Hugh MacRae II, civic leader and mall builder dies
WILMINGTON, NC (StarNewsOnline) — Funeral services are planned Oct. 15 for Hugh MacRae II, the Wilmington developer who spearheaded the creation of Hanover Center and Independence Mall.
MacRae, 93, died Monday.
“Hugh and his entire family made significant contributions to Wilmington,” said Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo. The mayor cited MacRae’s many years of work on the city’s Military Affairs Committee, coordinating relations between local officials, Camp Lejeune and other military units.
MacRae was born in Wilmington on Nov. 24, 1924, the son of Nelson MacRae and Marguerite Bellamy. On his mother’s side, he was related to the Bellamy family of Bellamy Mansion. In a reminiscence with historian Susan Taylor Block, he recalled running through the ballroom of his maternal grandparents’ house (destroyed by fire) at 602 Market St.
Leave a Reply