Tag: the chicken hut

Durham

After six decades of serving the hungry in Durham, the Chicken Hut has been officially preserved as a piece of the city’s living history.

In a unanimous vote Monday night, the Durham City Council granted the Chicken Hut local landmark status, recognizing both the building and the land it sits on. The restaurant is known as Durham’s oldest, continuously run Black-owned business.

The Chicken Hut, at 3019 Fayetteville St., has been owned by the Tapp family since 1957, when it was known as the Chicken Box, getting its start as a concession stand. The restaurant holds a significant spot in Durham’s history as a hub during the Civil Rights Movement, providing meals to jailed protesters and supporting local civil rights groups.

Last month, the Chicken Hut was awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express to fund renovations and expansions, and recognize its historic preservation. Preservation Durham has been working for years to get the Chicken Hut local landmark status, according to the group.

As a local landmark, the Chicken Hut will be officially documented for its significant history, architecture and cultural importance. Any property that is designated a landmark receives a 50% tax deferral on the building value or the building and the land value. The savings are intended to assist the owner in keeping the landmark property up to its highest standard of care, according to Karla Rosenberg with the city’s Planning and Development Department.

After casting the vote, the Durham City Council members stood up and applauded the owner, Trey Tapp, and supporters who filled the council chambers.

Mayor Leo Williams, a fellow restaurateur, recalled going to eat at the Chicken Hut as a college student at North Carolina Central University.

“I know when you put your heart, your love, your soul into it, you’re doing more than just serving food on a plate. You’re telling the community, ‘I love you,’” Williams said. “There’s nothing more personal than that.”

Tapp thanked the Durham City Council and Preservation Durham, saying he wished his parents, now deceased, were there to witness it happen.

“My parents worked so hard,” said Tapp during the meeting. “So much blood, sweat and tears. They had so much of a passion to give back… We love the City of Durham and now I’m just so happy that we’ll forever be a landmark.”