35.996439, -78.900476
Orange St. was, as the name implies, once a street - with older commercial structures along the western side of the street.
Above, a fuzzy view of the western facades of Orange St. - behind First Baptist Church, 1924.
Below, the view from December 1963, looking northwest on Orange St. Only a portion of 111-113-115 is visible on the left, but the Markham Jones Company building (119-123) is fully shown. Incidentally, notice that the flag is at half-mast after Kennedy's assassination.
Below, another view looking west from Rigsbee, though a parking lot.
Some bad replacement windows hit the Markham Jones Company (along with a modern-style first floor facade) in the early 1970s.
Early 1970s (Durham County Library)
Overall, Orange St. would do well with elimination of the big planters - similar to the ones just removed from Main St. - and a return to a normal streetscape.
Comments
Submitted by assemblagealva on Wed, 6/21/2023 - 8:58am
Spring-Summer 2023 Update:
The city has removed the planters and replaced them with non-invasive plants and trees that, when mature, will provide some shading on the street.
113 & 119 are undergoing extensive renovations and will soon be occupied by new tenants, bringing life back to this sweet spot Downtown.
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