516 South Duke Street / 500 Block South Duke (west)

---

Looking south from NC Mutual, 1967.

The west side of the 500 block of South Duke St. (I did the east side about a year ago) was populated primarily with small turn-of-the-20th century houses. The picture above is a stark view of what it meant to be on one side of the urban renewal line (the left side or east side of Duke St.) or the other (the west.) Almost everything between S. Duke and American Tobaco has been cleared for 'new development.'

I've previously profiled the most architecturally interesting house - and the only house still extant - the Jourdan house. The other houses, although smaller, had interesting features as well, such as the clipped gables on 516 S. Duke. St.

Looking northwest.
(Courtesy Herald-Sun)

Despite being spared urban renewal, the block didn't last long as an enclave of modest Victorian housing, replaced by the Credit Union, an office, and Frank Ward's suburban-style office complex by the 1980s.

Looking south from NC Mutual, 01.28.08.