605 North Hyde Park Avenue

(Below in italics is from the 2004 East Durham National Register listing; not verified for accuracy by this author.)

House. 2-story hipped roof Craftsman-style house with 4-over-1 vertical sash windows and a 1-story front porch. Alterations include the enclosure of the porch, vinyl siding, and the screening of the side shed porch, which may be an addition.1930 CD. 1935- 1940 CD Norman A. Dowdy owner/occupant (watchman). 1937 SM.

Tax records list this house as being built in 1910, although the National Register listing says it was built around 1930, which correlates with the time this address started showing up in city directories.  In 1929 the residents are listed as William H. Aldridge and his wife Burla.  William worked as a bookeeper at Model Laundry according to the 1929 CD. Throughout the 1930s numerous family members from both the Aldridge and Dowdy sides of the family are listed as living with William and Burla.

The 1940 CD lists Norman Dowdy as the resident, which is Burla's father. William and Burla had moved on and were living at 1215 6th Street at this time, both working at the Lucky Strike Lunchroom.  Her father Norman and mother Cora remained in this house until Norman passed away in 1948.

In 1948 it began to house the  Durham Nursery School, which had moved from 1501 East Main Street. The nursery school provided child care to low income women working at the mills and factories.  It remained a nursery school for many years.