Image: Left image: Diners and staff inside the Half Moon Cafeteria in Greensboro on September 21, 1948.
Right image: An exterior view taken from the street of the Half Moon Cafeteria in Greensboro.
The Half Moon Café served local college students until 1939 when it was demolished for construction of the Hayes Taylor YMCA.

Source: Photographer - © Carol W. Martin/Greensboro History Museum Collection
(http://archives.greensborohistory.org/photographs)

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While looking for some information about the history of the Half Moon Cafe, a Black owned business in Greensboro, NC, we found it mentioned here.
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In the early twentieth century, a Black business district began to form along East Market Street near the colleges, as restaurants and entertainment venues in particular relied on business from students.

Chef Eddie’s restaurant served chitterlings, fried chicken, collard greens, yams, and other soul food to students, and the Half Moon Café served students until 1939 when it was demolished for construction of the Hayes Taylor YMCA.

The Palace Theater offered movies for a dime during the week and booked comedians, dancers, and other acts on the weekends.

Leon Hardy opened a photography studio and became well-known for capturing African American community and college events.

McRae Taxi, Daniel Taxi (later known as Daniel-Keck Taxi), and Royal Taxi provided transportation services.

The Carolina Peacemaker
newspaper was founded by John Kilamanjaro in 1967 to focus on African American communitylife.31

Like Warnersville, urban renewal had a devastating effect on the more than seventy Black owned businesses on East Market Street, the commercial area that served as a center for African American community life during the first half of the twentieth century.

Black residents went to East Market Street to visit restaurants, shop, attend church, obtain health care, and enjoy entertainment venues.

Urban renewal widened East Market Street from two lanes to six lanes, creating a thoroughfare into and out of downtown and demolishing the African American resources in this area.

Although Vance Chavis, an African American educator and politician, advocated for partially widening the road while leaving the businesses on the south side of the street intact, the city rejected the idea. Once removed from this network, most businesses failed.

Only a few successfully relocated, including Wilkins Beauty Nook, Bowman Chapel Church, Shaw’s Curb Market, Carolina Peacemaker, King’s Barbeque, Elite Clothing Company, and Carl’s Famous Foods.

Even fewer black-owned businesses remained on East Market Street, including Carolina Florist, Hayes Beauty Shop, and Gate City Seafood.32The churches were also affected by urban renewal.

Providence Baptist Church relocated to its present location at 1106 Tuscaloosa Street, in the study area, in 1964.33

The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer was condemned in 1954, and the current church was built at 901 East Friendly Avenue, west of the study area, in 1967.34

Bethel AME Church was demolished in1964, but the congregation remained in this location, west of the study area, completing an education building in 1967 and the current church in 1975.35

Source: Pages 14 and 15 of Architectural Survey of African American Neighborhoods in East and Southeast Greensboro - Prepared by hmwPreservation2020
Source link: https://www.ncdcr.gov/.../final-report.../download