Note: Authored by David Menconi, this piece has been produced in partnership with Raleigh Arts. Menconi's latest book, "Oh, Didn't They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music," was published in the fall of 2023 by University of North Carolina Press. His podcast, Carolina Calling, explores the history of the Tar Heel State through music.

Years in the works (and only a few months behind schedule), Gables Motor Lodge is open once again. Billed as a “Traveler’s Retreat,” the Gables is a lavishly restored 18-room boutique hotel and conference center just north of downtown in Raleigh’s Mordecai neighborhood. Originally, it was to have opened this past summer--a timeline co-owner Tift Merrit laughingly chalks up to her own “naïve first-timer innocence.”

“Funny how time slips away,” Merritt says. “But we’re exhausted and giddy with happiness, so proud and excited to show it off. I could not have imagined this journey. Like any creative process, you just have to trust the process because you’re not driving.”

^{The Alcove Bar; Photo by Baxter Miller}

The Gables’ original incarnation opened at 1217 Wake Forest Rd. in 1928 as a motor lodge along the old Route 1, when it was one of East Coast’s primary north-south thoroughfares in the era before interstate highways. But it fell into disrepair by the early years of the 21^st century, eventually closing and standing vacant for nearly a decade. In 2018, Merritt and hotelier Daniel Robinson (whose other area properties include The Durham Hotel) bought Gables and began plotting its resurrection.

^{The Gables partners, left to right: Daniel Robinson, Tift Merritt, Craig Spitzer, Sarah Yarborough; photo by Baxter Miller}

A Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, Merritt has had a major local and national presence in Americana music for decades. And even with Gables keeping her busy, Merritt remains musically active, releasing her latest album “Sugar” this past June.

^{The Gables main house living room; photo by Baxter Miller}

Merritt moved back to her Raleigh hometown in 2016 after a decade in New York City, seeking a more settled life for herself as well as her daughter after spending long years on the road playing music. As the most visible Gables partner, she calls herself its “mascot,” saying that one of her major contributions to the project is “my spent-a-lot-of-time-in-hotel-rooms-on-the-road knowledge.” You probably won’t find Merritt working behind the Gables check-in desk (Craig Spitzer’s Early Bird Night Owl is Gables’ operating partner), but there’s a pretty good chance you might encounter her in the cafe.

^{The Gables guest room; photo by Baxter Miller}

The Coronavirus pandemic set the project back a few years, but restoration work finally began in earnest in 2025 with creative director/design partner Sarah Yarborough of Heyday Productions making design contributions both large and small. While the Gables building’s distinctive stone exterior remains, the interior has been completely remade with redesigned rooms, a downstairs living-room space and, out in the old garage, Alcove Cafe.

^{The Gables guest bathroom; photo by Baxter Miller}

“We had so many kindred-spirit friends involved,” says Merritt. “I want to nod to our collaborative friends who made Gables into a place with deep roots in Raleigh, and the constellations of other places. It’s kind of like being in a band. And it’s a big band that embodies the spirit of generosity, kindness and sharing.”

^{The Gables main house fireplace; photo by Baxter Miller}

Gables’ furnishings and accessories represent a veritable who’s who of local arts and music movers and shakers. The Gables’ long outdoor table was crafted by Chatham County Line bassist Greg Readling, one of Merritt’s former bandmates in her old group The Carbines. Guitarist Bo Taylor, whose bands include The Whom and Tonk, made the headboards for beds in the rooms. Thomas Sayre and Harriet Hoover are among the artists with works on the premises, while Lightship Neon handled the neon signs and Joe Sink the vases, bowls and dishes.

Merritt is proudest of the Alcove Cafe bar, a comfortable gathering space with a piano in the corner.

^{The Alcove corner booth; photo by Baxter Miller}

“The bar is really gorgeous and intimate,” she says. “One thing I really love about it is the feeling of the space itself. It’s like when you’re writing and you try not to default to generalizations, I feel like we’ve brought that into space. Walk into the bar and you’re not sure what year it is, where you are, or what kind of characters you’ll run into. That’s what we wanted Gables to feel like.”