Historic Liberty Tobacco Warehouse Faces Repairs Deadline

(The Durham News) "Demolition by neglect" proceedings on Liberty Warehouse resume Thursday with a public hearing at City Hall.
City authorities gave Liberty owner Greenfire Development a two-month delay in December, while they considered the company's proposal for short-term repairs and longer-term renovations.
City inspections head Rick Hester said Greenfire has told him some work has begun since the December stay, but he did not know details.
The extension ends Feb. 15 and by then the city intends to have decided whether to declare the historic tobacco-auction house in a state of demolition by neglect and impose financial penalties on Greenfire. Continued

Photo: Baskets of tobacco piled on top of each other after being sold at auction. Here they are picked up by the trucks which haul them to the cigarette factories. This is in the Liberty warehouse. Durham, North Carolina, 1939 (Marion Post Wolcott/FSA/Library of Congress).