The Harriet Tubman YWCA building, long closed, will soon be repurposed, turning the site into 15 affordable housing units in Durham.
“Each studio apartment will have a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom,” Peter Skillern, executive director of Reinvestment Partners, said in a WNCN report Monday. “All of the units will be the same design and rent will range from $350 to $650.”
The renovations will serve the secondary purpose of preserving the historic building.
“This building is important to Durham‘s history in the African-American community,” Skillern said.
The building was constructed in 1954 by the African-American community. Early in its existence, it housed single black women who were attending nursing school. It was also a place that allowed for open discussion during the Civil Rights movement.
“In this room, this is where history was made,” Skillern said. “This is where the Royal Ice Cream parlor sit-in was organized, which preceded the sit-in movement at the Greensboro Woolworth’s.”
The project has been in the works for four years, and it is on track to be finished by the end of next year. This $5 million project is happening with the help of congressional funding from U.S. Rep. David Price (D-NC) through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The City of Durham and the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency also are contributing.
