N.C. A&T Alumna Leads Charge in Preserving The Historic Magnolia House

Can you imagine watching the movie, “The Green Book,” and the business you are currently developing is listed as one of the locations in the film? This was reality for Natalie Pass-Miller ‘01 in 2018 when she became the owner of The Historic Magnolia House, an events venue, restaurant, and bed and breakfast located in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Unbeknownst to Pass-Miller at the time of taking over, the Magnolia House was one of four Green Book sites in North Carolina that aided in the safety of Black travelers during segregation.

Pass-Miller, a native of Greensboro, learned about the Magnolia House when her father, Samuel Pass purchased the home in 1995 from the Gist Family, who had grown up in the neighborhood. In 2018, she decided to take a leap of faith by leaving her healthcare professional job and uprooting her family in Atlanta, Georgia, to help her dad with his vision of restoring the home.

“After three months of being back in Greensboro, I didn’t discover the history of the Magnolia House until the movie, “The Green Book” came out and my father started pulling out old boxes of photographs,” said Pass-Miller. “I soon realized the gem my family had acquired and the family legacy we could create by preserving the history.”

The Magnolia House was built in 1889 as a six-bedroom private residence for the Plott family during a time when whites resided on parts of Gorrell Street (near Bennett College). The Italianate-style house had always stood out among the Queen Anne-style homes on the block, with its square towers, tall windows, and overhanging eaves. By the end of World War II, African Americans occupied most of Gorrell.

In the 1940s, Louis and Arthur Gist became owners of the home and turned it into a hotel that catered to upper-income Black travelers. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, “The Green Book” created by Victor Hugo Green, listed The Historic Magnolia House, as one of five hotels that were consistently safe for African Americans. The house accommodated famous travelers such as James Brown, Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, Ike and Tina Turner, Joe Tex, Carter G. Woodson, and Jackie Robinson.

During that time, patrons knew The Magnolia House by a few different names, including the “Magnolia Hotel” and “Magnolia Traveler’s Motel.” Also, many families of college students attending such schools as North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and Bennett College stayed there as well. Also, the house was a place for wedding celebrations and other formal gatherings and events.

In 2022, The Historic Magnolia House became a full-service bed and breakfast and a living museum that offers the history of the groundbreaking home. Patrons can now partake in all of the festivities it offers from jazz concerts to Sunday brunch and community meetings to wedding ceremonies.

“North Carolina A&T has always been a part of the history of the Magnolia House, and Aggies utilized this space when it wasn’t safe to travel throughout the state,” said Pass-Miller. “It is my hope that Aggies will continue to support the business by booking rooms, hosting events, and attending brunch.”

This year, The Historic Magnolia House received $40,000 from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to continue the efforts of preserving the home.

“Preservation is not an easy task, but I am very resilient, and I work really hard at building community partnerships to sustain the foundation,” said Pass-Miller.

Currently, the Historic Magnolia House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is in the South Greensboro National Register Historic District.

To learn more about the Historic Magnolia House, please visit https://www.thehistoricmagnoliahouse.org/.