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Photos, Videos, and Other Visual Materials in the University Archives

Created by Rosemary K. J. Davis, Drill Intern for the University Archives.

Blueprints, Plans, & Maps

Plan Showing Suggested Arrangement of East Campus, undatedPlan Showing Suggested Arrangement of East Campus, undated

The links below will take you to the online finding aids for collections containing blueprints, archictectural renderings and schematics, photographs of campus construction, regional maps, and documentation pertaining to the development of Duke University's land and buildings.

  • Horace Trumbauer Architectural Drawings Collection, 1924 - 1958: Contains blueprints, drawings, schematics, sketches, and written documentation generated by the Horace Trumbauer Architectural Firm while designing and building many of the buildings on the Duke University campus. Includes studies and blueprints for the Chapel, the Allen Building, Few Quadrangle, Wallace Wade Stadium, and many other campus buildings.
  • Facilities Management Department Records, 1924-ongoing: Includes original architectural drawings of campus buildings from the Horace Trumbauer firm, for which African American architect Julian Abele was the chief designer. These drawings were the reference copies kept by the Facilities Management Department (FMD).
  • Operations and Maintenance Dept. Records, 1919-1957: Contains correspondence, plans, architectural drawings, blueprints, financial records, contracts, and other materials related to the construction and continued maintenance of Duke University buildings.
  • Property Plats Collection, ca. 1925-1932: Contains approximately 100 survey plats of Duke University properties prior to the construction on East Campus and West Campus and dating from the years 1925-1926. Also included are plats representing the Duke Homestead from 1932.

Digital Collections and Digital Resources

The links below will take you to online finding aids and websites for digital collections, exhibitions, and resources containing blueprints, archictectural renderings and schematics, photographs of campus construction, regional maps, and documentation pertaining to the development of Duke University's land and buildings.

Duke Yearlook on Flickr: Duke Yearlook is produced by the Duke University Archives to provide alumni and friends of Duke with a virtual yearbook of campus scenes from different campus eras. Photographs can be browsed generally or via multiple topical groups. New images are being added on a regular basis. 

Construction of Duke University, 1924-1932: This Duke Digital Collection contains hundreds of images, primarily photographs, documenting the construction of Duke University's campus. In addition to pictures of laborers, work sites, and materials, there are also pictures of Duke administrators and Durham businessmen involved with the projects. Scrapbooks, ephemera, clippings, and correspondence are also included.

Campus Drive Faculty Houses: This small online exhibition contains an architectural rendering for faculty housing, along with several photographs of completed homes and background information about construction dates and original occupants.

Digital Durham: This online collection contains a selection of digitzed primary sources that help illuminate the economic, social, cultural, and political history of a post-bellum southern community. Contains photographs, maps, correspondence, personal papers, and audio files.

Digitized Sanborn Maps at the Library of Congress: Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps provide excellent details about buildings, including a building's general use, the materials it was constructed from, and electrical and utilities information. Search within this digital collection on "Durham" to locate the Durham Sanborn maps, and then page through the map set to find the Trinity College and Duke University maps. Be sure to read the guide to interpreting the maps before you begin!

North Carolina Maps: A vast digital collection of maps assembled by UNC-Chapel Hill