My Two Neighborhoods Lost to Gentrification 

-by Edna R. Rich-Ballentine

As a little girl, I lived at 523 S. Wilmington Street in Raleigh, North Carolina. Wilmington Street was the beginning of the Third Ward, our Black community. On the five hundred block of Wilmington was St. Ambrose Church and Parsonage. Dr. Manassa Pope and his family also lived there at 511 S. Wilmington Street. Dr. Pope was the first Black doctor in North Carolina, graduating from Shaw University Medical School. His diploma from Shaw University is still at the house. His second wife, Mrs. Delia, had two daughters, Evelyn and Ruth. When my mom wanted to go shopping or visiting, she would leave me with them. Mrs. Delia was a teacher and hairdresser. She had attended hairdressing school under Madam C. J. Walker. My hair was long and thick, and my mom didn’t like doing it, so she would ask Mrs. Delia to do my hair.

Stronachs Alley ran down the side of the Pope House and McCauley private Black hospital. Along Stronachs Alley, on both sides, were what are now called Shotgun Houses. This meant you could shoot through the front door and the shot would go straight out the back door. In this area, we had Black, white, and other nationalities.

Next door to the Pope’s was Dr. Lewyn McCauley’s private Black hospital. It was his office and had rooms for the hospital. Next to the hospital was a rooming house where Black people who needed a single room and shared bathroom with no kitchen facilities could live. Next was The Barnes Motor and Parts store, open to everyone.

Life on Wilmington Street

Then there was 523 S. Wilmington Street, the house I was living in that had belonged to my mother’s sister, Alverda Boyer Fleming. She was married to Harper Fleming, a Black dentist. His office was in the Masonic building at 427 S. Blount Street. I also went to my dentist, Dr. Robert Bell, in the same location when I was growing up. On the corner next to my house was a brick building that ran all the way from Wilmington to Blount Street, facing Lenoir Street. This was used to house tobacco and cotton. Auctions were held in this building for other food products as well.

In front of our house faced the back of the white family homes facing Fayetteville Street. The children could play together but could not go into each other’s homes. We, the children, didn’t know any better about playing with each other until we went to school. Everything outside of our neighborhood was segregated. Our Black parents and grandparents taught us that we had our place, and we could not forget it.

The only home left of this community is Dr. Manassa Pope’s home, built in 1900. It is now a museum run by the City of Raleigh and is a reminder of the vibrant community of my earlier life.

A Corner of Cabarrus and Wilmington

Now, just around the corner of Cabarrus and Wilmington Streets, is my second neighborhood, which is in a little better shape, but it is fading fast. Behind St. Ambrose Church on the one hundred blocks of E. Cabarrus Street were family homes and the Lincoln Theater. As children, we would go on Saturday mornings for cartoons from nine to noon for about 10 to 15 cents. It also had other movies, then the theater became Gillies, a Black restaurant and club run by Roy Hicks. Now it is called Lincoln Theatre again, and is a rock-oriented music club.

In the same building was Dove’s Music Box Co. Mr. Arthur Dove carried the most jukeboxes for Black businesses all over the state. Next to that was the ABC store for Black patrons, run by Mr. Cutten Hunt.

On the corner of E. Cabarrus and S. Blount was a Black-owned Shell or Exxon station (I can’t remember which) run by Mr. Lockhart. He was the husband of Mrs. Nora Lockhart, principal of Crosby-Garfield School. In later years, Mr. Evans owned the service station. This station used to come out and fill the tank, wash all the windows, and check the oil. By our standards today, this was “great service.” The station assumed the whole corner of Blount and Cabarrus. Next to that was a two-story building where the Deluxe Cab Stand was housed and was owned by Mr. Wiley Latham. In the rest of this side of the block were family homes.

Across the street is Tupper Memorial Baptist Church. Rev. Tupper, the first minister, started Shaw University on this site. It is still a Black Baptist church. Across the street is the Masonic Building, which over the years has housed the YWCA, Civetta Beauty College run by Mrs. Pitts, along with several barbershops. Today, it still houses the Masonic Lodge, Eastern Star, a barbershop, a beauty shop, and a thrift store. This building was built by the Black Masons when these groups were segregated.

