The house at 1902 Fayetteville Street is not just another old house. It represents a history, a heritage and the pride of a community.

Over the past decades little has been done to nurture it until recently. But now it is undergoing renovations.

The idea of restoring the building has been in the air for 10 years. It was a special project of former chancellor Julius Chamber.

Restoration costs have been estimated at $685,000. The National Park Service issued a $324,000 grant to help fund the restoration efforts. But the park service grant had to be matched before work could begin.

Faculty, alumni and friends of the university have all contributed to make the match.

“The money raised to match the park service grant is all private,” says English associate professor Phyllis Lotchin, chair of the Shepard House restoration committee.

“The project is not taking away from scholarships,” says Lotchin. “Very little of the original campus is left, and it is important that we preserve it.”

And now the restoration is underway. “Some progress has been made,” said Al Palmer, NCCU’s facility construction engineer.

The roof has been replaced and the asbestos has been removed. Recently, underground piping was finished.

A new foundation has been placed underneath the structure. The Freelon Group, a black-owned architectural company in Durham, did the work that has been completed thus far.

Right now further approval of the reconstruction plan by N.C. State Department of Insurance which evaluates the safety and accessibility of the building. “We are kind of at a standstill,” says Palmer. “We can’t do anything until it is approved by them.”

This will take three or four weeks according to Palmer. The plans were submitted two weeks ago. Once insurance approval is received, competitive bidding will get under way to see who can complete the task at the lowest price. Palmer selects the lowest bid following state guidelines.

When work resumes, the rotting walls inside the Shepard House will be demolished and new paneling and doors will be installed.

Outside, the porch and the bay window will be removed, restored, and then placed back on the structure.

One of the chimneys will also be removed, and the bricks will be used on other parts of the house because they are no longer made.

The first floor will get a modern kitchen, a dining room and a a study.

The second floor will be designed to archive materials, and the basement will be designed for storage.

The two buildings behind the Shepard House will be torn down.

The Shepard House was built to serve as a home for NCCU founder Dr. James E. Shepard. The Durham community an d J.B. Mason, president of Citizens National Bank, contributed money to build the Shepard House.

It was completed in 1925, which makes it the oldest building on campus.

The Shepard House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The house not only served as a residence for Shepard and other NCCU chancellors, it was also a center for university activities and a gathering place for many special guests.

Many leaders and artists in the African American community stayed at the house. These included: singers Marian Anderson, Roland Hayes and Dorothy Mayor; poet Countee Cullen; orators Mordecai Johnson and Howard Chidley; political activists A. Philip Randolph and Adam Clayton Powell; and educators Benjamin Mays and Mary McLeod Bethune.

When the structure is completed, the newly restored building will be used as a reception and conference center for NCCU.

The Shepard House Restoration Committee decided upon the use for the house. The committee is composed of NCCU faculty, staff and members of Dr. Shepard’s family.

Even though enough money for the building has been raised, there is still more fundraising to do.

The additional money will be used to restore the garden and do landscaping, as well as furnish the home.

“We are aiming for everything to be finished by June 2003,” says associate vice chancellor of institutional advancement Gloria Haynes, a member of the restoration committee.