Inside the Nehi Raleigh Factory: How a Glass-Block Soda Palace Was Saved

Before it became a forgotten landmark on Hillsborough Street, the Raleigh Nehi factory was one of North Carolina’s most striking symbols of soda-age optimism. Behind its glowing glass blocks, millions of bottles of RC Cola and Nehi fruit soda once rolled through roaring machines, helping build a proud local industry during one of America’s hardest eras. But as supermarkets grew, packaging changed, and corporate giants tightened their grip, this beautiful factory was pushed toward silence. This is the story of the Raleigh Nehi Factory — a glass-block soda palace, a lost chapter of Southern industry, and the fight to save a building that almost disappeared. #NehiHistory #RaleighHistory #RCColaFactory