118 Masondale Avenue

Typical of post-World War II housing, this one-story, side-gabled, Minimal Traditional-style house is three bays wide with a projecting, front-gabled bay on the right (west) end of the façade. The house has replacement fiber-cement siding, vinyl windows, flush eaves, and an interior brick chimney. The front-gabled bay has a group of three double-hung windows and a triangular louvered vent in the gable. To the left (east) of the bay is a two-light-over-four-panel door sheltered by a small shed roof on a square post. There is a projecting gabled bay near the rear of the right elevation with a nine-light-over-two-panel door on its façade and a single eight-over-eight wood-sash window on its right elevation. In front of the bay is a flat-roofed carport on metal posts and there is an original four-over-four window in the right gable. An exterior brick chimney on the left elevation is partially obscured by a side-gabled, screened porch on square posts. The site slopes to the rear to reveal a basement level. The earliest known occupants are Day F. Reed, and his wife Japhene Reed, who worked at Service Printing Company, in 1950.

On May 8, 1941, T.D. Parham and his wife, owners of Service Printing Company at 608 Fayetteville Street, sold the business and all of its equipment to Nathaniel White, Day F. Reed, Walter Swann and George D. White.  The business remained at this location until they moved to the Durham Hosiery Mill at 504 East Pettigrew Street.  Until the business closed and the building demolished, Service Printing Company was the oldest African American owned printing company in the United States.

On August 19, 1945, G.W. Cox and Nola J. Cox sold this property to North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company.  Mr. and Mrs. Reed purchased the property from North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company on June 10, 1946.  They were the parents to two sons. 

After the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Reed, one of their sons lived in the house.  On August 9, 2005, Chase Manhattan Bank sold the house to David E. McQueen, Sr.  Mr. McQueen has this property as a rental investment and it is occupied by tenants currently.