Card House

36.004716, -78.912187

1110
Durham
NC
Year built
1910
Construction type
National Register
Neighborhood
Use
Building Type
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Card house 1910s.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)

Per the Historic Inventory:

"WW Card, the first athletic director of Trinity College, had this substantial two-story frame house constructed around 1910. As one of the earliest houses constructed in Trinity Park, this house for many years was isolated on a very large lot. According to one of the Card daughters, Mrs. Card drew the plans for the house and then her husband hired the contractors to build it. The exterior of the house [....] features plain frieze and cornerboards, Tuscan porch columns, and a trabeated entrance."


(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)


Card house, 1920s


(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)


From the front porch of the card house, looking southwest towards Trinity College, 1920s (Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)


Card house, 1930s. (Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)


Side of the Card house, looking north on Buchanan Blvd., with the Pegram house in the background, late 1920s. (Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)


Card House, 10.03.09

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36.004716,-78.912187

Comments

What a triumph of preservation!

Simple, elegant post remarking on what can be accomplished by limiting the number of parking lots in Durham.

Also a reminder of a simpler, gentler time.....

Thanks Gary.

I'm glad to see you moving up Buchanan. I'm hoping to later read about the "sideways" house on Buchanan and Markham.

Glad to see another house well preserved and in fine shape. I like the color, too.

Wonder why the windows in the dormer were replaced with louvers? I'm sure there's a functional reason (A/C system maybe?) but I think the windows looked much better.

That house belonged to Helen Upchurch, who was one of Card's daughters. I think she was born in the house, but I'm not sure. That might be Mrs. Upchurch in the picture of the three women. I think she's the young girl. There was a rose garden in the back yard that bordered the sidewalk on Buchanan. The Upchurch's were very proud of their roseushes, and spent hours working on them.

Several years ago, I bought a bible at an estate sale here at 1110 Minerva.

On the inside of the bible is written...

Graduation Bible presented with Diploma.

Presented to
Helen Kendrick Card
Durham, N.C. June 7, 1933


Mrs. Oliver Wingate Upchurch
1110 Minerva Ave.
Durham, N.C.

****

Helen Kendrick Card (Mrs. Oliver W. Upchurch) was Cap Card's daughter. She was born in 1911, and graduated from Duke in the Class of 1933; her husband was Class of 1932.

This was one of the bibles that Duke traditionally distributes to graduates at Commencement.

So I have the bible from the daughter of the father of Blue Devil basketball.

(And have already made arrangements to donate it to the NC Collection at the Durham County Library.)

I also have a book that may have belonged to the Card family. It's a collection of Wyatt Dixon's newspaper columns. Several columns mention 'Cap' Card and/or contain photos of the Card house. Each citation is underlined in red pen, with 'CARD' written in the margin, and the page is paper-clipped.

Like Christopher, I miss the windows in the dormer. Also, that TV antenna has got to go!

This is my family. The pictures in the 1920's are of my Grandmother (Elizabeth Card Lyon) and her sister Helen Card Upchurch) and their parents. I am 51 and remember hanging out on the porch many a hot summer day. It is a beautiful house and Helen's daughter sold the house to a wonderful family who has significantly upgraded the house while emphasis was put on keeping original what could be saved. Many memories of helping my Uncle Oliver tend the beautiful rose bushes in the back yard and then cut a couple beautiful roses off just to hand them to a passing Duke lady student. I miss them and the house! I live in Charlotte now and still get to Durham almost every week. Just thought you'd like to know. Sincerely, Daniel Meredith
Danielm70@live.com

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