Raleigh, Durham, & Chapel Hill - Triangle Area of North Carolina

[scifan57]

Durham, North Carolina - Introduction

Durham is one of three cities that comprise the Triangle Area and is about the size of my hometown, Winston-Salem. Durham's location is a result of the needs of the 19th century railroad industry and was first known as Durham Station - at the end of the Civil War as "both armies passed through Durham and the surrounding Piedmont communities, they confiscated the area's Brightleaf Tobacco, which had a milder flavor than other tobacco varieties. Durham's tobacco was far more pleasant to smoke or chew than any tobacco they had ever had and when they returned home and couldn't get anything like it, they started sending letters to Durham to get more."

Thus, in the post-bellum period, the cultivation and processing of tobacco, especially for smoking became an important part of the Durham community and economy, which was spearheaded by Washington Duke and later his sons - see quote below from the link. Of course with changes and then the decline of the tobacco industry in more recent decades (same was true w/ R.J. Reynolds in Winston-Salem), the Dukes became involved in other adventures, e.g. Duke Power, and also in philanthropic activities, such as the establishment of Duke University (a later discussion) - so, the first pic below shows the Durham skyline (w/ an arrow on the Marriott Hotel, an occasional stay for us & another arrow on the baseball park); the Duke Homestead is a State Historic Site along w/ its Tobacco Museum, and a recommended visit for understanding the influence of the Dukes on the development of Durham; other pics relate to the tobacco legacy of this family - BUT, much more to follow! Dave


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Thanks for the beginning of another interesting travel story. It was interesting learning something of the start of the tobacco industry in the United States.

 

[giradman]

Thanks for the beginning of another interesting travel story. It was interesting learning something of the start of the tobacco industry in the United States.

The emergence of the tobacco industry in North Carolina in the latter half of the 19th century was important to the state's economy and was often associated w/ dominating men, including the Dukes in Durham & R.J. Reynolds in Winston (merged w/ Salem in 1913 to become Winston-Salem). Other major industries emerging from that era were textiles (as examples, Moses Cone in Greensboro and James Cannon in Kannapolis, North Carolina near Charlotte), and of course the furniture industry in High Point - the inventions and developments of the Industrial Revolution were critical to the expansive development of these North Carolina industries. Dave

 

[giradman]

Durham Downtown - Entertainment & Restaurants

About once or twice a year we visit Durham and stay at the Marriott Hotel (see arrow on the aerial view in my previous post; also make note of the 'baseball park'). Our main purpose is to see a show either at the Carolina Theatre a small but intimate venue immediately adjacent to the hotel - a couple pics below of the theatre - our last show seen there was w/ Jane Monheit (her guest was the remarkable fiddler, Mark O'Connor) - for those visiting the city, take a look at the link, there may be a show that will be of interest.

The newer and much larger performing arts center is DPAC which opened in 2008 (part of the ongoing revitalization of the downtown area) - the Durham Performing Arts Center has major shows - we last saw the Million Dollar Quartet which was excellent and the main theater is just stunning - worth a visit. DPAC is about a 3-4 block walk from the Marriott Hotel - below some pics of the building during the day and at night - beautiful structure.

Finally, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park is the home of the Triple A baseball team, the Durham Bulls - now we have not attended a game there (Susan is not a baseball fan, although she will eat hot dogs and drink beer - ), but the 1988 film Bull Durham, staring Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, and a young Tim Robbins was based on this baseball team - I own the blu-ray disc of the film and probably view once a year - watch the movie and you may want to visit Durham! A few images below related to this topic.

To conclude - there are many good restaurants in the downtown area, many w/i walking distance from the Marriott hotel - the restaurant in the hotel is quite good; others that we have had dinner include Mateo Bar de Tapas, Revolution (probably our favorite there), and Rue Cler, a French bistro - so, just some eating recommendations for those who may want to visit. Dave
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[giradman]

Durham - Bennett Place & Museum of Life + Science

There are several other recommended attractions in the Durham area if a visit is planned. The Bennett Place was a farm in 1865 which was chosen for surrender negotiations between William T. Sherman (Union) and Joseph E. Johnston (Confederate) - part of the story quoted below - click link for much more; Robert E. Lee had surrendered to U.S. Grant earlier that month on April 9, so the coming 'to terms' at the Bennett home effectively ended the Civil War - first five pics below.

