Grand Central Garage

Drawing of the "Grand Central Garage" on East Chapel Hill St., 1919

The Washington Duke Hotel was built in 1924. 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.

Looking west/southwest from Chapel Hill street. Washington Duke Hotel is in the background.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

This building and the Hackney Block were torn down in the early 1960s to build the first stage of the Washington Duke Motel. This building was L-shaped, wrapping around the corner building and the other building facing Corcoran.

The Auto Gas and Storage being torn down (looking south from Chapel Hill St.)
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

Replaced with the parking deck portion of the WDM (looking west-SW from Chapel Hill St.)
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

Remaining buildings at the southeast corner of East Chapel Hill and North Corcoran. You can see the garage portion of the Motel in the background where it has replaced 310-316 East Chapel Hill. 

The remaining 1920s era buildings would be torn down in 1966, and the motel would expand from an 'L' shape to a ~squarish shape. 

Completed Washington Duke Motel, late 1960s
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

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. 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.

Building from the corner of Corcoran and Chapel Hill Street. Love the juxtaposition of the new traditional streetlamps with the window-walls.