Local News

Site of 2019 Durham explosion for sale as some in Brightleaf district still feel impact

The site is .39 acres on the Northeast corner of Duke and Morgan streets. Real estate developer Austin Lawrence Partners has put the property at 115 North Duke Street on the market.
Posted 2024-01-08T22:35:47+00:00 - Updated 2024-01-08T23:04:10+00:00
Durham explosion site hits the market 5 years after tragedy

Part of a Durham natural gas explosion site is up for sale.

It's the same spot where an explosion killed two people, injured dozens of others and leveled several businesses in April of 2019.

The site is .39 acres on the northeast corner of Duke and Morgan streets.

Real estate developer Austin Lawrence Partners has put the property at 115 North Duke Street on the market.

"It was really an opportunistic decision and if somebody decided to come in and give us a price that made sense then we would sell it but if not, we would continue with our plans to develop the site within our portfolio in Durham," said Zach Prager.

In 2019, a contractor hit a gas line, causing an explosion that was felt for miles.

And Monday, businesses in the Brightleaf area continue to feel the impact.

Josh Wittman has co-owned the Federal, just a block away from the explosion site, for 18 years.

"I don't know if that was their worry about the volatility of the neighborhood or just that it was a depressing area to be in downtown," Wittman said. "But it definitely hurt our business and all the other area businesses."

Prager said Austin Lawrence is invested in Durham and development for the long term. If they keep the property at 115 North Duke, they will be very calculated about how they develop the site.

"Because we want to be really thoughtful," Prager said. "We do a lot of research and we want to make sure that the site that we're doing makes sense in its location in Durham for the long-term."

Austin Lawrence is also behind the Novus, One City Center and the Unscripted Hotel.

An asking price hasn't been set.

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