International Civil Rights Center and Museum
A Greensboro, North Carolina museum housed in the former Woolworth store where the 1960 Greensboro sit-ins began.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The International Civil Rights Center and Museum is a nonprofit museum in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, located in the former Woolworth building associated with the Greensboro sit-ins. On February 1, 1960, four students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University—Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair Jr. (later known as Jibreel Khazan), and David Richmond—sat at the store’s segregated “whites only” lunch counter and remained there after being refused service. Their action helped initiate a rapidly expanding sit-in movement across the American South and became one of the defining episodes of the modern United States civil rights movement. The museum’s purpose is to preserve the memory of the Greensboro Four, the students and community members who joined the subsequent protests, and the broader network of activists who challenged racial segregation through sit-ins, boycotts, litigation, organizing, education, religious institutions, and political action. Its interpretation presents the Greensboro protest as both a local event and part of a national movement. Exhibits address segregated public life, the risks faced by demonstrators, the roles of Black colleges and universities, churches, courts, schools, politics, and the press, and the continuing relevance of civil and human rights activism. The museum occupies a 1929 Art Deco commercial building designed by architect Charles C. Hartmann. Originally called the Whelan Building, it housed a drugstore and leased retail and office space. F. W. Woolworth Company began leasing most of the building in 1939, and its large store and 69-seat luncheonette opened that year. The building’s lunch counter became the physical setting for the 1960 protest. Although the counter was remodeled in the early 1960s and the stools were later repositioned, the surviving counter, related signage, dumbwaiters, and architectural setting provide the central material connection to the sit-ins. After Woolworth announced the closure of the Greensboro store in 1993, local leaders organized to save the property and develop a museum. Sit-in Movement, Inc. acquired the building in early 1994. Fundraising, planning, ownership, and construction took many years and were affected by financial shortfalls, disagreements over management, rejected public funding requests, and debt negotiations. Support came from private donors, government grants, historic-preservation resources, and other contributions. The completed museum opened on February 1, 2010, exactly fifty years after the first sit-in. The visitor experience combines original material, reconstructed settings, documentary media, and guided or self-guided tours. A large section of the original lunch counter dominates the main exhibition area. The museum also displays civil rights artifacts and interprets the movement through multimedia and graphic presentations. Its programs include public events, educational visits, commemorative activities, awards, and fundraising events such as the annual Black and White Ball. The institution is supported through admissions, Museum Store revenue, donations, grants, and other fundraising. In 2022, Sit-in Movement, Inc. purchased an adjacent property as part of an expansion strategy intended to increase the museum’s capacity and support a possible future UNESCO World Heritage nomination.
History
The museum’s building was constructed in 1929 in the Art Deco style by Greensboro architect Charles C. Hartmann. Known initially as the Whelan Building, it was owned by the Whelan Drug Company, which operated a small drugstore while leasing other portions of the building. F. W. Woolworth Company began leasing most of the property in 1939. Its replacement Greensboro store opened on August 10 of that year and included a 69-seat luncheonette. The site became nationally significant on February 1, 1960, when four Black students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University sat at the luncheonette’s whites-only counter and refused to leave when they were denied service. Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair Jr., and David Richmond became known as the Greensboro Four. The protest expanded the following day and soon attracted many more participants. Similar demonstrations took place at Woolworth, Kress, and other segregated businesses in communities throughout the South. Boycotts and declining sales contributed to Woolworth manager Clarence Harris’s decision to desegregate the Greensboro store on July 25, 1960. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 later prohibited segregation in public accommodations nationwide. The lunch counter was remodeled around 1963, and its stools were removed for reupholstering. Because the stools were not returned to their original positions, it is not possible to identify which seats were used by the four students on the first day. The site nevertheless retained its historical importance. In 1990, the street in front of the building was renamed February One Place, and the store donated part of the lunch counter to the Greensboro History Museum. Woolworth announced in October 1993 that it would close more than 700 stores, including the downtown Greensboro location. The luncheonette served its final meals on October 23, 1993, and the store closed entirely on January 22, 1994. Local commissioner Melvin “Skip” Alston proposed preserving the building. Following debate over whether the institution should focus on African-American history generally or the civil rights movement specifically, Alston and city councilman Earl Jones co-founded Sit-in Movement, Inc. to establish a civil rights museum. First Citizens Bank, then the building’s owner, agreed to sell the property to the nonprofit. The project encountered prolonged fundraising and administrative challenges. James P. Mayes became executive director in 1995 and was tasked with leading a major capital campaign, but his contract ended later that year amid disagreements about fundraising progress and organizational administration. By 2000, the project had raised approximately $2 million against a substantially larger target, while local criticism focused on management and the pace of development. Sit-in Movement, Inc. and NC A&T announced a partnership in 2001 to design and build the museum. Public and private support eventually included state funding, contributions from the Bryan Foundation, money from the City of Greensboro and Guilford County, and a 2005 Save America’s Treasures grant administered through the National Park Service. Historic-preservation tax credits and more than $9 million in donations and grants helped make construction possible. The museum opened on February 1, 2010, fifty years after the original sit-in. The opening included Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr., surviving members of the Greensboro Four, Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, Senator Kay Hagan, and Governor Beverly Perdue. The completed institution contains approximately 30,000 square feet of exhibition space across the ground floor and basement, with offices on the upper level. The exhibitions were designed by Eisterhold Associates, while the building project was designed by the Freelon Group. Visitors encounter interpretation of segregated society, violence against demonstrators, the planning of the Greensboro protest, the original lunch-counter setting, the movement’s institutional support systems, and artifacts connected with voting rights, military service, and white-supremacist opposition. Since 2007, the organization has held an annual Black and White Ball. It also presents civil and human rights awards, including the Alston-Jones International Civil and Human Rights Award, its highest citation. In 2016, the museum declined a request from Donald Trump’s presidential campaign to close the museum temporarily for a visit, a decision followed by threats directed at staff from some campaign supporters. The museum later addressed debt arising from a city loan and announced in 2018 that the debt had been retired. In 2022, the nonprofit purchased an adjacent property to support expansion and strengthen the site’s prospects for possible UNESCO World Heritage recognition.