The Museum of Life + Sciences is a wonderful visit, especially for the kids but plenty to see for adults, so not to be missed. Below is a schematic map of the area - Susan and I really enjoyed the inside building containing the Insectarium - small & LARGE insects from around the world - was rather nauseating at times, so arrive on an 'empty stomach' - The Butterfly House was amazing - basically an enclosed humid rain forest w/ dozens of butterflies floating pass your head - there is also a wall of emerging butterflies and cocoons in all stages of development. The Lemur Exhibit was also fun, but there are many, many more attractions - just a few last pics below.

Next post will be about Duke University - its campus, chapel, Nasher Museum, and the Washington Duke Inn - Dave

OOPS - misspelled Joe's last name on the dual pic - sorry!

This simple farmhouse was located between Confederate General Johnston's headquarters in Greensboro and Union General Sherman's headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1865 the two officers met at the Bennett Place, where they signed surrender papers for southern armies in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. Today James Bennett's reconstructed farmhouse, kitchen, and smokehouse recall the lifestyle of an ordinary Southern farmer during the Civil War.

The military leaders and their escorts got together midway between their lines on the Hillsborough Road, seven miles from Durham Station. Johnston suggested they sit down together at a simple farmhouse a short distance away. On three separate occasions the Union and Confederate generals struggled to come to mutually agreeable surrender terms at the Bennett place, and on April 26, the home became the site of the largest troop surrender of the Civil War.

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[scifan57]

Durham Downtown - Entertainment & Restaurants

About once or twice a year we visit Durham and stay at the Marriott Hotel (see arrow on the aerial view in my previous post; also make note of the 'baseball park'). Our main purpose is to see a show either at the Carolina Theatre a small but intimate venue immediately adjacent to the hotel - a couple pics below of the theatre - our last show seen there was w/ Jane Monheit (her guest was the remarkable fiddler, Mark O'Connor) - for those visiting the city, take a look at the link, there may be a show that will be of interest.

The newer and much larger performing arts center is DPAC which opened in 2008 (part of the ongoing revitalization of the downtown area) - the Durham Performing Arts Center has major shows - we last saw the Million Dollar Quartet which was excellent and the main theater is just stunning - worth a visit. DPAC is about a 3-4 block walk from the Marriott Hotel - below some pics of the building during the day and at night - beautiful structure.

Finally, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park is the home of the Triple A baseball team, the Durham Bulls - now we have not attended a game there (Susan is not a baseball fan, although she will eat hot dogs and drink beer - ), but the 1988 film Bull Durham, staring Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, and a young Tim Robbins was based on this baseball team - I own the blu-ray disc of the film and probably view once a year - watch the movie and you may want to visit Durham! A few images below related to this topic.

To conclude - there are many good restaurants in the downtown area, many w/i walking distance from the Marriott hotel - the restaurant in the hotel is quite good; others that we have had dinner include Mateo Bar de Tapas, Revolution (probably our favorite there), and Rue Cler, a French bistro - so, just some eating recommendations for those who may want to visit. Dave
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All too many old theatres like the Carolina Theatre have been demolished. I'm glad this one survived.

 

[scifan57]

Is the Bennet farmhouse located on its original site?

 

[giradman]

All too many old theatres like the Carolina Theatre have been demolished. I'm glad this one survived.

These restored/renovated old buildings are wonderful - in Greensboro, there is another, the Carolina Theatre described in the first quote below; and in Winston-Salem, the Stevens Center is another beautifully restored old movie house (second quote) - we have had seasonal tickets to the Winston-Salem Symphony for years (our two seats are about where the arrow is located in the second pic - I always take the aisle - no heads in the way! ) - Dave

The Carolina Theater opened on Halloween Night in 1927. The most monumental structure of its type ever built in Greensboro, the Carolina’s terracotta façade is in a Greek temple design with its embellishments painted in bright greens, reds, and golds. Tall windows between the columns light the floors above the lobby, which were intended to be the regional headquarters of the Publix-Saenger Theater Corporation until the Depression struck. The Carolina was also the first commercial building in the state to be air conditioned.

