224-226 WEST MORGAN / YMCA

The buildings at 224-226 West Morgan St. were built sometime between 1913 and 1937, replacing earlier tobacco prizery buildings. 226 West Morgan was a plumbing supply wholesaler in 1937 - the use of 224 is not noted.

The buildings were essentially unchanged in 1966.


226 West Morgan St. looking northeast from Morgan and Foster.


224 West Morgan St. looking northwest from Morgan and Holland.

These buildings were torn down before 1970 by the urban renewal program. The lots sat vacant, it appears, until the late 1990s, when the YMCA returned to downtown. It continues to operate its downtown branch at this location.



I find it a bit unfortunate that the Y completely eschews the Morgan St. facade/entrance, but at least the option is there. The building is too short on Morgan St., though - particularly given the street width. A minimum two-story height would have given the street some needed additional definition.

Quick Update: Alston Ave.

I was thrilled to see in this morning's Herald that Durham's state delegation is getting the message about Alston Avenue. Rep. Paul Luebke excoriated the DOT's position on the roadway, referring to their motto as "highways uber alles". He encouraged city officials to stand their ground, and Mickey Michaux, who is now chair of the house appropriations committee, to lobby DOT Secretary Tippett to get a better design for this road.

If you are so inclined, please email Reps. Luebke and Michaux about the project:

Paul Luebke: Email

Mickey Michaux: Email

200 BLOCK FOSTER ST. (WEST)

The 200 Block of Foster St. developed as a commercial/light industrial area which supplanted several residences in the northern portion of the block at the turn of the century. The block was also the home of the Model Laundry by the 1920s.


209 Foster Street, 1920s.

This aerial view from 1938 shows the rear of the structures in the 200 block, with the Armory to the left (north). Roney St. is in the foreground. Running through the middle of the block was a auto service area called the Lyon garage.


(Courtesy Duke Archives, Wyatt Dixon Collection.


The Lyon garage ~1950, looking west-northwest with the Carolina Theatre in the background.

By the late 1940s, the Model Laundry had remodeled their original building and expanded their plant.


Looking northwest on Foster, 1949

The next series of shots shows the facades of the 200 block - moving from south to north, facing west. All were taken in 1963.


217 Foster


219 Foster


221-223 Foster


225 Foster


227 Foster - a parking lot - looking northwest. The DC May Company (400 block of Morgan) and the Imperial Tobacco Company buildings are in the background.

These buildings were demolished as part of Urban Renewal in the mid-1960s. Most of the northern portion (north of the East Chapel Hill St. storefronts) sat vacant until the development of the Omni Hotel and the Civic Center Plaza in 1986.


The 200 block of Foster, now the ever-so-welcoming entrance to the Marriott, looking west-southwest, 2007.


The corner of Foster and Morgan, looking northwest, 2007.

THE IMPERIAL TOBACCO COMPANY

The Imperial Tobacco Company of Great Britain and Ireland was established by 18 individual British tobacco manufacturers who wanted to counter JB Duke's expansion of the American Tobacco Company into Europe. After Duke purchased a British tobacco factory and began undercutting the British manufacturers, the Imperial Tobacco Company announced plans to establish an American market for themselves.

This led to an agreement between Duke and Imperial, in which Duke agreed to sell his British factory to Imperial in return for Imperial not entering the American market.

However, in order to cut their costs in the European market, Imperial sought to establish their own leaf-buying organization in the United States, and by 1903 was associated with Fallon and Martin in Durham.

Thomas Martin was one of many independent tobacco buyer/brokers in Durham who sold tobacco throughout the country during latter portion of the 19th century. This five-story building had built during the 1890s.

(Courtesy Duke Archives)

In 1908, Imperial bought Fallon and Martin, retaining Fallon to run their operations. The Fallon and Martin Factory became the Imperial Tobacco Company factory.


Looking northwest on Morris St.
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun)

But these buildings burned in 1915. In 1915-16, the company rebuilt a factory on the same site - on Morris St. between Morgan and Fernway.


View of the new Imperial Tobacco Factory, 1920s, looking northwest. (As an aside, if you look closely in this shot, you can see the Brodie Duke homeplace on the grounds of Durham High/Carr Junior High. I hadn't realized until seeing this picture that they co-existed.) You can also see that the water tower remains from the old factory.
(Photo courtesy Digital Durham)


View from Morris St., looking northwest, 1920s.
(Courtesy John Schelp)


Rear of the building, from Morris and Fernway, looking southwest.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

The Romanesque Revival building is similar to others that Imperial Tobacco built in Richmond and South Carolina.


Smokestack, 05.13.57

The factory operated throughout the early to mid 20th century. In 1962, the company built a new, modern facility in Wilson, NC, but maintained some operations at the Durham plant.


A rather odd shot (try to ignore the cars) of the Imperial Tobacco Factory from Morris and Morgan, looking northwest, 1963.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)


In 1965, the company sold the building to the DC May decorating company, previously profiled in the 400 block of Morgan St.

From Morris St., looking northwest, mid-1970s.


