Built around 1940, the Joseph and Lee M. Lazarus house sits atop one of the tallest hills in town. However, after overlooking the historic Rosemount-McIver district for roughly 80 years, the 'Grand Dame on the Hill' may be demolished as early as Monday.
The home's story provides a unique modern-day insight into how history is lost.
Joseph Lazarus, the home's original owner, was a Russian immigrant who settled in North Carolina in the 1920s. After getting a degree in pharmacy from the University of Chapel Hill, he opened Lee's Drugstore. Like Ashworth's Drugstore in Cary or Person Street Pharmacy in Raleigh, Lee's Drugstore was a community staple – complete with a classic soda fountain and delivery boy on roller skates.
Located in a historic district and owned by a historically renowned man, the classic Colonial Revival brick and weather-boarded home seemed destined for preservation. However, a series of tragic events – beginning with a fire and ending with city council voting for demolition – has led to the historic home vanishing from history.
A group of people are fighting to save the home so an important piece of Sanford's history isn't permanently lost.
Joseph Lazarus: A historic community hero
"It isn't our history. It's everyone's history," said Ashley Wilson, who has put together a petition to try and save the home.
Jimmy Haire, a historian for the town, described how magnificent the house looked standing at the top of the hill.
"It’s a shame," he said.
Lazarus, he said, was beloved in the community. His pharmacy was set up in the historic Makepeace Building, which was built in the 1920s.
"There was no Medicare, no Medicaid back then," said Haire. "A doctor would give a prescription and a family may not have the money."
According to Haire, Lazarus was known for helping families pay for the medicine they sorely needed. "He'd say, 'Your prescription’s $3.00. Pay what you can, whenever you can. Your wife or mother is sick, and you need this.'"
Of course, Lazarus couldn't always cut back on his prices. Haire laughed, “Somebody had to pay him every once and a while or he’d go out of business!”
A classic community hotspot
The drugstore was located just down the road from a school, meaning when the school bell rang, a steady stream of teenagers headed up the street to get a booth and a vanilla Coke in the 50s and 60s, according to Haire's memories.
In the 60s and 70s, businessmen gather there during their lunch breaks. "We didn’t have 5-hour energy drinks," said Haire, "So they’d go up there during the mid-day slump to get a dose of caffeine to make it to the end of the workday."
On a typical summer day, locals might see Clint Boyd skating down the streets with deliveries from the Lee Drugstore.
"There was no term called Pharmacy Tech then, but I guess he would have been considered an early pharmacy tech," said Haire.
Lazarus realized drive-thru windows would become popular before they'd hit big, and he opened the second drive-thru window in town in the summer of 1959.
How history is lost: A fire, a death, a demolition
'The Grand Old Dame' doesn't look as lustrous as it once did.
It has been at least a decade since the house was damaged by a tragic fire that was the catalyst for a series of events that have led to an order for the home's demolition.
It's been years since the home had someone living inside it. Photos show trees, vines, overgrowth covering the home as the paint peels away from the walls.
"They have called it the spooky house. The creepy house. The haunted house," said Wilson.
But Wilson has been spending her time trying to clean the house up. An investor has stepped up, showing interest in purchasing and renovating the home. However, it might be too late. After years of the home being called 'a blight on the community,' City Council voted to have it demolished. The vote had already been passed when, at the 11th hour, a miracle investor stepped in.
"I've started a petition to save the home," said Wilson. "We've gotten a ton of community support. People don't want to see this history destroyed."
The fire happened in 2010. Kristina Wagner, who lived alone and was fighting cancer, didn't have money to repair the damage.
"Kris lived in this home with no electricity while fighting cancer," said Wilson.
Some of the home's windows were broken by the fire department in their urgency to stop the fire's damage. "But with historic districts, you have to be careful with what glass you replace the windows with -- and the family couldn't afford it," said Wilson.
When Wagner passed away, complications in the estate made establishing ownership confusing.
"We have an investor. We need a clear title, and the City Manager could put the scheduled demolition up for a re-vote," said Wilson.
Even with an investor and community support, it might be too late for the historic home.
Remembering the good old days
Some members of the community remember a time when Joseph Lazarus and Lee McIver's home was bustling with life, like ehen neighbors would see Lazarus heading off to the drugstore to provide medication and cherry sodas for the community.
"The hill in front of the house is called Hillcrest Drive. It's one of the steepest hills in Sanford. Whenever it would snow, the city would block off the street, and kids from all around the community would come sled there," said Haire.
When the house is gone, Wilson worries, will people still remember Joseph Lazarus and Lee McIver?
"This is our history. We don't have much history left standing here in Sanford," said Wilson.
Explore inside the 80-year-old historic home at 10 a.m. on WRAL's Facebook
WRAL's Hidden Historian will be taking viewers through the vacant, historic house for a last glimpse inside its walls in a live stream tour on WRAL's Facebook at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
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Losing history: Exploring an 80-year-old abandoned historic house before demolition - WRAL.com
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