- 2022
Adjacent property purchased
[1]The nonprofit acquires an adjacent five-story building and acreage for planned expansion.
- 2010
Museum opens
[1]The institution opens on February 1, exactly fifty years after the Greensboro sit-in.
- 2001
Partnership with NC A&T announced
[1]Sit-in Movement, Inc. and North Carolina A&T State University announce cooperation on the museum’s design and construction.
- 1994
Nonprofit acquires the building
[1]Sit-in Movement, Inc. obtains the former Woolworth property.
- 1993
Museum project is founded
[1]Sit-in Movement, Inc. is established to preserve the site and create a civil rights museum.
- 1990
Street renamed February One Place
[1]The street in front of the building receives a name commemorating the first sit-in.
- 1960
Greensboro sit-ins begin
[1]The Greensboro Four begin a nonviolent protest at the segregated lunch counter on February 1.
- 1960
Greensboro Woolworth desegregates
[1]The store begins serving Black customers at the counter on July 25 after months of protest and boycott pressure.
- 1939
Woolworth store opens
[1]F. W. Woolworth opens a large replacement store and luncheonette in the building.
- 1929
Whelan Building is constructed
[1]Charles C. Hartmann designs the Art Deco commercial building that later becomes the museum site.
Products and positioning
A place-based civil rights museum that uses the preserved Greensboro Woolworth site, original architectural elements, artifacts, and multimedia interpretation to connect a pivotal local protest with the wider American civil rights movement.
Museum exhibition · 2010
Permanent exhibitions
The museum’s core exhibitions interpret the Greensboro sit-ins and the wider civil rights movement. They combine original architectural elements, artifacts, documentary media, reconstructed environments, and graphic interpretation. Themes include segregation, protest strategy, violence against activists, the roles of churches and schools, legal and political change, and the continuing struggle for civil and human rights.
Historic artifact and exhibition · 2010
Historic Woolworth lunch counter
The preserved lunch counter is the museum’s principal physical artifact. Presented in the former store’s historic setting, it anchors interpretation of the February 1, 1960 protest. Original signage and dumbwaiters are also incorporated into the visitor experience, while life-sized video and reconstructed scenes help explain how the sit-in unfolded.
Education and events · 2007
Educational and public programs
The institution offers docent-led and self-guided visits, educational interpretation, commemorative programming, public events, and civil and human rights recognition programs. Its annual Black and White Ball has been held since 2007 and provides both a public-facing event and a fundraising platform.
Marketing campaigns
- 2007Black and White Ball
United States
The museum organization began holding an annual Black and White Ball to commemorate civil rights history, engage supporters, and raise funds. Themes have included the history of civil rights activism, making a difference, and celebrating movement victories.
Outcome. The event became a recurring institutional program and fundraising activity.
Brand decisions
2022
Expansion through adjacent property acquisitionStrategyBackground
The museum sought additional space and hoped that a larger historic campus would improve its prospects for UNESCO World Heritage consideration.
Action taken
Sit-in Movement, Inc. purchased an adjacent five-story building and approximately 2.2 acres.
Aftermath
The acquisition created a basis for future expansion, subject to fundraising and development plans.
Adjacent property purchase price. (2022)
2016
Museum declines campaign visit requestStrategyBackground
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign requested access during a planned North Carolina visit, which would have required the museum to close to the public for several hours.
Action taken
Museum CEO John Swaine declined the request, stating that normal operations should not be suspended to help legitimize the candidate’s ideological positions.
Aftermath
The decision became public and some Trump supporters sent threats to museum staff.
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