Sculptures by the Late William Kent May be Sold Out of His Durham Home

William Kent spent 30 years carving sculptures out of a home on Howd Road in Durham, sculpting some of the most renowned wooden artwork in recent memory.

Now, that home may soon become a location where his artwork will be sold. 

The Durham Planning & Zoning Commission is currently reviewing a proposal by the William Kent Charitable Foundation to convert the barn on the late Kent's property at 269 Howd Road to accommodate the sale of his wooden carvings. 

A Durham resident for 50 years, Kent passed away last August at the age of 93. In the months leading up to his death, a group of supporters and followers had been working to sell his artwork to benefit the foundation, which Kent previously set up to assist indigent artists.

Much of the artwork — notable wood carvings — is still in the home and the barn where Kent lived and with the idea that it would eventually be sold, said Attorney J. Michael Sulzbach, who is representing the foundation's proposal. Sulzbach said the barn was used previously to sell the artwork, so the actual use on the property is not changing much.

"It’s not a high traffic enterprise," Sulzbach said. "Our plan is to add a little bit of parking and to have a reserve if in turns out we need it."

If the P&Z Commission approves the item, Sulzbach said the foundation plans to sell the barn and building to a person familiar with the place and who was a friend of Kent's, the attorney said. He also noted that this buyer is a carpenter who plans on restoring the building.

Jan Melnik, recording secretary for the P&Z Commission, said Durham's land use regulations do allow for the sale of items from a charitable organization in residential zones. But an organization that wishes to apply for that use needs to submit a special permit, which subjects the application to further review and a public hearing.

The commission held the hearing last week, but delayed any vote on the proposal until its Nov. 6 meeting because the attorneys involved wanted to review documentation, Melnik said.

Click here to see some of Kent's artwork after the home was opened up to curators earlier this year.

Kent was profiled in a 2000 story in the New York Times. Some of his work is still on exhibit at The Museum of Sex in New York City. 

The William Kent Charitable Foundation can be found here.