Winston Industrial Insurance Association, a health and accident insurance company, was founded on August 6, 1906, by Dr. J. W. Jones and other local Black civic and business leaders. They were concerned because medical expenses and costs associated with funerals was more costly for Blacks due to lower wages and the lack of insurance. John S. Fitts, an attorney, was the first President. The first office was located at the southeast corner of Fourth and Church Streets. In 1915 the company was renamed the Winston Mutual Life Insurance Company. In 1985, Winston Mutual merged with Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company.
Winston Mutual was one of the three largest Black owned and operated insurance companies in North Carolina by the 1940s. The company had district offices located in six cities across the state.
In 1969, the company built a new, Modernist style building for its home office in Winston-Salem. The five-story building also housed several small businesses, doctor’s offices, a radio station, and a pharmacy. The building was often used as a place for the discussion of social issues and political campaigns. In 1985, Winston Mutual merged with Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company, who owned the building until 2012. Today the building is privately-owned and houses a city office and community organizations. (Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission)