As a few of you may remember, King Street was actually not the first location of Principle Gallery!  We originally opened our doors in 1994 at 315 Cameron Street, just around the corner from our current location.  315 Cameron Street was a striking, historic townhouse that made the perfect setting for an art gallery.  Upon entering, you walked into a beautiful front parlor with an 18 foot ceiling which then led into the center of the space.  The center was an open loft and once upstairs on the second floor you could look down on both the front parlor and main room in the rear of the building.

315 Cameron Street, Front room

It was a stunning venue full of natural light and we spent three wonderful years there before moving to 208 King Street.  208 King Street, also known historically as the Gilpin House, was an active commercial space even in the 1800s when George Gilpin ran his surveying business out of the front of the building and lived on the upper floors.  George Washington was one of his many patrons, as documented in a letter Washington wrote to Gilpin offering him one of many business opportunities.  More recently, the building housed the well-loved Gilpin Book Store.  Many people still talk about enjoying their weekend coffee in front of the fireplace while browsing the wide variety of newspapers Bill Rowan sold.  After 20 years in business, Bill retired and made way for 208 King Street to become the permanent home for Principle Gallery.

208 King Street