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Top Attractions in Durham

Duke University

Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James Buchanan Duke established Duke University, at which time the institution changed its name to honor his deceased father, Washington Duke. The universitys campus spans over 8,600 acres on three contiguous campuses in Durham as well as a marine lab in Beaufort. Dukes main campus—designed largely by architect Julian Abele—incorporates Gothic architecture with the 210-foot Duke Chapel at the campus center and highest point of elevation. The first-year-populated East Campus contains Georgian-style architecture, while the main Gothic-style West Campus 1.5 miles away is adjacent to the Medical Center. Duke is also the 7th wealthiest private university in America with $11.4 billion in cash and investments in fiscal year 2014. Dukes research expenditures in the 2013 fiscal year were $993 million, the eighth largest in the nation. In 2014, Thomson Reuters named 32 Duke professors to its list of Highly Cited Researchers, making it fourth globally in terms of primary affiliations. Duke also ranks 5th among national universities to have produced Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, and Udall Scholars. 8 Nobel laureates, 3 Turing Award winners and 25 Churchill scholars are also affiliated with the university. Dukes sports teams compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the basketball team is renowned for having won five NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Championships, the most recent in 2015.

Nasher Museum of Art

The Nasher Museum of Art is the art museum of Duke University, and is located on Dukes campus in Durham, North Carolina, USA. The $24 million museum was designed by architect Rafael Viñoly and opened on October 2, 2005. Annual attendance is about 100,000 visitors. The museum, named for Raymond Nasher, was led by founding director Kimerly Rorschach until November 2012. In 2013, former Nancy Hanks Senior Curator Sarah Schroth was appointed as the new Mary D.B.T. and James H. Semans Director. The collection contains more than 13,000 works of art, including works by Ai Weiwei, Sanford Biggers, Christian Boltanski, William Cordova, Rineke Dijkstra, Marlene Dumas, Olafur Eliasson, Darío Escobar, Deborah Grant, Hassan Hajjaj, David Hammons, Barkley L. Hendricks, Thomas Hirschhorn, Taiyo Kimura, Sean Landers, Glenn Ligon, Christian Marclay, Kerry James Marshall, Zanele Muholi, Wangechi Mutu, Dan Perjovschi, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Robin Rhode, Dario Robleto, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, Xaviera Simmons, Lorna Simpson, Jeff Sonhouse, Eve Sussman, Alma Thomas, Hank Willis Thomas, Mickalene Thomas, Bob Thompson, Kara Walker, Nari Ward, Andy Warhol, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley, Fred Wilson and Lynette Yiadom Boakye. The museum is dedicated to presenting contemporary art from around the world, with particular attention given to those who have been historically underrepresented. The museum has a strong collection of Pre-Columbian art, with particularly significant holdings of Mayan ceramics and Peruvian textiles. In the 1940s, Duke turned down the bequest of art collector William Hayes Ackland to build an art museum on campus; his donation went instead to the nearby University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for its Ackland Art Museum.

Durham Performing Arts Center

The Durham Performing Arts Center opened November 30, 2008 as the largest performing arts center in the Carolinas at a cost of $48 million. DPAC hosts over 200 performances a year including touring Broadway productions, high-profile concert and comedy events, family shows and the American Dance Festival. Operated under the direction of Nederlander and Professional Facilities Managaement , DPAC has twice been listed as the #1 performing arts organization in the Triangle region by the Triangle Business Journal. Construction of the DPAC was part of a larger plan to redevelop downtown Durham by the Capitol Broadcasting Company, and includes other nearby properties such as the American Tobacco Historic District, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and the studios of the CBC-owned Fox 50 TV station. Listed three times in the top 50 in Pollstar magazine's worldwide theater attendance ranking, in 2011 DPAC was the #1 U.S. Theater in the listing with a capacity under 4,000 and #4 ranked Theater among all U.S. Theaters.

American Tobacco Trail

The American Tobacco Trail is a 22.6-mile long Rails-to-Trails project located in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, running along an abandoned railroad bed originally built for the American Tobacco Company in the 1970s. The route crosses through the City of Durham, Durham County, Chatham County, and Wake County. The ATT is part of the East Coast Greenway and is open to pedestrians, cyclists, equestrians and other non-motorized users. Starting from the southern end of the trail in New Hill the 6.5 mile Wake County portion of the trail is gravel, followed by a 4.7 mile multi-use section in Chatam County that contains a paved lane & a gravel , & a 11.4 mile paved section in Durham County on the North End of the trail ending at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park . The 4.7 mile Chatam County section of the trail was built & is managed by the Town of Cary (which resides in both Wake & Chatam counties).

