DigitalNC: North Carolina's Digital Heritage

Relic of Bygone Era Reduced To Rubble by Urban Renewal By HAROLD FOSTER When most sites that have historical values appear to distort the beauty of a city or a state, high officials and philanthropists will have the discrediting sites removed and restored, or preserved. They have done it in many cities and states through out the nation: In Illinois they restored Lincoln’s home and made a memorial out of his tomb and they restored the Old Salem pioneer settlement. In Virginia they preserved Washington’s and Robert E. Lee’s birth places and restored Jefferson’s home at Monticello. Here in North Carolina they restored the site of the first colony, they preserved the Guilford Court House and Moore’s Creek parks for being sites of Revolutionary battles, and they “builded a monument” on the site where two brothers proved that man by some means could fly. The list can go on and on and on and…In Durham, high officials have launched an urban renewal program and all sites that appear as sores on the face or Durham will be permanently removed. One scar in particular that must go is the Hayti section. There are many places in this section that have historical values and are sentimental in the hearts of many of the inhabitants of this local ghetto. And among these one place stands out among all others. That place is the old Boy’s Club building located near the corner of Pettigrew and Fayetteville streets. It was the first structure to be demolished under the urban renewal program. Built almost a century ago, the wood frame structure that sat on this site was not always a club house. Rather, it has housed some of the most prominent Negro families of Durham. Neighbors remember the time that barber John Wright, publisher P.B. Young, educator James E. Shepherd, and minister A. Kirkland lived there. They remember the informal talks in the living room, the social gatherings behind the French door, and the special occasions that range from child births to holidays. A neighbor, Mrs. Jeanie Spaulding, who lives across the street from the site, said that the families that lived there “were some very good neighbors.” Many others remember the house as the place where they attended YWCA affairs, where they joined the Boys’ Club, where they played indoor games where they met friends. Where they were sheltered from the ruins of the ghetto and where uncountable hours were spent doing something or nothing. One man standing, watching the demolishion [sic] of the building prehaps [sic] summed up the situation best when he said. “A lot of people gon’ miss that old place; they carried on a whole lot of things in there.” But even if Durham city officials of the sentimental neighbors want to reconsider and have the house removed and restored, or preserved, It would be too late. The sign that appeared on the house as it was being torn down tells the story: “Scrap wood $5 per load. Used building materials. Bricks.” And that’s all the structure that once proudly bore the address 508 Fayetteville street is: separated old bricks, slabs, splinters, rusted and crumped tin, and a fading memory, all with a few tears covering them. DEMOLITION OF A SENTIMENTAL RELIC – One of Durham’s oldest buildings stands for the last time (top photo) before being turned into scrap wood and used building materials (bottom photo). Known to most Durham residents as the old Boys’ Club, the old Fayetteville street house, which sheltered many prominent Negro families before being used a a club house, was torn down last week to make room for the Durham Urban Renewal program. –Photos by Purefoy