The Washington Duke Hotel was constructed on the site between 1924 and 1925. (Courtesy Durham County Library), The main entrance - approximately 1950s. I'd like to be optimistic about it - and the prospect of a place to sit and enjoy treats from Locopops on Market St. this summer sounds good. 4.0-star Hotel Class. (Courtesy Durham County Library). moved out of the building, relocating to the area between Corcoran, Morgan and Holland. 202-204 N. Corcoran and 206-210 Corcoran (the Hackney Block) took up about half the street frontage of Corcoran Street between Parrish and Chapel Hill Street. When I first wrote this I didn't realize that the indentation in the frontage was for a roof deck pool (those pictures were added later. Hello. Cool cities that Durham would like to emulate are leveraging the new hip-ness of mid-century modern. Opened on October 21, 1925, the hotel quickly became a prime social and political center for the city. I've made another little 'movie' of a few still frames below. I grew up in Durham and was bored stiff with the a, My grandfather worked night shift at the parking garage. It sits on the edge of CCB Plaza, and it was connected via skywalk to the original Washington Duke Hotel, which was across the street. Really, Bob? and also see the articles linked to in the "contents" box including a slideshow if pictures from inside. Its days were numbered. • 21C Museum blends a 125-room venue with a contemporary art museum, first-class spa and signature restaurant. This building and the Hackney Block were torn down in the early 1960s to build the first stage of the Washington Duke Motel. Looking south from East Chapel Hill St. and Market. It was imploded in 1975, and its loss was mourned by many in Durham. The Jack Tar is something different. Similarly, the Jack Tar Hotel project would also involve the rehabilitation of a contributing building that is part of the Downtown Durham Historic District. For our debut property, Unscripted has planted its flag in Durham, North Carolina and given its historic location on 202 N Corcoran Street a second life as a vibrant, community-focused hospitality destination. To me, that just about sums up what's wrong with traditional preservation societies. There is no telling how many pounds of tomatoes that he sold during the years that he worked there. I agree - you could relax in your lounge chair and gaze out on the miles of brick beach below. By the next view, from 1961, the eastern building is gone, and the Hackney Block is showing signs of neglect. Durham, NC. I hear you on this, and I would have fully agreed with you a few years ago (clearly I did, rereading what I wrote above); I've actually come around to like this building, personally. (Courtesy Herald-Sun). ", Academy of Music, 1907 The two buildings with frontage on Chapel Hill Street were automobile service-oriented from the early 20th century. To me the worst design element of this building is the overhang of the upper floors - makes it look fat and top-heavy. The city commissioned architects Hook and Sawyer of Charlotte, who also executed the Southern Conservatory of Music and Fire Station #2, to design the structure. The grand hotel of Durham for 50 years - and one of the worst architectural losses in Durham history. 74 reviews #66 of 513 Restaurants in Durham $$ - $$$ American Diner Vegetarian Friendly. From Chapel Hill Street, looking west-southwest. ), Although I'd rather have what was there before, I think it's rather cool urban design for its time. As I said then, many of the design principles are solid here - hidden structured parking, ground floor retail, upper story residential. Local papers avidly reported the progress on construction of the hotel, such as the Durham Sun of March 29, 1925, which noted the interior work nearing completion. On far right is Rose Furniture Company, then Ferrell's Watch Hospital, then North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company/Mechanics and Farmers Bank (building with balconies), on north side of West Parrish Street, 1965. By 1963, the first stage of the Washington Duke Motel is complete. The hotel trifecta of Durham’s city center has something for everyone. Check it out • The Durham Hotel features 53 rooms in a five-story building with rooftop yoga and a bar with fantastic city views. The Jack Tar Motel, colloquially known as the “Oprah Building”, was built in 1962. The former Jack Tar Motor Lodge in Durham, North Carolina was renovated and reopened as the first property in the Dream Hotel Group's new Unscripted Hotels brand. … On June 17, 1909, the first Academy of Music was completely gutted by fire. DURHAM. I don't know JG Ballard, but the building is certainly