Holland Street

Originally known as Ella Place, Holland Street was a one block street cut though from East Chapel Hill Street to Morgan Street between 1907 and 1913. Between 1913 and 1937, the name changed to Holland Street. There was a concentration of furniture stores around Holland Street, including Holland Furniture and Piedmont Furniture. The Center Theater and the old City Market were also located on Holland Street.

The view of Holland Street from Morgan St., 1963.

In the mid1960s, the street was converted to a pedestrian alley, known as Holland Alley. Planters and cobblestones were installed, and the street ceased to be car-accessible.

Under construction, mid 1960s.

Completed, mid-1960s.

Soon thereafter, several of the structures on the east side of the street were demolished through urban renewal.

As of 2013, there is a push from potential developers of the adjacent properties on East Chapel Hill Street to close the public right of way of Holland Alley in order to expand their footprint.

307-309 East Chapel Hill Street / "bargain Furniture"

Looking north on Corcoran Street, 1924 Ever wonder why Corcoran St. stopped at East Chapel Hill St. until the 2006-2007 link with Foster St.? Because Willie Mangum's farm was in the way when the streets were laid out. Looking north-northwest from Corcoran St. ~1890s. (Courtesy Duke Archives) By the early 20th century, Willie's farm had succumbed to...

Home Savings Bank Building

The Home Savings Bank Building, 01.30.69 (Courtesy Herald-Sun) The Home Savings Bank occupied the eastern half of 313-315 East Chapel Hill Street through the 1950s; it then replaced the western half (which had been replaced 29 years earlier with an exuberantly art deco building) with a new exuberantly modern building, transitioning half of the...

Center Theater

The Center Theater replaced half of an earlier structure, which half was replaced again 29 years later - moving from Mansard to Modern to Launch Vehicle. The building at 313-315 East Chapel Hill Street was constructed around 1907 as the Corcoran Hotel, but did not survive for long due to stiff competition from the other downtown hotels. It became...

212 Foster St. - Holland Furniture Co.

212 Foster Street was located just north of the Durham Armory on Foster St. By the 1920s, it housed the Holland Furniture Company. Looking east, Foster St. in the foreground. (Courtesy Duke Archives) Looking northeast, 1940s. (Courtesy Duke Archives) 10.31.60 (Courtesy Herald-Sun) 10.31.60 (Courtesy Herald-Sun) After the Kimbrell's Furniture...

Kramer Tobacco / Kontek

The building(s) in today's post represent the solutions to two Durham landscape mysteries that plagued me for awhile, now solved. First the building below, which I noted in the Duke Archives in 2006. It was simply labelled as "Kramer Tobacco Company" with no location info. This, in and of itself was not terribly unusual - I've often managed to...

Waverly Ice Cream

(Courtesy Duke Archives)

Piedmont Furniture/ Holland And Morgan

At the southeast corner of Morgan and Holland was Piedmont Furniture. Several furniture stores were located near Holland, Foster, and East Chapel Hill St. Looking southeast, with a view down Holland St. Holland St. ran behind Holland Bros. furniture, on Foster St., and was fronted by several businesses on the east side of the street. These...

Hotel Corcoran / Mercy Hospital / Durham Business School / Home Savings Bank

At the northern terminus of Corcoran at East Chapel Hill Street, across CHS from the Washington Duke Motel, is the northeast corner of East Chapel Hill St. and Holland St., where we've moved from Mansard to Modern to Launch Vehicle. The building at 313-315 East Chapel Hill Street was constructed around 1907 as the Corcoran Hotel, but did not...