Updated at 5:44 p.m.
The University demolished the lacrosse house Monday—its first move to turn over the off-East symbol of the 2006 lacrosse scandal.
Officials decided about six months ago to tear down the house, said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations. Duke did not announce its decision to the surrounding community before the demolition took place the morning of July 12, he added.
Schoenfeld said University’s decision to demolish the property had nothing to do with the lacrosse case, but rather was a step toward making the property useful to the community again.
“One cannot ignore the history of the house and the worldwide attention that it provoked, but there are also some very practical issues here which is Duke bought the property along with a number of other properties with an eye toward trying to enhance the quality of life in the neighborhood,” he said. “...this one took on a life of its own, and this is just a good time to continue on the path that we set out to take four and a half years ago.”
Schoenfeld said the University will decide “sooner rather than later” what to do with the now vacant lot but that there are currently no firm plans for the space. He said officials are talking with neighborhood leaders, but added that “ultimately the decision will be the University’s.”
Although the lot remaining at 610 N. Buchanan is small, Schoenfeld said University leaders are considering several options for the property including rebuilding a structure and selling the lot.
The house at 610 N. Buchanan was the site of the March 2006 party at which an exotic dancer claimed she was raped. It was one of 15 rental properties near East Campus Duke purchased for $3.7 million in early 2006 intending to turn them into residential properties—one month before the lacrosse case broke.
Uninhabited for more than four years, the house remained locked but untouched by the University pending the resolution of all lawsuits surrounding the lacrosse scandal. Executive Vice President Tallman Trask told The Chronicle in 2009 that the University had contacted lawyers about tearing down the house and building a new residence, but the request was denied.
Schoenfeld told ABC News in April that the University planned to renovate and sell the property as it has with other Trinity Park properties. In an interview with The Chronicle, Schoenfeld said the house was in disrepair—only being maintained “so it wouldn’t fall down”—and that its condition contributed to the decision to demolish rather than renovate the property.
The same day the house was demolished, Crystal Mangum, the accuser in the lacrosse case, appeared in court facing February charges of attempted murder, arson, assault and battery, identity theft, injury to personal property, resisting a public officer and misdemeanor child abuse.
A judge released Mangum from house arrest Monday to care for her mother and work, WRAL reported. She was ordered to continue her mental care and allowed supervised visits with her children, according to News 14 Carolina.
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