Now thriving in her 83rd year of operation, the Carolina Theatre is a fully functioning performing arts facility. She has been home to the Greensboro Ballet, Community Theatre of Greensboro, Greensboro Opera, and other local performing arts groups. Civic groups, businesses, and individuals also rent the facility for seminars, meeting, receptions, and even for weddings.

Originally a 1929 silent movie theatre the Stevens Center is a magnificently restored neoclassical theatre located in downtown Winston-Salem, NC. Re-opened in April 1983, the Stevens Center is the primary performance space for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts as well as the Winston-Salem Symphony, Piedmont Opera Theatre, and several other local and state arts organizations.

The center has played host to the world premieres of Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers,” winner of a Pulitzer Prize and four Tony awards, and “Jake’s Women,” a 19 performance SELLOUT. Other performances have included Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “State Fair,” Victor Borge, the Smothers Brothers, STOMP, Riders In The Sky, the Vienna Choir Boys, Bella Fleck, The Magic School Bus, Carol Channing and Rita Moreno, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” Alison Krauss, the 35th Anniversary Reunion of “The Andy Griffith Show,” Gordon Lightfoot, Tony Bennett, Gregory Peck, and the filming of Chris Daughtry’s music video “September.”

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[giradman]

Is the Bennet farmhouse located on its original site?

Our visit there has been a while but I assume that the property was the original farm site - quote below states that the original house burned in 1921 but was reconstructed - assume on the original foundation but cannot remember from the description in the Visitor's Center nor from the guided tour of the house - may have to go back (BUT, Susan always seems to have this 'seen it once was enough' attitude - ) - Dave

The home of James and Nancy Bennett, simple yeoman farmers, served as the site of the surrender negotiations between Major General William T. Sherman and General Joseph E. Johnston April 17, 18, and 26, 1865. It was the largest surrender of the American Civil War, officially ending the fighting in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The original house burned in 1921 and was reconstructed as a one-story log structure covered by weatherboards with a gable roof and a shed addition. Also on the property are a log kitchen and smokehouse (Source).

 

[giradman]

Duke University

Duke University is considered one of the finest schools of higher education in the United States - there is an East and West campus in Durham (see maps & first quote) - the West Campus has all of the places that I'll discuss briefly (see the map for arrows of their specific locales). Duke's nickname, the Blue Devils - as in Chapel Hill, football and basketball (stadium & indoor arena shown below) are important sports, especially the latter w/ 5 National Basketball Championships, as mentioned in my posts on UNC @ Chapel Hill. The Duke University Medical Center is also renowned - the complex and hospital entrance also illustrated below.

Now there are many areas of interest on this large campus, but I can just discuss a few - the Duke Chapel (second quote) is a MUST visit - despite being built in the early 1930s, the Gothic architecture and stained glass windows seem to take the structure back centuries - views below of both the outside and inside - in front of the chapel, a statue of James Buchanan Duke, son of Washington Duke - just amazing what that Duke endowment created! A few pics of the chapel and one of the statue added.

Finally, another MUST visit - the Nasher Museum of Art (again see map of the West Campus w/ the arrows) - final quote below from the link - this beautiful museum has both permanent and rotating exhibits - we visit 1-2/year depending on what is being shown - there is a small but excellent cafeteria for lunch, so can be a half day visit - highly recommended.

LAST UP will be a post on the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club - I found enough pics to warrant a separate post of this special destination - Dave

Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892.[ In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James Buchanan Duke established Duke University, at which time the institution changed its name to honor his deceased father, Washington Duke.

The university's campus spans over 8,600 acres (35 km2) on three contiguous campuses in Durham as well as a marine lab in Beaufort. Duke's main campus—designed largely by architect Julian Abele—incorporates Gothic architecture with the 210-foot (64 m) Duke Chapel at the campus' center and highest point of elevation. The first-year-populated East Campus contains Georgian-style architecture, while the main Gothic-style West Campus 1.5 miles away is adjacent to the Medical Center. Duke is also the 7th wealthiest private university in America with $11.4 billion in cash and investments in fiscal year 2014.

