In 1939, E.B. Bugg, owner of the Wilmington Hotel at the southeast corner of Front and Walnut streets, purchased the property from the Bannermans and razed the houses to make way for a new Art Moderne style Union Bus Terminal and restaurant, designed by George D. Brown of Charleston, West Virginia, and constructed by Herbert Cavanaugh of Wilmington. The terminal, built amidst several car dealerships in what was known as "automobile row," served three bus lines: Atlantic Greyhound, Queen City, and Seashore Transportation.
