604 W. Chapel Hill St.

2001

July 2006

04.03.12

This building housed a branch of the War Resisters’ League, where local activist, co-founder of the Triangle Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays and  Southerners on New Ground, Mandy Carter, used to work. 

This building was also a printing location of Femininary, originally published as The Feminist Newsletter. Revived in 1973 after a few years on hiatus, the newsletter began incorporating more references to lesbian-feminism. Starting with their Spring 1978 issue, Feminary decided to become, in their words, “a feminist journal of the South emphasizing the lesbian vision.” The publishers wrote that “as a lesbian collective, we could only talk knowledgeably about lesbian community.” The issues had essays, poetry, news, interviews, events, and more. 

The 1973 revival was kick-started by Nancy Blood, Elizabeth Knolten, Leslie Brogan, and Leslie Kahn. The 1978 shift and onwards was largely published under the leadership of Minnie Bruce Pratt, Cris South, Susan Ballinger, and Mab Segrest.

You can find issues of the magazine at the Durham Library North Carolina Collection and at the Rubenstein Rare Book Library at Duke.  

This building complex was originally referred to as The Eloise, with the 1928 building on the corner (602 W. Chapel Hill) holding apartments and local doctor Baird Brooks’ medical office on the corner. The addition, which held the printing presses (604 W. Chapel Hill), was built in 1940 to hold more physician offices.