National Register of Historic Places

Downtown Durham Historic District

Durham, Durham County, North Carolina
Listed
November 1, 1977
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
77000998

About this property

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. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It is east of the Bright Leaf Historic District and west of the Holloway Street Historic District. The buildings primarily date from the first four decades of the 20th century and include examples of Colonial Revival, Italianate, and Art Deco architecture. The historic district contains the majority of Black Wall Street, a relatively prosperous majority black-owned business hub in the early decades of 1900s centered on Parrish Street. Notable buildings include St. Philip's Episcopal Church (1907), Durham Arts Council Building (1906), First Presbyterian Church (1916), Trinity United Methodist Church (1880-1881), First Baptist Church (1926-1927), Durham County Courthouse (1916), Carolina Theatre of Durham (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.

Location

Durham, Durham County, North Carolina
35.99547, -78.89959

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURECOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTENTERTAINMENT/RECREATIONPOLITICS/GOVERNMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Downtown Durham Historic District

This page lists Downtown Durham Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company Building
Industrial
0 mi
Venable Tobacco Company Prizery and Receiving Room
Industrial
0.2 mi
Venable Tobacco Company Warehouse
Industrial
0.2 mi
Bull Durham Tobacco Factory
Industrial
0.3 mi
American Tobacco Company Manufacturing Plant
Civil War
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Downtown Durham Historic District listed on the National Register?

Downtown Durham Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 1, 1977.

What type of historic resource is Downtown Durham Historic District?

Downtown Durham Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Downtown Durham Historic District?

The period of significance for Downtown Durham Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Downtown Durham Historic District?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Downtown Durham Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Durham County

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North Carolina history

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