Durham County Jail - Mangum / Mcmannen St.

35.993652, -78.901337

219
Durham
NC
Cross Street
Year built
1993
Architectural style
Construction type
Neighborhood
Use
Building Type
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The northernmost extent of McMannen Street (now South Mangum St.) featured a mixture of residential and industrial uses, including the large freight railroad depot between Vivian and Pettigrew Sts., the Austin Heaton/Peerless flour company, and, east of McMannen, along Pettigrew, a collection of very early residential structures.




Above, the view looking ~northwest, around 1924. The photo focuses on the intersection of Mangum St. / McMannen St. with the railroad tracks. The large freight depot is to the west of McMannen, and the American Tobacco Co. is beyond that. A series of small, old residential structures line Pettigrew amongst the trees.
(Courtesy Duke Archives)


Above, a structure near the southeast corner of McMannen St. and East Pettigrew St. A notation with the photo notes that it was "one of the oldest structures remaining downtown" when the picture was taken - likely dating from the mid-1800s or earlier.
(Courtesy Duke Archives)



Another view, above ~late 1920s. (My girlfriend told me I should "put some dots on things sometimes so that she could tell which buildings I'm talking about" - so I put some dots on this.
Dark blue = McMannen (South Mangum) Street
Yellow = Vivian Street
Red = Austin-Heaton/Peerless Flour
Pink = Pine St. (South Roxboro)
Light Blue = The Venable Tobacco Co.
Green = JD Lyon Tobacco Co. / City Stables
(Courtesy Duke Archives)

By the 1930s, the small, old structures along East Pettigrew St., between McMannen and Pine Sts. were torn down, and the Southern Railway Co. built another large depot, with an office building at the Pine St. end (which will be profiled tomorrow.)


Above, the view ~1940. A long shed and office building have replaced the structures.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)


Above, the view from McMannen (South Mangum) looking east on Pettigrew St., 1966.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

By the early 1990s, the depot building had been demolished, and the office building was soon to follow.

Looking west from South Roxboro, down East Pettigrew St.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

The county decided this would be an ideal spot for a new county jail, which they began building in 1993.


Looking southeast from South Mangum and West Pettigrew, 1993.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

The building was completed by 1996.


Looking southeast from South Mangum and West Pettigrew, 1993.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

I find the anti-streetscape modernist style surprisingly well-suited to jail construction - if only it had less in common with our upcoming Human Services Complex.



Looking southeast from West Pettigrew and South Mangum, 2007.

Comments

Funny historical bit about McMannen Street, which I think I read in Jean Anderson's book:

McMannen (whose first name I forget at the moment) was one of the earliest fellows to buy up land south of the railroad tracks. He had the land divided up, all nice and ready to sell off to folks -- provided that they would keep this section of town dry. (Durham's reputation as a feisty drunken dame had already taken hold.)

The result? No takers for Mcmannen's scheme.

--ASE.

Nice dots. :)

Andrew

Hey - yer gettin' ahead of me; the McMannen story is coming up later in the week!

Joe

Like 'em? She'll be so pleased.

GK

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