Durham Council Honors DeWarren Langley, Designates The Chicken Hut Historic Landmark, and Approves Heartland Park Plan

DeWarren K. Langley, just weeks after hospitalization at Duke University Hospital, died Oct. 3 at the age of 41 from a heart attack.

A regular at Durham City Council meetings, Langley was a tireless advocate for student success, entrepreneurship, and inclusion. He served as executive director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Foundation, a nonprofit supporting boys and young men of color.

Council members took time to remember Langley during Monday's meeting.

"He reminded me of what is possible when you never shut up about what our people need and when you walk the walk every day," said Mayor Pro Temp Mark-Anthony Middleton. "I just want to celebrate his light and let the city know that there are folk that he infected before he left and that his work will continue."

Said Mayor Leonardo Williams: "I remember when I was on council and I remember meeting in my office. I was like, 'Dude, you always come into council. You say the same thing. Like, we're on the same page.' He said, 'I know, but I'm still going to call you out.'"

That meeting also saw council members unanimously agree to commit $47,000 to the Durham Museum of History, approve the Heartland Park townhouse development in southeastern Durham on a 4-3 vote (opting to ignore the Planning Commission's recommendation not to approve), and raise the purchasing thresholds for City Manager Bo Ferguson.

But everyone on the board united to celebrate the designation of The Chicken Hut as a historic landmark.

Claiborne and Julia Tapp started the business in 1958 as a concession stand at a drive-in theater. In 1961, it relocated to Roxboro Road and moved again in 1966 - this time to the spot it calls home now at 319 Fayetteville St.

In the 1960s, The Chicken Hut supplied meals to civil rights demonstrators who were jailed or on curfew. It became a gathering place for local activists and political organizations, including the Durham Professional Chain of Business, Black Youth for Progressive Education, the People's Alliance, and the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People.

"The Chicken Hut is not just a restaurant, it's a living institution," said Melvin "Skip" Alston, a Durham native who now serves as chair of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. He described it as "a gathering place for generations of Durham families in support of churches, schools, and civic causes. A proud example of Black entrepreneurship and excellence at a time when opportunities for African Americans were limited."

Middleton said: "It was fried chicken that saved America. It was soul food that was on the table where folk sat around and refused to allow America to sell herself out." He noted that he's taken many votes during his tenure on the Durham City Council, but some votes he'll never forget.

"This is one of those nights," he said.

Mayor Williams said that when visitors come to Durham and want to know where to eat, "you know, yours is one of the first places that people say, and it's just because the food is good. It's because they want to be able to taste our city's culture and the history of Durham. When you go into that unassuming building, you walk on the same floors as the people that we read about in history books."

Trey Tapp, co-owner of The Chicken Hut, stood surrounded by family and friends at the council meeting to thank the city and Preservation Durham for the historic landmark designation.

"I know we're a staple in the community, but leaving here tonight, we'll be a landmark in Durham," he said. "For my daughters, just how hard my parents worked so hard for it - so much blood and sweat and tears. They had so much of a passion for giving back. They loved their city, they loved their community, they loved giving back."

Check out highlights from the Oct. 6 meeting via South Durham's own See Gov!