Historic Holly Springs home once owned by prominent Black family faces demolition
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- A historic Holly Springs home tied to Black heritage faces demolition threat.
- Preservation group launched $800K fundraiser; only $960 raised as of Sept. 29.
- Built in 1900, the home once served as a community hub and general store.
For years, the white, Queen Anne Colonial-style house at 421 Grigsby Ave. in Holly Springs has sat abandoned and neglected.
It’s one of the last surviving structures from a once-thriving African-American neighborhood during the Jim Crow era. But now it faces an uncertain future.
It’s currently listed for $595,000 after the sellers slashed the price by $55,000 in August. As the threat of demolition looms, a last-ditch online fundraiser has been launched to raise $800,000 to buy and restore it.
“I drive by it every day. Seeing it sit empty and at risk is heartbreaking,” said organizer Jacqueline Boorey, 31, from Holly Springs.
“This project is about safeguarding culture, memory and the very soul of a community,” she added, “before it’s paved over and forgotten.”
Built in 1900, the 2,348-square-foot home sits on 0.37 acres just off South Main Street, one block from Town Square. It once housed Dr. George Grisby Sr. and his wife, Gladys, a prominent African American couple during the Segregation era. Pillars of the local community, George was an educator and tradesman and Gladys was a teacher and civic leader who attended Durham State Normal School for Negroes (now NC Central University) and Shaw University.
In 1952, the Grisbys built a two-story extension, fondly called the “Pack-House,” using it as a general store, dance hall and apartment space, according to 2022 Suburban Living article. It remains standing on an adjacent lot, hidden behind overgrowth, and is not included in the listing.
According to records, George Grigsby lived in the house until his death in 1965. His wife continued to reside there and operate their store until she died in 1988.
“Both structures served as a community center for the African American community and are of great interest to the local preservation community,” said Cathleen Turner, regional director at Preservation NC.
In 2024, its current owners purchased the home for $420,000, but left it as is, records show. Today, it’s described as an “investor’s dream” and marketed as a fixer upper or tear down.
“This property offers endless potential,” said listing agent Darcel Angela Cumbo, a Holly Spring-based Realtor with Coldwell Banker.
From the outside, though overgrown, much of its old luster remains. A stone pathway leads to the entrance. Grand full-height columns flank the front doors. White and symmetrical, it also boasts classic black shutters, a decorative second-floor front porch and a screened side porch with vaulted ceilings.
But inside, it’s in total disrepair. Listing photos show cracked walls and ceilings, peeling paint, and missing cabinets after years of neglect.
As of Sept. 29, the GoFundMe campaign had raised $960 from 13 donations. “Should the house sell or be demolished before we are able to raise sufficient funds for this endeavor, all donations will be returned in full,” the website states.
This story was originally published September 30, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