Duke's research expenditures in the 2013 fiscal year were $993 million, the eighth largest in the nation. In 2014, Thomson Reuters named 32 Duke professors to its list of Highly Cited Researchers, making it fourth globally in terms of primary affiliations. Duke also ranks 5th among national universities to have produced Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, and Udall Scholars. 9 Nobel laureates, 3 Turing Award winners and 25 Churchill scholars are also affiliated with the university. Duke's sports teams compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the basketball team is renowned for having won five NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championships, the most recent in 2015 (Source).

Duke University Chapel is a chapel located at the center of the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, United States. It is an ecumenical Christian chapel and the center of religion at Duke, and has connections to the United Methodist Church. Constructed from 1930 to 1932, the Chapel seats about 1,800 people and stands 210 feet (64 m) tall, making it one of the tallest buildings in Durham County. It is built in the Collegiate Gothic style, characterized by its large stones, pointed arches, and ribbed vaults.[1] It has a 50-bell carillon and three pipe organs, one with 5,033 pipes and another with 6,900 pipes.[2]

The Chapel stands at the center of the university, on the highest ridge of Duke University's West Campus. Although plans for a chapel were first made in April 1925, the cornerstone was not laid until October 22, 1930. When it was completed in 1935 at a cost of $2.3 million, the Chapel was the last of the original buildings to be built on West Campus. It was first used during Commencement in 1932, and was formally dedicated on June 2, 1935. Stained-glass windows and other details were installed at a later date.[3] The chapel was designed by Julian Abele, chief designer for the Philadelphia firm of Horace Trumbauer (Source).

The Nasher Museum of Art is the art museum of Duke University, and is located on Duke's campus in Durham, North Carolina, USA. The $24 million museum was designed by architect Rafael Viñoly and opened on October 2, 2005. Annual attendance is about 100,000 visitors.

The museum, named for Raymond Nasher, is currently led by Mary D.B.T. and James H. Semans Director Sarah Schroth, former Nancy Hanks Senior Curator. The collection contains more than 13,000 works of art, including works by Ai Weiwei, Sanford Biggers, Christian Boltanski, William Cordova, Rineke Dijkstra, Marlene Dumas, Olafur Eliasson, Darío Escobar, Deborah Grant, Hassan Hajjaj, David Hammons, Barkley L. Hendricks, Thomas Hirschhorn, Taiyo Kimura, Sean Landers, Glenn Ligon, Christian Marclay, Kerry James Marshall, Zanele Muholi, Wangechi Mutu, Dan Perjovschi, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Robin Rhode, Dario Robleto, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, Xaviera Simmons, Lorna Simpson, Jeff Sonhouse, Eve Sussman, Alma Thomas, Hank Willis Thomas, Mickalene Thomas, Bob Thompson, Kara Walker, Nari Ward, Andy Warhol, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley, Fred Wilson and Lynette Yiadom Boakye. The museum is dedicated to presenting contemporary art from around the world, with particular attention given to those who have been historically underrepresented. Founding director Kimerly Rorschach left for Seattle Art Museum in November 2012 ([uel=[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasher_Museum_of_Art]Source[/URL][/url]).

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[scifan57]

Duke University

Duke University is considered one of the finest schools of higher education in the United States - there is an East and West campus in Durham (see maps & first quote) - the West Campus has all of the places that I'll discuss briefly (see the map for arrows of their specific locales). Duke's nickname, the Blue Devils - as in Chapel Hill, football and basketball (stadium & indoor arena shown below) are important sports, especially the latter w/ 5 National Basketball Championships, as mentioned in my posts on UNC @ Chapel Hill. The Duke University Medical Center is also renowned - the complex and hospital entrance also illustrated below.

Now there are many areas of interest on this large campus, but I can just discuss a few - the Duke Chapel (second quote) is a MUST visit - despite being built in the early 1930s, the Gothic architecture and stained glass windows seem to take the structure back centuries - views below of both the outside and inside - in front of the chapel, a statue of James Buchanan Duke, son of Washington Duke - just amazing what that Duke endowment created! A few pics of the chapel and one of the statue added.

Finally, another MUST visit - the Nasher Museum of Art (again see map of the West Campus w/ the arrows) - final quote below from the link - this beautiful museum has both permanent and rotating exhibits - we visit 1-2/year depending on what is being shown - there is a small but excellent cafeteria for lunch, so can be a half day visit - highly recommended.

LAST UP will be a post on the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club - I found enough pics to warrant a separate post of this special destination - Dave






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I've heard of Duke University but these are the first photos I've seen of it.