Durham Hosiery Mill

Durham Hosiery Mill is a historic textile mill complex located at Durham, Durham County, North Carolina. It includes seven contributing brick buildings in the complex. The original Durham Hosiery Mill was built in 1902, and consists of a four-story main building with a six-story Romanesque Revival style tower in front; engine, boiler, and heater houses attached at the rear, and a one-story dye house. The main building was expanded with a two-story annex in 1904, and a three-story annex in 1906. Other buildings include the triangular Annex No. 1 and a three-story brick finishing building. By 1910, the Durham Hosiery Mills Corporation was the largest manufacturer of cotton hosiery in the world. The mill was abandoned in 1922. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

American Tobacco Historic District

American Tobacco Historic District is a historic tobacco factory complex and national historic district located at Durham, Durham County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 14 contributing buildings and 3 contributing structures built by the American Tobacco Company and its predecessors and successors from 1874 to the 1950s. Located in the district is the separately listed Italianate style W. T. Blackwell and Company building . Other notable contributing resources are the Romanesque Revival style Hill Warehouse, Washington Warehouse, the Lucky Strike Building, and Reed Warehouse; Noell Building; Power Plant and Engine House; and the Art Moderne style Fowler Strickland and Crowe buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 as the American Tobacco Company Manufacturing Plant.

Watts and Yuille Warehouses

Watts and Yuille Warehouses, also known as Brightleaf Square, are two historic tobacco storage warehouses located at Durham, Durham County, North Carolina. They were built in 1904, and are two identical buildings parallel to each other with a courtyard in between. They are two-story Romanesque style brick structures, seven bays wide and twenty bays long. Each unit of the warehouses is 75 feet by 118 feet, for a total of 35,400 square feet on each floor. They are an example of "slow burn" masonry and wood factory construction. They were among the 12 brick tobacco storage warehouses erected by The American Tobacco Company trust beginning in 1897. The buildings have been converted to retail and office use. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Erwin Mill

Erwin Mill was a textile mill in Durham, North Carolina that operated between the years of 1893 and 1986. After seeing the success of other cotton mills in the Northeast and locally in Durham, entrepreneur Benjamin N. Duke incorporated the mill in 1892 and recruited William H. Erwin to manage the enterprise. The mill’s success in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was the result of Erwin’s and his successors’ exceptional management tactics, even when the factory hit obstacles such as the Great Depression and the unionization of its workers. The mill grew quickly in the late 19th century and early 20th century, became one of North Carolina’s largest cotton mills. It originally produced muslin pouches for tobacco, but the mill would later expand its production to other fabrics, becoming one of the largest producers of denim in the world during the early 1900s. Workers at the mill enjoyed some of the best working conditions and highest wages in textile factories throughout the southern United States. Mill employees would later sign union-friendly labor agreements that were radical to the southern textile industry in the early to mid 20th century. The establishment of homes, businesses and recreation areas in the mill village was a significant factor in the development of the West Durham, especially the Ninth Street business district and the Old West Durham Neighborhood. Erwin Mill No. 1 is on the National Register of Historic Places and the mill village of West Durham is a National Historic District. An apartment complex, office building and shopping center of the same name that are built on the original site also commemorate the factory.

Duke Chapel

Duke University Chapel is a chapel located at the center of the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, United States. It is an ecumenical Christian chapel and the center of religion at Duke, and has connections to the United Methodist Church. Constructed from 1930 to 1932, the Chapel seats about 1,800 people and stands 210 feet tall, making it one of the tallest buildings in Durham County. It is built in the Collegiate Gothic style, characterized by its large stones, pointed arches, and ribbed vaults. It has a 50-bell carillon and three pipe organs, one with 5,033 pipes and another with 6,900 pipes. The Chapel stands at the center of the university, on the highest ridge of Duke University's West Campus. Although plans for a chapel were first made in April 1925, the cornerstone was not laid until October 22, 1930. When it was completed in 1935 at a cost of $2.3 million, the Chapel was the last of the original buildings to be built on West Campus. It was first used during Commencement in 1932, and was formally dedicated on June 2, 1935. Stained-glass windows and other details were installed at a later date. The chapel was designed by Julian Abele, chief designer for the Philadelphia firm of Horace Trumbauer. As of 2015 the dean of the Chapel was Luke Powery. On May 11, 2015 the Chapel closed and will reopen in the spring 2016 due to necessary restoration work on the ceiling.

