1219 Shepherd St - Gulley House

1219 Shepherd St was one of the first homes built in Durham by Richard and Lonna Harkrader. Their company New Morning Construction went on to construct numerous single family homes and apartments in Durham and the Morehead Hill neighborhood.

The home was designed and built for the Harkrader's friends, twin brothers Wib and Dub Gulley. Wib Gulley went on to become the Mayor of Durham.

This passive solar 'Harkrader House' is ~1200 sf and built on stilts with a walkway bridge entrance, a feature of a number of homes designed by Richard Harkrader, which allowed homes to be built on steeply sloping lots. The street frontage is on the western side of the house, and has few windows. The south side of the house has numerous large windows. In summer, awnings and leaves on the trees block the sun, while in the winter when the sun is lower in the sky and the leaves are off the trees, the south facing windows allow sunlight to enter and warm the home.