Updated: July 13, 2026

For more than a century, the house at 309 W Divine Street has done what houses are supposed to do.

It has sheltered people.

It has held bedrooms, meals, visitors, routines, celebrations, and all the private machinery of daily life. Built in 1909 by Hannibal Lafayette Godwin, a Dunn native who served seven terms in Congress, the Victorian estate still reads first as a home: tall ceilings, formal rooms, deep porches, and the particular sense of permanence that old houses acquire simply by surviving.

But this house has another life.

Behind its residential façade is a second, less obvious identity. A commercial-grade kitchen. Industrial laundry. A separate guest house. Gardens and outdoor spaces arranged to receive large groups. A history of weddings, private events, and overnight stays.

The current owners live here.

They also run a business here.

That is the part most buyers do not see at first.

Simply Divine is not a residence that became less of a home when it became a business. If anything, the opposite is true. Its scale, its rooms, its grounds, and its infrastructure allowed it to become more useful without surrendering its original identity.

It learned how to be a home and a business at once.

The next owner does not have to keep doing both. But the second life — the commercial side — is already here.

Photos courtesy of Simply Divine NC — visit their site to see the venue in action.

The House Everyone Sees

The main residence spans 6,480 square feet across two stories: 10 bedrooms, 7 full baths, 3 half baths, 12-foot ceilings, and a grand foyer with Victorian architectural character that isn't available in new construction. It sits on nearly an acre in the heart of historic Dunn.

A Second Home Behind the First

Behind the main house is a separate two-bedroom guest house, or accessory dwelling unit (ADU), with its own entrance and a life independent of the main residence. Some owners may use it for extended stays, guests, or separate living arrangements. Others may use it as a rental. The house does not require choosing one.

A House That Learned to Provide

The infrastructure didn't arrive all at once. Over time, it grew alongside the home: a kitchen built to commercial standards, laundry equipped to handle linens at scale, and grounds shaped to hold gatherings of 150 or more. None of it was built to replace the house's original purpose. It was built to add to it.

Location helped. Dunn sits about two miles from I-95, with downtown Raleigh less than an hour away, close enough to draw guests from Raleigh and Fayetteville, far enough to still feel like a retreat.

What It Means to Inherit Both

Live here. Host here. Rent the guest house. Run the whole thing as a business. Or land somewhere in between, and let it change over time.

The unusual thing isn't that the property can do one or the other. It's that it already learned how to do both.

The Details That Matter

The romance of the property is real. So are the practical details.

• Price: $999,000
• What conveys: The Simply Divine name and brand identity, subject to final transaction terms. The website, social channels, and other business assets may also be available; buyers should confirm the complete list with the listing agent.
• Furnishings: Offered furnished with an accepted full-price offer, though certain décor and event-related inventory may be excluded or negotiated separately.
• Inspection: A pre-listing inspection has already been completed and can be shared upon request with the sellers' permission.

Because the property carries a residential deed, residential financing may be available, depending on the lender, the buyer, the appraisal, and the intended use, and the property's additional improvements may factor into underwriting as well.

Buyers interested in the income-producing side may also explore a commercial or business loan structure. Marti Hampton Real Estate has a business relationship with Success Lending, an on-site mortgage partner at the team's Culture Center in Raleigh, and buyers are free to speak with Success Lending or any lender of their choice. Continuing the property's event or rental history is subject to applicable approvals, permits, and operating requirements, and nothing here should be read as an assurance that any specific use continues automatically.

Buyers considering the income side should conduct independent financial analysis with qualified advisors; no revenue figures are represented here as guaranteed or verified.

Who This Home Works For

If you're looking for a historic home with room to spread out, accommodate extended stays, or create more separation between living spaces, this is it.

If you want a distinctive residence and don't mind, or actively want, a proven event history that comes with it, this works too.

Hospitality investors and event venue operators looking for established infrastructure, a recognizable identity, and potential transferable business assets, rather than starting from zero, will find it here as well.

It doesn't have to be one or the other. That's the point.

See It for Yourself

Simply Divine is listed for sale. Showings are private, with occasional exclusive previews.

Have a question about the property, or want to see it in person? Reach out anytime.

Listing represented by Derek Nereu of Marti Hampton Real Estate, brokered by eXp Realty.

Common Questions About 309 W Divine Street