Auto Dealership

Uzzle Used Car Pagoda

09.10.11 Built as the used car sales office for the Uzzle Cadillac dealership across the street, this building is certainly downtown Durham's only pagoda. Originally "on stilts," the ground level was later filled in and used by a realty company. Bobby Inscoe Realty was one former occupant. It's now owned by Acme Plumbing, located next door. This...

410 W. Geer St.

Originally the Hometown Sales and Service - a dealership for Kaiser Frazer automobiles, 410 W. Geer has housed the predecessor to Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, the North Carolina Fund, and now is the Trotter building - an event center and retail space.

Weeks Motor Company / Hutchins Auto Supply

Looking northwest from West Geer St., 1953. (Courtesy Keith Phillips) One of my favorite mid-century modern buildings in Durham is the former Weeks Motor Company / Hutchins Auto Supply building. Built in 1948, Weeks was started by Albert Weeks, who ran a service station at North Durham Five Points (Little Five Points) in the 1930s and 1940s. The...

111 North Duke St.

---- Looking northwest at the later intersection of Duke and Main, 1890. (Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection The area around the Duke & Sons tobacco factory still had quite an agrarian feel to it into the 1890s; only the factory itself and Fairview, Washington Duke's mansion at the left edge of the picture, betray something...

115 North Duke St. - Studebaker Building

---- Looking northwest at the later intersection of Duke and Main, 1890. (Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection The area around the Duke & Sons tobacco factory still had quite an agrarian feel to it into the 1890s; only the factory itself and Fairview, Washington Duke's mansion at the left edge of the picture, betray something...

Alexander Ford Motor Co.

The Alexander Motor Company was established in 1916 by S. Parks Alexander on the corner of Church and East Parrish Sts. In 1924, they constructed their new dealership at 330 East Main St. To get a sense of how things have changed in the world of car dealerships, the Alexander Ford Company hired Milburn and Heister to design their structure.

326 East Main Street / Johnson Motor Company

326 East Main, 2007 During the early 20th century, the large, elaborate dwellings in the 300 and 400 blocks of East Main St. (the two blocks between Roxboro and Dillard St.) were progressively torn down to make way for commercial and institutional structures. One of these structures was the Presley J. Mangum house, built in the 1880s. Mangum was...

Carpenter Motor Co. / 600 East Main Street

The Carpenter family firm started in 1893, when James E., John W. and Duane Carpenter formed a partnership to sell 'heavy groceries', feed, and buggies on Parrish St. In 1910, the firm began to sell Metz automobiles and Kohler trucks out of a catalog. In 1912, the Carpenter brothers established the first Ford and Dodge dealership in Durham. In 1915, they switched their allegiance to Chevrolet, and remained a Chevrolet dealership from that point forward.

616 W. Chapel Hill St.

1953 (Herald-Sun) It appears that the Tucker Motor Company was built on the site of Sam and Elizabeth Tucker's large home at 616 West Chapel Hill Street. Elizabeth Tucker is noted in the city directory as resident at the site in 1943, along with F. Emerson Tucker. In 1947, she is living at 1407 West Pettigrew Street (the original address of the...

3601 Hillsborough Rd. - Morgan Motors

"Fire at Morgan Motors - 06.16.59" (Courtesy Herald-Sun) "Fire at Morgan Motors - 06.16.59" (Courtesy Herald-Sun) "Fire at Morgan Motors - 06.16.59" (Courtesy Herald-Sun) "Fire at Morgan Motors - 06.16.59" (Courtesy Herald-Sun)