Preservation Durham

09/24/2026

Our friends at the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice are hiring!

📣 Graduate students: We’re hiring!

The Pauli Murray Center is seeking an Exhibit Development & Community Engagement Intern to support the development of our inaugural exhibit and engage community stakeholders around themes including religion, gender identity, mental health, and Black women’s social networks.

🎓 Must be currently enrolled in a graduate program in History, Museum Studies, Public History, or a related field.

📍 Hybrid | Durham, NC
🕐 20 hours/week | Feb. 1–Aug. 13, 2027
💰 $20/hour
📅 Apply by October 6, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET

Learn more and apply: paulimurraycenter.org/work-with-us

09/17/2026

Richard and Lonna Harkrader: Durham Pioneers in Eco Living

Over fifteen years, they built 60 houses and 15 apartment buildings—all incorporating passive solar design with south-facing windows, thermal mass brick floors, energy efficient insulation, and solar hot water systems. Many were built on challenging build sites and incorporated features such as stilts with bridge walkways, turning difficult sloping lots into assets. One early home was built for twin brothers Wib and Dub Gulley—Wib went on to become Mayor of Durham. Hear from Richard at: https://vimeo.com/1157994807?fl=pl&fe=sh

$10 Tickets for Harkrader Home Tour on Saturday, October 10th at: https://www.ncmodernist.org/harkradertour.htm

For free tickets, volunteer to be a docent for half the tour. Sign up to volunteer at: https://forms.gle/vTK1RtJzodFGBERJ9

09/08/2026

The first of eight walking tours along the historic Fayetteville Street Corridor starts this Saturday at 2pm. Register for any of the eight different dates from September-November at: https://www.preservationdurham.org/haytiwalkingtour

09/04/2026

Aaand here's the line-up you all have been waiting for!! The CenterFest stage is bringing the energy all weekend long!

Join us at the “We The People” Stage at CCB Plaza during CenterFest to celebrate the creativity, culture, and incredible diversity of the Durham community. We'll have local favorites and special guests Rissi Palmer, DaShawn Hickman, and September: A Tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire taking the stage alongside a full weekend of music, dance, theater, and cultural performances.

September 19–20, 2026 in downtown Durham
Free admission, $5 suggested donation to help support the festival.

See the full performance schedule at https://durhamarts.org/centerfest/

09/02/2026

Join the MoDH at Durham Central Park for a FREE outdoor movie screening of "I am Pauli Murray" on Saturday, September 11! We will have open remarks given by The LGBTQ Center in Durham. With a big screen and free popcorn, it’ll be an evening of family fun that you won’t want to miss. The event will start at 7pm.

09/01/2026

The September Beadboard from Preservation Durham - https://mailchi.mp/94f0a46e2b78/the-beadboard-from-preservation-durham-17306640

08/28/2026

Durham architect and builder Richard Harkrader and his wife Lonna built and leased homes and apartments near downtown Durham from 1994-2007. Each home is custom built to fit into its landscape, using passive solar design principles and inviting a connection with nature.

Last year, Harkrader came out of retirement to design one last home for his daughter, Carson (photos above). This home, along with original buildings including the Harkrader's longtime home on Shepherd St, will be open for a special one-day tour on October 10th.

Come out to experience this unique local architecture and learn about the design principles that allow Harkrader homes to live in harmony with the environment.

Tickets are $10, at https://www.ncmodernist.org/harkradertour.htm

For free tickets, volunteer to be a docent for half the tour! Sign up here: https://forms.gle/vTK1RtJzodFGBERJ9

08/25/2026

We are excited to announce our nine Preservation Durham 2026 award winners!

We continue to be blown away by the incredible nominations we receive each year, indicative of the amazing historic preservation and education work happening here in Durham.

Join us on November 17th, 2026, from 5:30-7:30 pm at the Rickhouse for this free event. There will be appetizers, drinks, and fun all around. Registration is required, with a suggested donation of $50/group of attendees.

We can't wait to celebrate these amazing award winners in November and look forward to seeing the community come out to celebrate them and preservation in Durham. You can register now for this event at www.preservationdurham.org/2026awards

08/11/2026

Preservation Durham and Hayti Promise CDC are excited to work with Whistle Stop Tours to present Hymns for Salted Bones: A Re-membering of Hayti Walking Tour.

Prepare for an immersive storytelling experience centering community testimonies brought to life through performance art. A funeral and a revival, a ritual and a living procession, the tour gathers witnesses to honor Black spaces as sites of care, achievement, displacement, and resilience. Together we will preserve dignity, confront loss, embrace belonging, and invite collective responsibility.

There will be eight tours throughout September and November. All eight tours will be available to the public for FREE, funded through the ARPA grant as part of the Fayetteville Street Corridor Project.

The dates are as follows:
September 12th
September 19th
September 26th
October 3rd
October 17th
November 7th
November 14th
November 21st

All tours are from 2-3:30 pm on these dates.

You can register now at www.preservationdurham.org/haytiwalkingtour

08/07/2026