2515 NC Highway 55

35.955082, -78.89058

2515
Durham
NC
Year built
1972
Architectural style
Construction type
Neighborhood
Use
Building Type
Local ID
133817
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unioninsurancebldg_1970s.jpg

Built in 1972 for the Union Insurance and Realty Company, which had its origins at 814 Fayetteville Street (in Hayti.) The Michaux family owned/ran Union Insurance - not sure of the extent of their involvement for what period.

55bldg_080212.jpg

08.02.12

This building is still listed as owned by Union Insurance and Realty Co.; I'd be curious who designed it. I've become more intrigued by this era, aesthetically over time. Maybe I like it. At a minimum, it's a welcome relief from the endless sea of brick/stucco boxes with wisps of pseudo-colonial plastic applique that come at you from all sides as you head southward on NC 55.

Comments

When I moved to Durham in 1961, this corner of hwy55 and Riddle Rd was a weedy field with an old drive-in theater screen at the back of the property facing '55. There were holes in the screen and it looked like the place had been closed a long time.  Does anyone know anything about the drive-in?

  That corner was the site of the Collage View Drive-in. This was Durham's black drive-in.Was in operation from about 1952-1958.Ads were in the Carolina Times.

The office building housed Foxy-107 and WDUR 1490 studios from the mid-late 1980s untill the early 1990s.The Durham Fire Marshal was here also. The building was damaged in the 1989 tornado. The Pantry next door had to be totally rebuilt.

Thanks for posting Robby, I've always wondered. I've lived here all my life and had never heard about the College View.  Maybe someone will post a picture of the drive-in from back in the day.

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