Wilmington City Council votes on historic recognition, property sale, and a new paid holiday

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — It was a busy night in city council chambers in Wilmington.

Wilmington City Council voted unanimously to designate the Giblem Lodge as a local historic landmark.

The lodge was built in 1871 and sits on the corner of 8th and Princess Streets in Downtown Wilmington. It’s the second oldest Prince Hall Masonic Lodge in North Carolina and the oldest in Wilmington.

Local landmark designation will help preserve the lodge’s history and cultural significance.

Earl Anderson is with the Giblem Lodge and says this is a culmination of a lot of hard work.

“It shows great diversity within the community and I think it’s really going to help out for other things that come,” Anderson said. “It’s great, it’s a great feeling. We have come a long way to get to this level and we’ve got a long way to go as far as restoration.”

The designation also ensures a 365-day stay of demolition if the lodge were to ever be in danger of being torn down. It also increases its chances of securing grant funding for restoration.

If you would like to contribute to the restoration efforts of the Giblem Lodge, visit here.

Council also voted to accept the highest bid for the sale of the property at 1110 Castle Street. The property once was home to a Wave Transit Maintenance Facility before it was demolished last year. The highest bid came from PBW Development at $86,500.

Lastly, in another unanimous vote, council voted to adopt Juneteenth as a paid city holiday.

The holiday is celebrated on June 19th to recognize the anniversary of a post-Civil War general order proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas in 1865.

Mayor Bill Saffo says he hopes this sends a positive message to the community.

“It’s one of the stains of American history — slavery. Anything we can do to recognize that wrong and to make certain that people understand the history of it and why we as a community want to continue to move forward and tell our African American citizens that it is an important day in the city’s history and the community’s history and the state’s and the country’s history.”

President Joe Biden signed a law in 2021 making Juneteenth the 11th American Federal Holiday, which gives federal government employees a day off.