From Bus Station to Museum

From Bus Station to Museum. . The current structure was built in 1981 as a transit station for Durham’s bus system, which was operated by Duke Power Company until 1991. The city-owned Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA), now known as GoDurham, took over the station and continued to use it until the present Durham Station Transportation Center, designed by the Freelon Group, opened at 515 West Pettigrew Street in 2009., After the bus transfer station closed, the building was used as a polling location. The Museum of Durham History began to take shape in 2004 when Durham’s Cultural Master Plan rated a history museum one of the community’s highest priorities After it was officially incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 2009, the Museum operated online and with travelling exhibit. The Museum arranged to lease 500 W. Main St. from the city and, following some renovations, opened on October 12, 2013. Community members including Dr. Thomas Krakauer, Jane Goodridge, Dr. Benjamin F. Speller, Jr., Lewis Meyers, Reyn Bowman, E’Vonne Coleman, Ernest Dollar, Barker French, Lynn Richardson, Katie Spencer Wright, and many more, came together to establish the Museum of Durham History as a space for all of Durham to learn about and share their stories., (captions) , Above Left: Aerial view of Morgan Street. The DATA transfer station can be seen behind the First Federal Bank building on the left, 1988. Courtesy of the North Carolina Collection, Durham County Library., Above Right: The Museum of Durham History, 2019. Courtesy of Discover Durham.