137-year old North Carolina funeral home must move to make way for new judicial center

Sep 15, 2009

Durham County, North Carolina wants to act quickly to build a new judicial center to take advantage of low construction costs. The building project could run more than $140 million. In order to make that happen, though, the Scarborough and Hargett Funeral Home has to be moved.

The county bought the funeral home property for $3.75 million in 2006 to avoid condemnation proceedings on the 137-year old business, and the owner has leased the property from the county since then. The funeral home is the third oldest black-owned mortuary in the United States.

The funeral home’s lease is expiring, and the owner has requested a nine-month extension while he waits for his new building to be completed, but the county said that they need to take possession of the property by January 1. Commissioners approved of October 31 as the date the business will need to vacate the property.

After the property is vacated, asbestos will have to be removed before the site can be cleared. Asbestos is a known carcinogen that was commonly used in building materials for many years before the health hazards were widely known. The county expects bidding for the new courthouse to be completed by the end of the year for construction to begin next March.

For the full story, go to The Durham News.

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