Question: What was the original name and purpose of Durham School of the Arts?
Answer: The original name of what is now Durham School of the Arts was Central High School, then later changed to Durham High School. The new public high school was built to replace the overcrowded city high school on Morris Street and provide modern educational facilities on land from Brodie Duke’s former estate. Brodie Duke was the eldest son of Washington Duke and the first member of the Duke family to settle in Durham, where he established his own tobacco business and accumulated extensive land holdings on the city’s west side.
