By Joanie Morris

Kannapolis Citizen

With its old stone facade, slanted roof and numerous rooms, the Durham house could have many uses, according to Heather Littrell .

Littrell is listing the house for sale for Cornerstone Cabarrus. With the history of the house and the future David Murdock plans for Kannapolis, she hopes old can mix with new.

"Even though the mills are torn down, this house will help maintain the historic nature of downtown Kannapolis," Littrell said during a recent tour of the house. "We've always thought of the mill as being part of downtown that has historic appeal."

The 3,600-square-foot house was completed Nov. 29, 1936, constructed of Tennessee stone by Bert W. Durham. Durham also constructed several structures sitting along Cannon Boulevard near Lane Street and is responsible for giving the Car Town area of the city its name.

The house used to sit at 201 S. Main St., where the new train station is. When the Department of Transportation and the city completed plans for the new station, DOT sold the home for $1 to the Piedmont Preservation Foundation, which moved the house to its current location about two blocks away, at 515 S. Main St.

Durham made sure the house had plenty of room. It has six rooms upstairs — plus two smaller rooms with slanted ceilings — a breakfast nook, kitchen, dining room, living room and three rooms downstairs , plus two bathrooms.

Littrell said the house would have many good uses — from restaurants to bookstores — but the highest and best use for the house would likely be a small office building with a shared receptionist and printer/copy/fax area.

Inside the house, not much has changed since the house was moved.

"We decided to really not do repairs, because it depends on what someone would use it for," Littrell said. The building is structurally sound, she said., and repairs needed inside would be done anyway. In several locations, the ceiling is falling in, and a lot of cleaning needs to be done.

The hardwood floors are in good shape and only need sanding and refinishing.

Fireplaces in the living room and one of the rooms downstairs boast original tiling and stone.

Littrell said she couldn't imagine anyone not falling in love with the house once they have taken a tour.

While the building would not be well-suited as a home any longer, Littrell said, Piedmont Preservation Foundation still get calls for residential uses.

"I think it's interesting that these rooms , in today's time, would not be big enough for bedrooms," she said, showing off the small rooms on the second floor.. "They would be the perfect size for offices."

Each room has picture moulding at the top near the tall ceilings, perfect for hanging pictures and paintings, so nails would not have to be driven into the plaster walls. All six rooms on the upper level also have storage closets.

Because of the varying sizes of windows and locations, "all of the rooms have wonderful natural light," Littrell said.

When the house first went on the market and the sign went up, she got 20 calls a week about the structure. It is listed at $229,000 .

Calls trickled down to about once a week until David Murdock unveiled his plans for a biotechnology research campus in the city.

Calls have "probably tripled since the announcement," Littrell said.

"In light of the changes with Murdock, we still kept the price as it was," she said. Property with the building goes all the way to the parking lot on the left and to the railroad right-of-way in the back. On the right, Littrell said, the property extends about 20 yards from the house. The house has 150 feet of property frontage on South Main Street.

She hopes the home goes to someone interested in preserving the historical integrity of the building and preserving the history of the Durham family.

"Since the Durham family played such an integral role in the development of Kannapolis, it's imperative to maintain the history of Kannapolis and the business district as it once was," Littrell said. "But also (it's important) to preserve the family history of Kannapolis."

While she doesn't know much about the history of the Durham family, she said she would love to find out about the Durham children. She believes the Cannon family has done a very good job of preserving their contribution to the history of Kannapolis and Cabarrus County and hopes the Durham family is recognized as well.

When asked about what she would do with the house, Littrell's answer is quick.

"I think probably one of the highest and best uses would be key man office space," Littrell said. "The person that owned it would. sublet to those small business, office-type workers."

Such businesses could include one- or two-man offices or eBay businesses that don't require a lot of exposure but need a commercial address. With a central workroom, Littrell said businesses could save on the cost of renting a printer, fax or copier.

"Those costs can be high to lease copier to small businesses," Littrell said.

In addition to office space, Littrell had a few more suggestions for the home.

"I also think it would be great for a boutique or a restaurant or coffee shop."

In other words, just about anything.

To see the house, contact Heather Littrell at 704-791-7881.

Contact Joanie Morris at 704-932-3336 or jmorris@kannapoliscitizen.com.