A sad day for the preservation of Black History in Raleigh, The Weaver House at 1203 E. Lane St, former home of David and Ernestine Weaver ca. 1922 in Idlewild, has officially been demolished.
David Weaver was the manager of the Masonic Temple that served as a dance hall (beer garden, social club, etc.) and was the local booking agent for Gale Agency out of NY. His efforts brought major Jazz artists like Duke Ellington and Count Basie to perform in Raleigh in the 30s and 40s.
Over the last couple of decades, attempts have been made to preserve this Historic Landmark, but in 2017 a high-speed chase ended up in a fiery crash, destroying half of the home and making it impossible, or at least extremely costly, to restore.
Fortunately, The Delany House, across the street at 1204 E. Lane St. the former home of Dr. Lemuel Delany, has been met with a better fate.
The Delany House, closely linked to the Weaver House, served as a sort of Bed and Breakfast for the jazz performers at the Masonic Dance Hall. Remember- this was a time of segregation and people of color could not stay in the local hotels.
Dr. Delany (a graduate of St. Augustine, Shaw, and University of Pennsylvania), worked at St. Agnes Hospital, the only African American Hospital between Atlanta and D.C. for decades. Even more interestingly- he was such a renowned surgeon that he was often snuck into the back door of Rex Hospital to operate on the ‘white patrons’.
Here is the latest image of the restoration happening at the Delany House. Currently under construction, they are doing a great job of keeping original elements of the windows, woodworking, etc. Very excited to see the final product! I hope both sites find a way to remind people of its interesting past.