St. Joseph's Episcopal Church

St. Joseph's Episcopal Church is a mission of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. The church is located at the corner of Iredell and West Main Streets in Durham, a short distance from Duke University's East Campus. St. Joseph's began as a Bible study organized by William A. Erwin before the turn of the twentieth century, and became a mission of the Diocese of North Carolina in 1908. Past clergy of St. Joseph's include its first rector, John Shelby Spong , who later became bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. After 50 years as a parish (or self-supporting congregation), St. Joseph's became a mission again in 2006, when the church split over issues of human sexuality. With the support of Bishop Michael Curry, St. Joseph's called a new vicar, Rhonda Lee, in Advent of that year. Since 2006, the church has enjoyed new life as a small congregation, where laypersons play a vital role in the life of the church. St. Joseph's has strengthened its community ties, celebrating Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, and Easter liturgies jointly with the Episcopal Center at Duke, and answering a new call to ministry with the church's homeless neighbors. St. Joseph's is a member of Durham Congregations in Action, and supports Housing for New Hope and Urban Ministries of Durham. In May 2008, the church celebrated its centennial and launched its second hundred years with a weekend of worship and fellowship, attended by members and friends from across North Carolina and beyond. In June 2010, Rhonda Lee left to fulfill a commitment to a Lilly Foundation grant. After a seven-month search, the Rev. Karen Clay Barfield was appointed vicar in February, 2011.

Downtown Durham Historic District

Downtown Durham Historic District is a national historic district located at Durham, Durham County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 97 contributing buildings and 1 contributing structure in the central business district of Durham. The buildings primarily date from the first four decades of the 20th century and include notable examples of Colonial Revival, Italianate, and Art Deco architecture. Notable buildings include the St. Philip's Episcopal Church , Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church , First Baptist Church , Durham County Courthouse , Durham Auditorium (Carolina Theatre, 1920s), Tempest Building (1894, 1905), National Guard Armory (1934-1937), United States Post Office (1934), Trust Building (1904), First National Bank Building (1913-1915), Mechanics and Farmers Bank (1921), Johnson Motor Company showroom (1927), Hill Building (1935), Snow Building (1933), and S. H. Kress store. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Mary Duke Biddle Estate

Mary Duke Biddle Estate, also known as the James O. Cobb House, is a historic home and estate located at Durham, Durham County, North Carolina. The main house "Pinecrest" is a Tudor Revival style dwelling built in 1927, with additions and interior renovations made between 1935 and 1958. These additions and renovations included Colonial Revival, French Eclectic, Oriental, Art Moderne, and Art Deco elements. The estate property includes an additional three contributing outbuildings and nine contributing structures. They are The Cottage, a gasoline pump, iron picket fence with two ornamental gates, two large brick arches, stone-lined grottoes, bathhouse, tennis court, a swimming pool, a stone fireplace, pergola, a gardener’s cottage with an attached greenhouse, and a storage garage. The estate was the home of philanthropist Mary Duke Biddle from 1935 until her death in 1960. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. Pinecrest and some of the contributing resources are included in the Forest Hills Historic District.

Wright's Automatic Machinery Company

Wright's Automatic Machinery Company, also known as Wright Machinery Company and Wright’s Automatic Tobacco Packing Machine Company, is a historic machine factory located at Durham, Durham County, North Carolina. It was built in 1942, and is a two-story, square Modern Movement style stuccoed brick factory building. It features a wide ribbon of glass block underscored by a continuous concrete sill stretches across the facade at each story and recessed double-leaf entrances set into cast-concrete peaked surrounds. The building was constructed by the Defense Plant Corporation during World War II to support the manufacturing of gunfire control equipment for the United States Navy. It was later used to build precision instruments here for the U. S. military and later for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
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