cringe-worthy. The Durham Hotel. (Courtesy Durham County Library) Attempting to compete in the motel era, the proprietors of the Jack Tar (nee Washington Duke) Hotel sought to expand with motel space, including an integrated parking garage and swimming pool. I don't know if it functioned as a motel after the Washington Duke/Durham Hotel/Jack Tar Hotel went out of business, in the mid 1970s. Take a breath... My grandfather worked night shift at the parking garage booth for a number of years, until his retirement somewhere around 1980. The rest of the building is just an eyesore - not just because it's modern, but because of the top-heavy form, the cut-out on the main facade, the blank wall on Chapel Hill Street, etc. I rate the demolition of the Washington Duke Hotel as a tie (with Union Station) for the worst single-structure architectural/cultural loss for the city of Durham. Blech. And unlike the Durham Centre tower, it has retail space beneath its parking deck. (Also an addition since 2006.). He's interested enough to do some serious due diligence - that's it. The impressive first floor was dampened by the decision to brick up the large windows - trying to give it that 'modern' look, I guess. The automobile-oriented building on Chapel Hill Street (to the east of the corner building) likely provided some off-street parking for the hotel as well as gasoline. Open now : 08:00 AM - 10:00 PM. Stokes Hall, at Corcoran and West Main Sts., had provided both performance and meeting space prior to the construction of the Academy of Music (including courtroom space prior to the construction of the courthouse,) but no longer operated after the opening of the new building. (Courtesy Duke Archives), It was part of an active streetscape - people have told me of regularly going to the newsstand on the first floor. By the mid-1970s, the hotel was evidently no longer profitable and was no longer being used, pending needed repair work. Thanks. The hotel also houses allday, a full-service grab-and-go coffee shop and restaurant, featuring Partner’s Coffee Roasters Estate, and the Patio, a seasonal rooftop pool that has a full-service restaurant and bar. Since then, Ronnie Sturdivant was murdered, and his wife controls the building. The Oprah plea adds a surreal touch. I've seen hundreds of photos of group meetings, important speakers, dances, dinners, etc. By the late 1960s, the remaining older structures on the southeast corner of Corcoran and East Chapel Hill would be demolished as well, and the Jack Tar Motel would expand to take up the entire block face between Parrish and Chapel Hill Streets, and a large portion of the block bounded by those two streets, Corcoran, and Orange Street. As Mr. Bradsher recalls: "They tried to sell it repeatedly...It just needed too much repair work (asbestos, etc.). (Courtesy Durham County Library). I loved the the homemade crullers (basically a churro-donut) with chantilly mascarpone and jam. The hotel … It was replaced with a very similar building, dubbed the "New Academy of Music." The top of that wacky sloped parking rooftop thing is a great 'hidden' people-watching spot at night. Though total removal of the motel would make way for some more residential or office space in the city center, it could still function as a motel. (Courtesy Durham County Library). Architecture has merit and WILL appeal to someone in the future - even if not for the original purpose. The best thing that I can say about it from a design perspective is that it has first floor retail (Blue Coffee, TJ Phat Wear), which is how we are trying to build parking garages now. A boutique hotel fit for rock stars and jetsetters, the Unscripted Hotel is a celebratory hub of creativity, with a rooftop pool as its irresistible centerpiece. The hotel was an icon - seemingly, among those I've spoken with, beloved by those who grew up here mid-20th century. Architecture is NOT a 1973 rust-colored polyester leisure suit with tan stitching. If you didn't see it cycle, reload the page, as I had it cut off after 4 cycles. Maybe update the facade with all tinted glass (sans 'Oprah')renovate the 1970s interior, re-open the pool...It would add more guest rooms and could be a pretty unique property. Below, the walkway being taken down in preparation for demolition. Standing 16 stories tall at a cost $1.8 million, it was one of the most impressive hotel structures of its era. Unscripted Durham opened July 20, 2017. It's in ratty shape, but if its aluminum and window walls were shined up and the nasty curtains removed and window A/Cs removed, I can picture some hipsters hanging out by the rooftop pool, overlooking the Bull. 1950s shot, looking northeast from