 

[giradman]

Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club

The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club is an elegant and relaxing hotel on the edge of the Duke University West campus (see map in previous post) - the property is fairly new (1988 - see quote below from link) and is part of the Duke golf course - we've stayed there at least three times (and now after seeing the pics, I want to go back soon! ) - the images below are self-explanatory w/ labels added. The Fairview Dining Room has an excellent menu (believe that I had medium rare elk tenderloin on my last visit) - check the link, if you plan a visit. Finally, the amenities are numerous, e.g. indoor heated pool w/ hot tub, small but well outfitted fitness center, and a trail around the golf course (see last map - red line) which is nearly 3 miles in length and of easy to moderate effort - Dave

The most prestigious hotel near Duke University, the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club first opened its doors in 1988 to serve the needs of the University and Durham’s growing business community. The hotel was named for Washington Duke (1820-1905), who from his modest beginnings as an American Civil War soldier in 1865 went onto become an industrialist and philanthropist, as well as a classic example of the American dream.

When Washington Duke returned from the Civil War to three motherless children, his land (Duke Homestead), a tobacco barn, a mule and fifty cents were his sole possessions. Duke, along with his sons James and Benjamin, transformed these meager assets into a family business that would grow to become the multinational corporation known as the American Tobacco Company.

After attaining financial success, Washington Duke began a life of community service and philanthropy. In 1891, he joined other local businessmen in bringing Trinity College to Durham and became its foremost benefactor. His son, James, created the Duke Endowment in 1924 and Trinity College was renamed Duke University in honor of Washington Duke.

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[giradman]

I've heard of Duke University but these are the first photos I've seen of it.

Duke University is often rated in the top dozen or so of national USA universities, but the rankings depend on the criteria used and the rating source - quoted below a recent US News & World Report ranking Duke at number eight - those top 10 are exceptional schools.

BUT, maybe more pertinent to this forum and in the second quote, our favorite CEO has a MBA from Duke University's business school - Dave

US News and World Report puts the colleges in four separate categories based on whether they offer master's degrees, doctoral degrees, or only bachelor's degrees, and the extent to which these respective degree types are offered. The following are samples of their rankings for 2014

Their top national universities are:[44]

University Rank
Princeton University 1
Harvard University 2
Yale University 3
Columbia University 4
Stanford University 4
University of Chicago 4
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 7
Duke University 8
University of Pennsylvania 9
California Institute of Technology 10
Johns Hopkins University 10

Cook graduated from Robertsdale High School. He earned a B.S. degree in industrial engineering from Auburn University in 1982,[12] and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business in 1988.[13]

 

[giradman]

Well, today is Susan's birthday (70 y/o! I hit that 'milestone' in April) - I took her for 2 nights to the Washington Duke Inn on Wednesday (discussed a few posts ago) - last night we had a wonderful dinner at Nana's Restaurant - checked the link for a look @ the menu; first image below a description of our meal - Susan had the gnocchi followed by the lamb shank, and I had the other two items - just unique & delicious - considered the BEST eatery in Durham and one we shall return to on our next visit.

Today, Jan 21 her BD was also fun - we visited the Duke Lemur Center & the Nasher Museum - I'll add a few more posts here - the lemur center was a completely new experience for us and should generate a lot of interest for those reading my travelogues.

BUT, tonight we were to have another great dinner at the WD Inn, but the weather prediction for overnight into Friday for our Piedmont area was terrible (one of the worst predictions here for a decade or more!) - SO, we left Durham about 4:30 PM and got home - storm starts tonight (watching the Weather Channel @ the moment - this is going to be a horrible experience for the eastern USA). We likely will get at least 6 inches or more of wintry mix - the ice and sleet are the worst events for us here because power lines fall (or are broken by falling tree limbs) - thus, we may lose power (below an updated map of the likelihood on the second image - our location marked by the X).