Next to the church were small shotgun houses. Then there was a small grocery store with people living above it. This building still stands and is used by a Shriner’s group, I believe. Hinton’s Photographer shop was located here for years, run by both father and son. Now this building has been brought back to life by Valerie K. Fields, owner of V-K. Fields & Co. A similar building next door is empty, but work has been done to preserve it. The house next door has been used for families and businesses. The Carolinian newspaper was a tenant at one time. On the corner, this building was the home of Acme Cab Co., a beauty shop, and a corner store.

Behind Tupper Memorial Baptist Church, and on the side, were family homes of Black families. Where now is a newly constructed home was a store front on the bottom and an apartment on top where renters stayed. Next to this was the Lewis Hotel, later called the Deluxe Hotel. It was one of several Black hotels in the Downtown area. The Deluxe Hotel is listed in one of the editions of the Green Book as a safe place for Black people to stay. My girlfriend, Edna, who was raised at the hotel, and I were taught how to clean rooms, change beds, and throw the dirty linens down the stairs. Her grandmother would wash all the linens in the basement of the hotel. In the back of the hotel and on the sides to the corner were family homes.

Across the street from Tupper Memorial Baptist Church and behind the Masonic building was a two-story house for renters. Next to it, at 213 E. Cabarrus, was the home of Dr. Jones, a pharmacist. His wife, Mrs. Alice, was a schoolteacher. After his death, Mrs. Alice took in single Black teachers who had come to teach in the Raleigh City Schools. This was unusual during the time of segregation. One of the tenants was Dr. John Hope Franklin, a professor at St. Augustine’s College.

At 215 E. Cabarrus was Rev. Milton Haywood, a Baptist minister, and his wife, Zanna, who was in healthcare. Now I lived at 219 E. Cabarrus during my high school years. This house belonged to Rev. George Mial, a Baptist minister. His second wife, Nina Mial, was head of the Laundry at St. Augustine College. This is who I call Grandma. On the corner of Person and Cabarrus Streets, was a white cinder block building with a shoe and barbershop. Presently, there is a Vintage Clothing Store and Coffee shop. Across on the other corner, was Sullivan’s grocery. Today it is a parking lot. There are more stories about the Third Ward, but time will not permit.

The Impact of Gentrification

As a board member of Preservation Raleigh, I know my neighborhood was self-sufficient and close-knit. Now these two neighborhoods, where I grew up, are hardly recognizable. Just memories of times gone by. It makes me sad to no longer have two neighborhoods that enriched my life and had such an impact on my becoming an adult. Gentrification has left its mark.

Gentrification is a complex process that occurs when more affluent residents move into a historically lower-income neighborhood. This often leads to increased property values, redevelopment, and changes in the neighborhood’s character. While it can bring benefits like improved infrastructure and amenities, it can also displace long-time residents due to rising costs. This can hurt the neighborhood’s culture and make people feel like they don’t belong.

Preserving History

Historic preservation can play an important role in avoiding the negative effects of gentrification. By preserving historic buildings and landmarks, communities can maintain their cultural heritage and sense of place. This can also help local businesses and make the neighborhood feel more connected.

In addition to preserving buildings, historic preservation can also focus on preserving cultural heritage, such as traditions, customs, and stories. This can help to make sure that the history and identity of a neighborhood are not lost to gentrification.

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Sources and Resources:

Am I a gentrifier? Gentrification, explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_f-1lmjQEI

Gentrification, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentrification

Deluxe Hotel: https://theclio.com/entry/134005

McCauley Private Hospital and School of Nursing https://nursinghistory.appstate.edu/institution/mccauley-private-hospital-son

St. Ambrose Episcopal Church https://stambroseraleigh.org

Leonard Medical School at Shaw University https://www.ncpedia.org/leonard-medical-school

The Pope House Museum https://raleighnc.gov/pope-house

Historic Context for Stronach’s Alley City Block: https://rhdc.org/sites/default/files/Final%20Stronach%20Alley_emailable_0.pdf

Stronachs Alley: Hidden downtown alleyway holds secrets to Black history​ in Raleigh https://www.wral.com/story/stronachs-alley-hidden-downtown-alleyway-holds-secrets-to-black-history-in-raleigh/19532024

How Raleigh once demolished a Black neighborhood and displaced more than 1,000 people (Article about the nearby Fourth Ward) Read more at: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article291229525.html#storylink=cpy