The Friends of the Aberdeen Library and the Town of Aberdeen are receiving the Historic Preservation Merit Award for rehabilitating the Wholesale Grocery Building in Aberdeen, built circa 1912.  

The structure was built in 1912 as a warehouse for a Wholesale Food Distribution Center, where trains came in with product and were offloaded to the loading dock. It was then distributed throughout Moore County to grocery stores. 

In late 2022, the town of Aberdeen suggested to the Friends of the Aberdeen Library that the building could be used for a new library. After significant fundraising, the rehabilitation began, including cleaning and repointing the masonry walls, restoring all original windows and saving 30% of the original ceiling. The interior was also reconfigured to create new rooms, and the loading dock is now a 'patio deck' with a railing. The project was completed in November of 2025, and the new Aberdeen library opened to the public in late January 2026.

The public is invited to celebrate the Aberdeen Library at an upcoming Party for Preservation on Feb. 27, 2026, at Rosewood Cottage in Southern Pines. Visit https://www.pinespreservation.org/party to get your tickets before Feb 20.