Looking northwest, 1981; the DC May company, manufacturer of building and painting supplies, moved to this building after their building on Morgan St. was torn down by urban renewal. The building contained space for numerous tenants, and I believe had artist loft space in it during the 1990s.
(Courtesy Robby Delius)

In 2003, D.C. May Corp closed its factory in downtown Durham as part of a combination with two other companies and sold the building to Measurement Inc., an educational testing service. Per the News and Observer "Most of the plant's 120 workers lost their jobs, although David May, president of D.C. May, said that about 20 workers may end up transferring to the company's new plant in Manning, S.C."

In 2005, Measurement Incorporated renovated the building as part of the expansion of their testing services company, and did an excellent job with the renovation.


From Morris St., looking northwest, 2007


From Morris and Fernway, looking southwest, 2007.


10.02.10

No Posts the remainder of the week, and a Thanks

No posts for the rest of this week, as I'm away at a conference and can't be the guy standing in the street downtown taking pictures. Posts will resume on Monday, 2/26.

While we're off topic, I'd just like to say a big thanks to everyone who reads this site. I really appreciate your kind words, comments, questions, etc. I started a counter on the site at the end of August 2006, and it just turned over 20,000 hits yesterday, and about 11,000 of those have been in the last 2 months. I'm thrilled that so many people care about the landscape, history, and development of Durham.

Just another word, an update to the site statement. My intent at this point, long term, is for this to be a sort of historical database, if you will - something fluid enough to be updated as the landscape changes, but more easily referenced than it is right now. I'm not sure what form that will eventually take. Initially, I had the thought that I'd run out of sites to do in a couple of months, but as things have progressed, I realize that there is no danger of running out anytime soon.

The intent for the near future is to complete everything that I can between Morgan- Holloway, the railroad tracks, and Elizabeth or Alston. I then hope to do all of the Urban Renewal area south of Pettigrew, and then the other old neighborhoods: East Durham, Morehead Hills, Old North Durham, Old West Durham, etc., etc.

Thanks again

Gary

300 AND 400 BLOCKS MORGAN ST.

The north side of the 400 block of Morgan (between Morris and Roney) and the north side of the 300 block of Morgan (between Roney and Foster) contained primarily small, commercial structures. Morgan St., even more so than Chapel Hill St., contained fewer retail establishments and more industrial/service-oriented businesses.

The 400 block, moving from west to east:


426-428 Morgan


422 Morgan


416-420 Morgan


408 Morgan


406 Morgan


402-404 Morgan

Finally, a view of the block in the late 1960s, looking west-northwest up Morgan.

(Courtesy Durham County Library)

Several of these structures were torn down for urban renewal, although a few peristed.


416-426 Morgan demolition, 11.17.69.

The 300 block was primarily home to the DC May company, which sold paint and wallpaper. I think this building was really interesting, with its metal pitched roof above/behind the one-story brick facade.



This is a view of the back of the building, looking south.



02.10.63

There were a few additional storefronts in the block, moving west to east:









Finally, a view of the block looking northeast, late 1960s.

(Courtesy Durham County Library)

In 1986, a shiny new set of office buildings (twin towers) was proposed for this site.


(Courtesy Durham County Library)

Breaking ground was quite the celebratory affair.

(Courtesy Durham County Library)


(Courtesy Durham County Library)

Including demolishing the structures that survived urban renewal.


(Courtesy Durham County Library)

Roney St. was closed in the first block north of Morgan St. as well, and the two blocks cleared as a single site for construction.

(Courtesy Durham County Library)

The city, I believe, paid for a parking deck to be built below the building, and Frank Wittenberg built one out of two towers on the eastern part of the site.

(Courtesy Durham County Library)

Here is my attempt to take the entire streetscape, as viewed form the south side of Morgan St., 2006



I find this one of the most regrettable streetscape decisions in Durham. Two entire blocks, fronted by parking garage. I have no idea where the entrance to this building is. There are these odd touches, like a plaza atop the parking deck and the odd waterfall - none of which work. While this was a decision of 20 years ago, Durham remains behind the curve with parking structures in downtown: first floor retail is essential so you don't kill the streetscape.

The luxury condominiums to be built in the second tower have been supposedly been pre-selling for several years now. I'm dubious that this project will actually ever come to fruition. I'd rather see adapative reuse of the parking deck.

RONEY AND EAST CHAPEL HILL - NW CORNER

The northwest corner of East Chapel Hill St. and Roney Sts. was a filling station from as early as the 1920s - which was a Pure Oil station by the 1940s.


Looking west, 1945
(Courtesy Herald-Sun)

This station was remodeled by the 1950s.


1950s, looking northwest. The Carolina Theatre is in the background.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)


1950s, looking west-northwest. The back of City Hall is in the background
(Courtesy Duke Archives, Wyatt Dixon Collection)

In 1958, the gas station was torn down, and the Security Savings and Loan building was constructed in its place


Construction, 07.01.58
(Courtesy Herald-Sun)


1960s, looking northwest.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

This was torn down as part of the construction of the convention center in 1987-88. The intersection of Roney St. and Chapel Hill St. was eliminated.


Looking northwest, 2007.