DURHAM, N.C. -- At least one person was killed and multiple injured when a building collapsed in Durham on Wednesday morning. That building has since been identified as the the old Studebaker Dealership building on North Duke Street.
The building appears to be mostly destroyed.
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The building was reportedly originally erected in 1928 and is about 23,000 square feet. It originally included a showroom and repair garage.
According to opendurham.org, the dealership was only open about two years, it closed around 1930. After that it reportedly became Brown's Auto Supply on July 1, 1943 and remained an auto venue through the 1980s.
OpenDurham.org reports after that time it housed many businesses including Brunson's TV, Lane's Auto Supply, the Weeping Radish restaurant, and other restaurants into the 90s. It was renovated into office space for Ogilvy, an advertising agency, years later, but that ad agency was eventually replaced with ReverbNation, which has also since moved.
Today, the coffee shop Kaffeinate is located in the building, and is confirmed to be a location affected by the explosion. Employees with Kaffeinate have since reported that everyone is OK.
There is no word yet on which other businesses, if any, are currently located in the building.