local Herring boat in the beams to custom live edged furniture to handmade lighting out of locally sourced driftwood add up to a visual and dining experience that is truly unmatched in coastal NC.   

Filled with one-of-a-kind, locally sourced pieces, The Herringbone showcases the team's understanding of eastern North Carolina’s fishing and agricultural history.  Chandeliers constructed of reclaimed fish baskets, driftwood, tobacco sticks, and beams hang from the original vaulted ceilings; a massive bar made of bonded and epoxied North Carolina tobacco leaves illuminate a gold glow in the bar; and hand built Herring boats that ran up and down the Albermarle Sound and Chowan River greet customers as they enter. These are just a few design elements that demonstrate the craftsmanship of Down East Preservation’s Wood Shop. 

Customers of The Herringbone will have the chance to engage in Southern history and experience Southern cuisine and cocktails with a front row seat to Edenton’s waterfront sunset.