After months of discussions, the Durham City Council voted at their June 16th meeting to end negotiations with the preferred developer for the 505 W. Chapel Hill Street site, which includes the Home Security Life Building. Preservation Durham has long advocated for the building’s adaptive reuse, beginning over a decade ago when plans first emerged to vacate the site.
Why the Home Security Life Building Matters
Designed by noted Modernist architect Milton Small and completed in 1959, the Home Security Life Building is a significant example of mid-century architecture and a key gateway into Downtown Durham.
In the 1960s, NC Mutual Insurance Company—an anchor of Durham’s Black Wall Street—intentionally relocated across the street from the Home Security Life Building, constructing a much larger headquarters. At the time, most white-owned insurance companies did not offer policies to Black families or businesses, making NC Mutual’s growth and presence across the street a powerful statement of Black resilience and economic strength in a segregated city. The visual contrast between the two buildings remains a lasting symbol of that history.
The building later served as Durham’s Police Headquarters through the 1990s and has remained vacant since 2018.
Demolishing the building would erase an important part of Durham’s architectural and social history. Moreover, adaptive reuse would save taxpayer money and divert waste from the landfill compared to demolition.
Our Plan for Preservation
At the June 5th council work session, we advocated for a new approach to the four acre site. We requested that the city carve out the historic building from the rest of the vacant parcel to facilitate it’s redevelopment separate from a larger master development. Further, we advocated for the use of existing special legislation (N.C. General Statute §160A-266(b)) to allow Preservation North Carolina (PNC - our statewide nonprofit partner) to acquire the building and work with a qualified preservation developer.
PNC has used this special legislation countless times to help local governments across the state place historic surplus property into new ownership committed to long term investment and preservation. The legislation requires PNC to protect the property in perpetuity with a historic preservation agreement (covenant). PNC would secure a buyer committed to rehabilitation with extensive experience utilizing historic tax credits to offset renovation costs. We’re optimistic about this approach and are working with PNC and city staff to bring a formal proposal to council in August.
Tired of hearing about this?
Preservation Durham has been a vocal and committed advocate for the preservation of this city owned building for a decade. Many people in the community (including our members) are tired of hearing about it. We get it. We’re tired of talking about the how and why to preservation and are looking forward to the day when we can celebrate it’s grand reopening and commit time and resources to sharing it’s vital history more broadly. Preservation is a long-game and our work is never done, even when a building is saved. We remain your committed advocate of Durham’s important historic buildings and stories and appreciate your support.
We are excited to announce a positive update regarding the Chicken Hut Local Landmark nomination. In March of this year, after doing detailed research, filling out the application, and raising funds to cover the application fees, we successfully submitted a local landmark nomination to the City of Durham for the Chicken Hut. We recently received news that the nomination was reviewed and recommended for approval by the State Historic Preservation Office, a major step in the approval process of the nomination.
The nomination will now be considered for recommendation by the Durham Historic Preservation Commission at their next meeting, at 9:00 am on Tuesday, July 1st. This is an open hearing held in the Committee Room (2nd floor) at Durham City Hall. You are welcome to attend in support of the nomination and we will share another update after the meeting. Here is a link to the staff report recommending designation and our report if you are interested.
If the nomination is recommended by the Durham Historic Preservation Commission, it will then move to City Council, who give the final decision regarding the acceptance of the nomination. We anticipate this being an agenda item at a meeting later in the fall and encourage wide public support, either by writing or in person.
Special thanks to our donors who helped support the application process by fulfilling the application fees. This wouldn’t be possible without you! Also special thanks to Tre and Khya Tapp as they continue to uplift the Tapp family’s legacy by running the beloved Chicken Hut and supporting the Durham community with delicious food, a loving environment, and an overall historically valuable treasure in Durham.
Preservation Durham will continue to support the nomination throughout the rest of this process and look forward to providing more updates as the nomination process reaches its final stages.
We are so excited for our annual awards following the success of last year’s ceremony! Nominations are now open online so get in your submissions before July 31st!
Preservation Durham Awards are awarded to those who have engaged in remarkable acts of preservation and public history across Durham County. The awards recognize those who have taken significant care in preserving Durham’s built environment and those who have creatively and innovatively engaged with, transformed, and disseminated Durham’s rich history. The awards seek to broaden our preservation community by celebrating what preservation looks like across Durham County.
For examples of the kinds of nominations we look for, look no further than last year’s recipients: Carie Chesarino for her dedication to creating an archival record of Durham’s modernist architecture; Indigenous Memories for their preservation advocacy and educational programs to highlight the experiences of Indigenous peoples, Maroons, enslaved individuals, and free people of color who lived along the Historic Indian Trading Path; Carl Webb and Peter Cvelich for Provident1898 as an exceptional example of an innovative use of a landmark historic building and creative way to share stories about Durham’s history; Historic Durham Sun Building partners and tenants (pictured above!) for the successful adaptive reuse into a vibrant community hub; John Warasila and Alliance Architecture in recognition of more than 30 years of visionary leadership in historic preservation and adaptive reuse; John Hykes and Craven Miller for Design Bank; and the Pauli Murray Center for the rehabilitation of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray’s Childhood Home.
Learn more and submit a nomination before July 31st by visiting our website!
Walking tours are back this summer! After the successful launch of the Cocktails and Cornices tour last year, we’re offering six dates for you to check out the tour yourself this year. The tour will be held (weather pending) throughout April-September from 5:30-7pm. The tour is free for Preservation Durham members and $12 for general admission. Check out the tour page for more information and to register for what are sure to be sold out tours.