W. Parrish and Market. From the present-day (2011) location of Durham Central Park/ the Farmer's Market, looking south (just north of Hunt St.) Formerly the Jack Tar Hotel that operated in the 1960s, Unscripted Durham offers 74 … Rendering by Hook and Sawyer, 1902. You can see the remaining older commercial structure at the southeast corner of East Chapel Hill St. and Corcoran in this photo. Ralph Rogers notes that it was the "Thomas Bookstore". Durham is filled with the corpses of old brick buildings. I empathize with a general hunger for development to continue downtown, but given that there's vacant land just to the south of this that's undeveloped, and plenty of other vacant land around, I don't really see that taking this out is prudent or necessary. Tear down some of the best architecture in Durham (between this and Harwood Hall), but it's ok if you're a generous donor. If that hypothetical building had the requisite first floor activity, it might create the kind of tight, active enclosure that feeds public spaces. Although I'd rather have what was there before, I think it's rather cool urban design for its time. I saw the article about this in today's Herald-Sun. The Auto Gas and Storage being torn down (looking south from Chapel Hill St.) Thanks for your comment. (Courtesy Durham County Library). Unscripted Durham is a hip spot in the former 1960s Jack Tar Hotel building. Escape to our winter wonderland and enjoy views of Downtown Durham, weekly entertainment and signature bites and libations in an al fresco culinary driven environment. Drawing of the "Grand Central Garage" on East Chapel Hill St., 1919, The Washington Duke Hotel was built in 1924. The second project is developer Austin Lawrence Partners’ renovation of the former Jack Tar Motor Lodge. But it's an awkward space. The fire was discovered by employees of the Durham Morning Herald, whose office was directly across Market St. It is the same story for the structure Jack Tar replaced. Looking west on Parrish St. Looking west/southwest from Chapel Hill street. I believe the entire upstairs is vacant - definitely neither motel nor apartments. The back of the post office and the Trust Building are visible, and the front of the Jordan Building is visible at the end of Market St. Adjacent to the Jack Tar, two hotels are under construction, raising practical questions of whether downtown can handle another. I have a piece of 7 1/4 x 10 1/2 blue-ink on white paper stationary from this hotel that I found last week within the pages of a 1946 "Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers". It's impossible to recount how many events woven through the lives of people occurred at the Washington Duke. I thought that the Jack Tar was a demolished taller hotel building located on The now-CCB Plaza ? It is scheduled to open in 2016. Total city and county incentive: $1.2 million. I kind of love that NIS proclaims ignorance that people were living in the Jack Tar. Looking northeast, 1962. George Watts Hill gets oddly reverential treatment in Preservation Society circles in Durham (with various awards named after him for big donors.) I don't think this is the way to create public space - by chopping up space for roadways so as to move traffic more expeditiously and then primping the leftovers. Go out drinking in Durham and stagger in to Jack Tar for some drunk person food (pro … But it was Necessary. It is also interesting to note that the motel was built in stages. (Courtesy Durham County Library). The 'Oprah' is the latter. "\, From the CCB building, looking north. The staff at the hotel could not have been any nicer. These buildings would survive a few more years, but by 1966, that window-walled morsel of goodness known as the Washington Duke Motel just had to be expanded. The note about George Watts Hill being a hero of preservation made me think of the treatment the Yorks get in Raleigh. My great uncle (his brother-in-law) worked the day shift. 1950s Bird's Eye aerial, looking southeast. (Courtesy Duke Archives). (sorry for this annoying, cycling graphic - I'm having trouble getting YouTube to work for this one. Brad Bradsher, whose mother was the convention / sales manager for the hotel in the 1960s and 1970s told me about his experience of the hotel in that era: "I spent many an afternoon roaming around the halls in the early '70's. This view from the 1910s shows only the northern building. A small tidbit I've noticed before - look at the alley on the east side of the building. (Courtesy Durham County Library), Inexplicably, the site became a longstanding surface parking lot, commonly referred to as "Bare Square."

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