We don't mind a couple of days staying in the house but w/o power and being cold outside, will not be fun - I have plenty of battery lights and my APC UPS will probably give us up to 6 hrs to keep our modem & router alive for Wi-Fi - will update as the weather reaches us - Dave
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[scifan57]

Well, today is Susan's birthday (70 y/o! I hit that 'milestone' in April) - I took her for 2 nights to the Washington Duke Inn on Wednesday (discussed a few posts ago) - last night we had a wonderful dinner at Nana's Restaurant - checked the link for a look @ the menu; first image below a description of our meal - Susan had the gnocchi followed by the lamb shank, and I had the other two items - just unique & delicious - considered the BEST eatery in Durham and one we shall return to on our next visit.

Today, Jan 21 her BD was also fun - we visited the Duke Lemur Center & the Nasher Museum - I'll add a few more posts here - the lemur center was a completely new experience for us and should generate a lot of interest for those reading my travelogues.

BUT, tonight we were to have another great dinner at the WD Inn, but the weather prediction for overnight into Friday for our Piedmont area was terrible (one of the worst predictions here for a decade or more!) - SO, we left Durham about 4:30 PM and got home - storm starts tonight (watching the Weather Channel @ the moment - this is going to be a horrible experience for the eastern USA). We likely will get at least 6 inches or more of wintry mix - the ice and sleet are the worst events for us here because power lines fall (or are broken by falling tree limbs) - thus, we may lose power (below an updated map of the likelihood on the second image - our location marked by the X).

We don't mind a couple of days staying in the house but w/o power and being cold outside, will not be fun - I have plenty of battery lights and my APC UPS will probably give us up to 6 hrs to keep our modem & router alive for Wi-Fi - will update as the weather reaches us - Dave
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Here's hoping that the weather conditions will not be as severe as predicted.

 

[giradman]

Here's hoping that the weather conditions will not be as severe as predicted.

Thanks - nothing happening @ the moment - put a tarp over our main car and will wait the morning and hope the power is still on!

Duke Lemur Center

Lemurs are prosimian primates endemic to the island of Madagascar (off the lower east coast of Africa - see map below) - floating on vegetative 'rafts' from Africa just over 60 million years ago, the species populated the entire island (fourth largest in the world and about the size of California) and evolved into many forms and niches. When humans arrived on the island, many of the largest species were eliminated for food (along w/ a gigantic flightless bird) and the remainder were isolated to the periphery of the land.

The Duke Lemur Center is just 10 minutes from the Washington Duke Inn and is the largest prosimian primate sanctuary in the world (more information quoted below from Wiki). This was our first visit and we made reservations for the 90-minute tour which included an introductory film w/ much filmed in Madagascar and comments from our excellent and well-informed guide. The animals were all inside due to winter (apparently not put outside unless the temps are above 45 F) - but we were able to observe many at play - some pics below of just a few of the many different kinds that we saw. We want to go back in the warmer months and do the extended field tour where you walk where the animals are outside in the enclosed areas.

Now, this is NOT a zoo but contains about 240 animals mostly reproducing on the premises, research is being done on many topics, some related to human activities (like space travel) and diseases that these 'relatives' of ours share and may provide clues to an understanding of these maladies in humans. If you are traveling in this area of North Carolina, this visit (need to make reservations) is highly recommended. Dave

P.S. check out this short video from the Center:
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The Duke Lemur Center is an 85-acre (34 ha) sanctuary for rare and endangered prosimian primates, located at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. It is the largest sanctuary for prosimian primates in the world. The center is open to the public through tours, for which visitors must make an appointment.
In 1966, a prosimian colony of approximately 90 individuals was relocated from the Center for Prosimian Biology at Yale University to Duke University, creating the Duke Lemur Center (DLC). Through the 1970s, the colony grew to approximately 700 individuals representing 33 species. The current colony ranges between 250 and 300 animals, representing approximately 25 species.[ Originally called the Duke University Primate Center (DUPC), the center's name was changed in April 2006 after a refocusing of the scientific goals and overall mission.
The mission of the Duke University Lemur Center is to "promote research and understanding of prosimians and their natural habitat as a means of advancing the frontiers of knowledge, to contribute to the educational development of future leaders in international scholarship and conservation and to enhance the human condition by stimulating intellectual growth and sustaining global biodiversity."[1
According to Duke University, the Lemur Center, the only university-based facility in the world devoted to the study of strepsirrhine primates, "is home to the world's largest colony of endangered primates – including more than 200 lemurs, bush babies and lorises.... More than 85 percent of the center's inhabitants were born on site."

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