We still have availability for July-September tours so get them now before they are gone!
Archaeology seminar with Grubb & Associates at the Chesterfield Building (701 W. Main St. Room 2908/2909), presented by Friends of Geer Cemetery, Preservation Durham, and the Museum of Durham History.
Attendees will have the chance to learn about:
- Cemeteries with the context of the field of cultural resource management, various avenues for recognition and designation (local landmark and National Register), and the types of cemetery-related projects
- Archaeology of cemeteries and geophysical surveys of cemeteries
- Research, recordation, and documentation of cemeteries; various types of cemetery-related surveys; and, cemetery preservation planning
- NC Office of State Archaeology’s cemetery program and all the ways it helps cemetery stewards
- A visit to Unearthing Stories of Geer Cemetery exhibit at the Museum of Durham History
More details soon on Museum of Durham History and Preservation Durham’s websites.
King’s Daughters Inn ca. mid-1920s
The King’s Daughters Inn has one of the more detailed histories of all our plaque properties.
Home to the Durham branch of the International Order of King’s Daughters and Sons, the property acted as a extension of the organization’s work. The organization is cited to be “an organization of Christian men and women dedicated to service in Christ’s name [and] the development of spiritual life and the simulation of Christian activities.”
Originally seeking to create a home for sex workers to dissuade them from their work, the organization pivoted to using the property to support low-income elderly women, backed by Brodie Duke.
Brodie Duke purchased a property to support the King’s Daughters goals and the building became known as the ‘The Old Ladies Home.’
In 1922, due to growing needs and a limited capacity, Ben and Buck Duke, Brodie Duke’s brothers, gave $35,000 to the organization to help them build a new building. This paired with an additional fundraised $20,000 led to the creation of the King’s Daughters Inn.
This building was designed by prominent architects, Milburn and Heister to replace their previous building.
The King’s Daughters Inn ran their organization out of the home until 2007, when it was bought for preservation by Colin and Deanna Crossman to become a bed and breakfast. The bed and breakfast seems to have since shut down.
For more information, check out the Open Durham page on the King’s Daughters Inn and stay tuned as we begin to update all of our plaque properties with their application information with the help of our summer intern, Amarii Blair!
The Imperial Tobacco Company Post Card
Liggett and Meyers New Cigarette Factory (now the Chesterfield Buliding) ca. 1964
Did you know that Open Durham has a ‘tours’ option?
We have numerous ‘tours’ on Open Durham that include past home tours (including our most recent 2025 home tour), neighborhoods, architectural styles, and historic events. These tours are made by compiling Open Durham entries, where you can read more about specific properties that have some relation to each other.
For example, check out our 2014 Tobacco Heritage Tour where you can learn more about the following sites: the Veneable Tobacco Company, the Imperial Tobacco Company, the Cobb Building, Blackwell’s Durham Tobacco/American Tobacco Co, Liggett and Meyers New Cigarette Factory (now the Chesterfield where our office is located!), Liberty Warehouse no. 3, and 609 Foster Street.
Open Durham Tours allow us to share sites related to each other, showing the pertinent connections much of Durham’s local treasures have with one another.
Stay tuned as we continue to add more tours on Open Durham and add your own if you have a fun idea of related properties!
Local events and news from us and our partners in preservation you may be interested in.
- ICYMI (In Case You Missed It): 505 W. Chapel Hill News CoverageCity leadership weighs options for old Durham police headquartersDurham drops developer but remains undecided about future of old police buildingDurham leaders consider future of old vacant police headquarters after stalled development
- Hayti Heritage Center Exhibit on Pfc. Booker T. Spicely: Citizen, Soldier, Martyr, Hero. Open now through June 13th. 804 Old Fayetteville Street.
- Museum of Durham History: Unearthing Stories of Geer Cemetery: Using Archaeology to Reclaim, Restore, and Respect Sacred Space exhibit, now through Fall 2025. Check out this fantastic exhibit at the Museum of Durham History, in collaboration with the Friends of Geer organization. This exhibit includes artifacts found in the preservation process at the Geer Cemetery, one of the first African American cemeteries in Durham. More information here.
- Festival for the Eno. July 4th and 5th. This year marks the 46th anniversary of the Festival for the Eno. Join the Eno River Association as they put on a two-day event with live music and a craft show. Learn more and buy tickets here.
- Stagville State Historic Site Frederick Douglass Community Reading. July 4th, 10 am. Horton Grove. Commemorate Independence Day with a reading of Frederick Douglass' powerful Fourth of July address, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July" at Historic Stagville State Historic Site. More information here.
- Pier and Curtain Home Restoration Open House for the McCracken-Mize House. July 5th, 1-3pm. Join Pier and Curtain Home Restoration as they celebrate finishing the restoration of the McCracken-Mize House! More information here.
- Preservation Durham Cocktails and Cornices Tour. July 8th, 5:30-7 pm. We still have a few spots available for our Cocktails and Cornices tour on July 8th. Buy tickets here or register for free if you are a member!
- Archaeology Seminar with Grubb & Associates. July 19th. The Chesterfield Building. Hosted by Friends of Geer Cemetery, Preservation Durham, and the Museum of Durham History as a part of the events in support of the Unearthing Stories of Geer Cemetery: Using Archaeology to Reclaim, Restore, and Respect Sacred Space exhibit at the Museum of Durham History.
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