Honoring a Home

Yesterday morning, as I was waiting for a flight out of Fort Lauderdale I received news that the Teer House had caught on fire and was utterly destroyed. To be honest, I have never entered the house, but I can’t count the number of times I drove by and felt a sense of pride well up.

Hubert and his wife, Mary Ruth Teer, built the house in 1932. It was constructed two years after my grandparents finished their house, White Hall Terrace. The Mount Vernon style houses were designed by George Watts Carr.

In 1980, White Hall Terrace caught on fire and both my grandparents died from the result of smoke inhalation. And now, forty-three years later, the Teer House has also been succumbed by a fire.

Hubert Teer, the original owner, was a man who was honored by his courage in World War I when he and his troops were attacked and after being wounded, wouldn’t leave until the battle was finished. Mary Ruth, my grandfather’s sister, was known by all who knew her for her generosity and kind nature.

Later, after Hubert died, Mary Ruth handed the keys to her daughter Mary who with her husband lived in the house until her death two years ago, and Russell’s death only a month ago.

As we all know, no matter if your house is small or large, it is first a home. And for this reason, I wanted to personally give my respects to the family for their loss.

Very few houses continue to stand that represent our city’s history and its deep seated roots. And now with the destruction of this magnificent house that stood so proud, we should pause and give respect to the loss of one of Durham’s finest jewels.