533-535 Main Street (The Ferrell Building) was built between 1877 and 1886 by tobacconist S. H. Holland. During its early years the building housed many businesses including a general merchandise store, a metal shop, a cabinet shop, a billiard parlor, a cinema, and a women’s clothing store. The John W. Ferrell Furniture Company occupied the ground floor for many years, selling furniture, carpets, and other household items from its “warerooms” in the building, and also providing undertaking services. A commercial school operated out of the upper stories of the building during the first two decades of the twentieth century. The Empire Cafe was located in the building in the 1920s, followed by the Tuxedo Restaurant in the 1960s. In the early 1940s, former WPA artist Carson Davenport maintained a studio in the building.
After sitting vacant for several decades, the Ferrell Building was restored by the developers/owners throughout 2011 and proudly returned to its rightful place of prominence on Danville’s Main Street as Ferrell Historic Lofts in January of 2012.