PINE STREET PRESBYTERIAN
Looking northeast from Pine St. and Poplar St., 1922.
(Courtesy Duke Rare Book and Manuscript Collection / Digital Durham)
In 1887, Charles C. Hayswood formed the initial congregation of what would become Pine Street Presbyterian Church in a hall at the corner of Fayetteville Street and Ray Place. Around 1890, the group began meeting in a "hall near the corner of Parrish and Mangum Streets." as a Sunday School group. Under the leadership of Rev. Lewis D. Twine this Sunday School was organized into the Twine Memorial Presbyterian Church in 1893. It appears that the church on the northeast corner of Poplar Street and Pine Street was built about that time; at some point thereafter, the name changed from Twine Memorial to Pine Street Presbyterian.
Pine St. Presbyterian was the primary Presbyterian church serving the African-American community / Hayti. The church was located directly south of the Venable Warehouse, on the northeast corner of Poplar Street and Pine Street.
Joel Kostyu notes in his book that, in 1948, "the congregation moved its home to the corner of Lincoln and Massey Streets and changed its name to the Covenant United Presbyterian Church" but he does not note the use of this building from that point forward. The church steeple was significantly remodeled by the 1950s, which can be better seen in the second of the two pictures below.
Looking northeast, ~1950 - the church is near the bottom right corner of the photo.
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun)
Looking northeast, 1966.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)
The frame building immediately to the north of the church was built as the "Pride of Durham Lodge (No. 2095)" but had become church property by mid-century.
Looking southeast at 303 S. Roxboro St., 1966.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)
Looking northeast from South Roxboro Street, ~1970.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)
The church and adjacent building were demolished on January 27, 1978.
(From "Durham: A Pictorial History" by J. Kostyu)
(From "Durham: A Pictorial History" by J. Kostyu)
(From "Durham: A Pictorial History" by J. Kostyu)
- at which point the space became a parking lot at the rear of the Venable complex.
That parking lot has been improved with pervious pavers and landscaping as part of the Venable center redevelopment, but a parking lot is a parking lot. Although I do like the bear.
Looking northeast, 08.20.08. The driveway in the right foreground is the former Poplar Street.
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4 comments:
I remember this structure vividly from my childhood. For some reason it escaped several rounds of "urban renewal" and sat forlornly on that corner for many years. I seemto remember an AME congregation using it? But mainly remember it sitting empty and open for what seemed like a very long time before it was demolished.
dtd
for some reason, i find this incredibly SAD. i just cant imagine why this lovely little church sat empty for so long, and it seemed to have some good bones even when it was demolished. It would have been a nice visual point on roxboro IMO
TSQ75
The congregation of the church itself lives on, although in a different location further down s roxboro, I believe. My next door neighbor is the current pastor
In 1937, Tempie Herndon of 1312 Pine Street in Durham, was interviewed by the Depression-Era Works Progress Administration. She was a 103 year old former slave from Chatham County. Her name can be Googled for a fascinating reading of her life in her own words.
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