Although all first-year students at Duke are required to live on East Campus, not many know why it exists. From Marketplace to Lilly Library, how did East Campus and all its landmarks come to be?
Originally a racing track and fairground, East Campus was where Duke first settled in Durham. The 14 dorms that comprise East Campus are among the oldest buildings at University.
Eventually, the campus became a home for the University’s female students. With the construction and opening of West Campus, Duke later reorganized student housing, bringing first-year students to East Campus, where they remain to this day.
Don’t judge a campus by its cover
A beloved yet polarizing place, East Campus is older than Duke itself. Archaeologists hypothesize that around 1000 C.E., East Campus was home to Native Americans: the Iroquois, Siouan and Muskhogean. Modern historical records then show that in the late 19th century, the land that would become East Campus functioned as Blackwell Park, a popular host site for fairs and horse races…