Victor Bryant House

35.991218, -78.912528

707
Morehead Avenue
Durham
NC
Cross Street
Vickers Avenue
Year built
1911-1915
Architectural style
Neoclassical Revival
Construction type
Frame
Local historic district
Morehead Hill
National Register
Morehead Hill
Neighborhood
Morehead Hill
Use
Office
Residence
Institutional
Building Type
Residential
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Victor Bryant House, late 1970s.

Victor Bryant, a prominent lawyer in Durham and one-time city attorney, had the large house at the top of the post constructed by well-known Durham contractor Norman Underwood between 1911 and 1915. The property originally took up the entire block and included servants quarters and stables at the rear of the property.

Between 1925 and 1930, his son, Victor Bryant, Jr. (also an attorney) constructed a Colonial Revival house on the southeast portion of the property, facing Vickers Ave.


Victor Bryant Jr. House, late 1970s.
For more than two decades from the mid-1940s into the 1960s, the older house at 707 Morehead was home to Gaynelle Teer Farthing and her family.

Both houses were converted to joint institutional use in the 1970s - first as Structure House, a diet center, and most recently as Learning Services, a rehab facility for individuals with brain injuries.


Victor Bryant House, looking south from Morehead Ave., 01.01.08


Victor Bryant, Jr. house, looking northwest from Vickers Ave., 01.01.08

Related Tours

Related People

Bryant, Victor, Sr.

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Underwood, Norman

From the 1910 Durham Illustrated: N. UNDERWOOD A man who is responsible for many of the fine buildings erected in Durham during the past dozen years is Norman Underwood, a builder and contractor knovvn throughout this entire State for his dependability and expert knowledge of building. His offices are situated in the Underwood Building, on W. Main...
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Comments

Submitted by Chris (not verified) on Fri, 1/29/2010 - 2:23am

Thanks so much for posting these photos. Victor Bryant, Sr. was my wife's great-great uncle, her grandmother's uncle. We live in Charlotte on Bryant Farms Road in an old farmhouse built by George Badger Bryant, Victor's brother. We have quite a bit of information on the Bryant family, and have a commemorative pamphlet about Victor from the Durham County Bar in dedication of a portrait in the courthouse; the pamphlet has some great stories from his law practice. I'm pretty sure he became a state senator and ran for governor but died of appendicitis during the campaign. He also established a scholarship for Bryant women to go to the teacher's college in Greensboro, which is how my wife's grandmother was able to afford to go to school, at age 16, in 1923. She lived to be 101 and never sold this land and house where we live now, thank goodness. Not as grand and beautiful as Victor's place, but we love it anyway for all its family history.

Submitted by deemason on Fri, 12/4/2020 - 7:39pm

Chris, I would love to get in touch with you and your wife, as I know very little about my great-grandfather's side of the family (the siblings of Victor Bryant Sr.).  I can be reached at deemason@charter.net.  Thanks.  Dee Mason

Submitted by luketheplumber on Mon, 5/27/2019 - 5:42pm

hey i go to camelot academy behind this building in the FOUSHEE HOUSE and i have heard that a developer wants to tear down this building and all the others on this block to build even more luxury condos but thankfully the neighborhood association stepped in to prevent him from doing so for now i walked across that property 3 days ago and it appears to be abandoned will we be able to save this peace of history in time or will this developer wipe out this one of a kind peace

 

Submitted by Courtney James on Mon, 6/10/2019 - 6:15am

Our firm represents the owner (and developer) of this parcel and we have worked with them for several years to develop a great plan for redevelopment of the property.  You will be glad to know that the plan includes preserving and fully restoring both historic houses.

Submitted by luketheplumber on Sat, 7/6/2019 - 9:02pm

When will development start?

Submitted by deemason on Thu, 11/19/2020 - 10:37am

So glad to see these properties on Open Durham.  Victor Bryant (of 1012 Vickers Ave.) was my grandfather.  I have some of his old photograph albums with a treasure trove of pictures of the 707 Morehead property, taken when he was a young man.  This was his childhood home.  I would be glad to share these with anyone interested.  I also have many memories of the Vickers Ave. home, as I grew up in Durham and we spent many happy times there as a family.  Attached to the garage was a family room with a large fireplace, the mantel of which bore the saying "Around This Hearth Let No Evil Be Spoken of Any Man."  That pretty much sums up my grandfather.

Dee Mason

Submitted by deemason on Fri, 12/4/2020 - 7:36pm

I am Victor Bryant Jr.'s granddaughter and am very familiar with both houses, as I grew up in Durham.  I have many early pictures of the 707 Morehead Ave. house from a photograph album I inherited from my grandfather and would be glad to share these if anyone is interested.

Dee Mason

deemason@charter.net

Submitted by deemason on Fri, 12/4/2020 - 7:36pm

I am Victor Bryant Jr.'s granddaughter and am very familiar with both houses, as I grew up in Durham.  I have many early pictures of the 707 Morehead Ave. house from a photograph album I inherited from my grandfather and would be glad to share these if anyone is interested.

Dee Mason

deemason@charter.net

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