511 Mcmannen (s. Mangum) St. - Malbourne Angier House

Much like the western side of the 400-500 block of McMannen St., the eastern side developed with a first generation of ~1870s-1880s houses (most likely) of which many were supplanted by larger dwellings during the 1890s-1910s. Some of the earlier dwellings persisted on the east side into the 1960s

511 S. Mangum - certainly one of the earlier generation.

511 S. Mangum appears to have been MA Angier's house from at least 1881; it first appears in the city directories as 135 McMannen, then 317 McMannen, then 511 McMannen. Angier was "Member of the General Assembly of the State, Mayor of Durham, Chairman of the Commissioners of the County, and Justice of the Peace for fifty years" per the historical marker outside the old County Courthouse. He ran the original general store in Durham, on the "Angier Corner" - Mangum and Main. He died 12.30.1900

In 1903-1904 the house was occupied by Edward L. Fleming, Maudant Fleming, May Fleming, and Zana Fleming. By 1915, it appears to be occupied by Charles Amis, a manager at the CD Kenney store, and Rufus Amis, a clerk at the Durham Hosiery Mill.

All of these houses were torn down by the city using federal urban renewal funds in the late 1960s.

Looking south from the courthouse, 07.15.68. The area to the west of Roxboro (right side) had been completely cleared, and the freeway is under construction in the background. Demolition of the east (left) side of the street had not begun.

Hard to get perspective on this, but I believe it is looking southwest from near Dillard Street, 1968

Looking north from present-day Jackie Robinson, ~1969-70.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)

Elkins Chrysler-Plymouth moved south from their former location at North Roxboro and Parrish Streets in a land swap for their former location, which was also demolished by urban renewal.

Elkins Chrysler under construction, looking east, 1968.
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun)

Looking northwest, 02.01.89.

Chrysler dealership, looking southeast, 2007.

Chrysler dealership, looking northeast, 2007.

Durham Freeway, looking southeast, 2007.

Most recently, the dealership was purchased by the Johnson dealership company, who made no secret that they were interested in unloading the property. They placed it under contract within the past few weeks, to Scientific Properties, who have stated only that they are interested in developing a "mixed-use project."

The Scientific Properties portfolio continues to grow: I've put together a quick-and-dirty overview map to show their projects, proposed and actual.

Given the projects on their plate, one has to think that the Elkins Chrysler parcel is land banking more than project at the moment. As much as I love adaptive reuse, I'm happy that SP is proposing new, mixed-use development downtown. This is exactly where it should go - on the scorched earth of car-dealership land. I think we've got awhile to wait to sound my familiar streetscape refrain, so I'll just note that it's thrilling to think of some city re-occupying the urban renewal moonscape.