Immaculata School / 721 Burch Ave.

Interesting (and curious) to me is that there are still two modular homes that I guess are rented on the Immaculata side of Buchanan - I have no idea if the church owns them or not, but it would be a logical move to buy them and expand there. It's a bit selfish of me, but I kind of wish they would take those structures over, since they're really ugly.

I don't know what if any plans Immaculata has to expand, but it seems to me it would be awkward to try and gobble up land across the street. Several of those houses either have been or are currently being renovated.

Jeremy

The two houses are owned by Lee Ray Bergman/ Bergman rentals - purveyors of low-quality dwellings to those who can't afford anything else Durham-wide for over ?25 years. No idea how long - but a long time.

Wish I could find an article from the late 1990s about our local slumlords - I think it was in the Independent, but perhaps the Herald. I don't know how company practices have changed, if at all, but the article was, in a word, disturbing. It was the kind of good local investigative reporting that we just don't have anymore.

I would have to speculate that Immaculata has tried to buy these houses, and the Bergman Company has probably asked for a very high price.

I agree that it is unlikely that Immaculata would expand across Buchanan. But I've learned never to doubt the real estate ambitions of churches and schools. I never would have thought NC Central would expand across Fayetteville into a stable, nice neighborhood that grew up with their campus.

Gary - on my block, the rental housing that is owned by the Bergmans is probably the best maintained, most continuously rented, and least troublesome. I've been told that first the daughter, and now the son, have taken over day-to-day operations of the company. They are by no means perfect, but compared to, say, Rick Soles' management, they're more than acceptable.

Barry

Good to know things may have changed - and I can provide some additional anecdotal evidence that the Bergman-owned house 1/2 block from me that spent awhile as a crack den has been cleaned up, so maybe things have changed. Admittedly, much of my perception was colored by that article, which detailed financial and management practices that were abysmal.

GK

Many times, wealthy members of congregations buy adjoining lots, houses etc for churhes. This is especialy true in urban areas. Expansions by St Phillips, Trinity Ave Pres., Duke Memorial, and others have been funded by large tax deductible gifts.

lwn

Re freeway: I remember it ended at Chapel Hill Street probably up until the time we left for a year in England, 1973. The extension to Erwin Rd. may have been completed by the time we got back in 1974 or perhaps shortly thereafter. I remember being driven east down Burch to The Medical Arts Building (it was where we got all our family check-ups), and then later realizing that that route was Gone.

When I remember my family going to the Medical Arts building, the route down Burch was already gone.

When I was at Immaculata, the Sisters of St. Dominic were still teaching there. I wonder when they left and what happened to them.

Thanks for this blog! I stumbled upon it looking for information on other Durham sites I remember from childhood ...

I am currently working on an oral history of Immaculata. This blog has been helpful in understanding the geographies and histories of this small part of Durham. Wherever Immaculata is headed, it certainly possesses a storied past. Thanks.