Old West Durham and Ninth Street

Housing and prices

No current price figure could be verified for this record. Trulia, Redfin and Zillow pages did not load when checked in October 2026, so no estimate or sold-price figure is given. Check recent sold listings for Old West Durham or ZIP 27705 on a listing site, and compare with a local agent. (as of 2026-10; trulia.com)

Single-family houses and duplexes

Duke's housing guide describes the Old West Durham side streets as mostly single-family homes with some duplexes.

Apartment buildings near Ninth Street

Duke's housing guide describes the Ninth Street area as almost entirely apartment complexes, with some houses and duplexes to the north.

Converted mill apartments

The Erwin Square Mill building, a cotton mill from 1893 to 1986, now houses retail, living and office space.

Places to know

Getting around

Walkability

Ninth Street's restaurants, bookstore, record shop and bar sit within a few blocks of each other, and Duke's housing guide calls the area walkable and bikeable to campus. Cocoa Cinnamon on Hillsborough Road is a separate stretch.

Transit

Duke's housing guide lists Duke bus lines reachable from Ninth Street: the H1 to Duke Hospital and the SWS to West Campus, plus the C1 from East Campus. GoDurham routes are not covered here.

Parking

Sarah P. Duke Gardens charges $2 per hour and often fills before 10am. Cocoa Cinnamon has limited parking, per a visitor review.

Drive to downtown

Downtown Durham is east of the area; check a map app for current drive time.

Weekly and seasonal rhythm

• Neighborhood association happy hour (First Tuesday of each month, 5:30pm, A different local business each month)
  The Old West Durham Neighborhood Association lists a monthly happy hour hosted by a rotating local business. oldwestdurham.org
• Neighborhood association board meetings (Fourth Thursday of Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep and Nov, 7pm, Bull City Commons)
  Board meetings are listed for odd-numbered months, with informal gatherings at varying locations in the months between. oldwestdurham.org
• Porchfest, West Fest and Night of Lights (Annual; dates not posted on the association site, Old West Durham streets)
  The association names these three community events. Dates were not published when checked, so confirm with the association before planning around them. oldwestdurham.org
• Duke Gardens dog hours (Daily before 10am, Sarah P. Duke Gardens, 420 Anderson St)
  Dogs are permitted in the gardens before 10am only, seven days a week. The grounds are open from 8am to sunset every day. gardens.duke.edu
• Duke Lemur Center seasonal tours (Tour menu changes by season, 3705 Erwin Rd)
  Wild Workshops run October through April; Walking with Lemurs and the general tour are weather dependent. All tours require prepaid reservations. lemur.duke.edu
• Elmo's Diner weekly specials (Specials change weekly; weekend brunch Saturday and Sunday, 776 Ninth St)
  Breakfast and lunch specials run Monday to Friday, brunch specials run Saturday and Sunday, and an of-the-week item rotates. Call to confirm the current one. elmosdiner.com

A perfect day

1. 8:00am Saturday, Monuts. Bakery breakfast and coffee at the counter. Tip: Saturday hours are 8am to 2pm.
2. 9:00am, Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Walk the garden paths on Duke's West Campus. Tip: Park early; the lot often fills before 10am.
3. 11:00am, The Regulator Bookshop. Browse the shelves on Ninth Street. Tip: Open daily 10am to 6pm.
4. 12:30pm, Elmo's Diner. Weekend brunch special or a veggie breakfast burrito. Tip: Weekend hours run 7am to 3:30pm; no reservations.
5. 2:30pm, Cocoa Cinnamon. Coffee and a break on Hillsborough Road. Tip: Parking is limited, so consider biking over.
6. 4:00pm, Hunky Dory. Flip through new and used vinyl, with a beer. Tip: Listed Saturday hours end at 10pm.
7. 6:00pm, Dain's Place. Burger and tots with a North Carolina draft beer. Tip: Listed hours run to midnight.

Honest trade-offs

• Parking is tight. Cocoa Cinnamon has limited spaces, the Sarah P. Duke Gardens lot costs $2 per hour and often fills before 10am, and Ninth Street businesses share lots.
• Ninth Street is a commercial strip with a bar open late. Discover Durham lists Dain's Place hours to midnight daily, so evenings on the strip carry more activity than the side streets.
• Several Ninth Street businesses keep daytime hours. Elmo's has no dinner service, Monuts closes at 3pm on weekdays and 2pm Saturday, and the Regulator closes at 6pm, so evening options are narrower.
• The apartment-heavy blocks near Ninth Street sit next to a commercial strip, while single-family side streets lie to the south. Housing type varies block by block.
• No verified price figure is given for this area. Check recent sold listings and a local agent's comps before comparing costs.

FAQs

Where does Old West Durham sit relative to Duke?

Duke's housing guide calls Old West Durham slightly closer to East Campus than West Campus, and calls Ninth Street the closest neighborhood to the west side of East Campus. Sarah P. Duke Gardens is on West Campus and the Duke Lemur Center is on Erwin Road.

What kinds of homes are in Old West Durham?

Duke's housing guide describes mostly single-family homes with some duplexes in Old West Durham, and mostly apartment complexes around Ninth Street. The Erwin Square Mill, a cotton mill until 1986, now holds retail, living and office space.

How much do homes cost in Old West Durham?

No verified price figure is given here because listing-site pages did not load when checked in October 2026. Check recent sold listings for Old West Durham or ZIP 27705 and ask a local agent for sold comps.

Which bus lines serve the Ninth Street area?

Duke's housing guide says the Duke bus lines H1, which goes to Duke Hospital, and SWS, which goes to West Campus, are reachable from Ninth Street. It also says students can walk to East Campus for the C1 to West Campus. GoDurham routes are not covered here.

What is there to do on a weekend morning?

Monuts opens at 8am Saturday and Elmo's Diner opens at 7am with weekend brunch specials. The Regulator Bookshop opens at 10am daily. Sarah P. Duke Gardens opens its grounds at 8am daily, and dogs are allowed there before 10am.

Does the neighborhood have organized events?

The Old West Durham Neighborhood Association lists a monthly happy hour on the first Tuesday, with doors at 5:30pm, and board meetings on the fourth Thursday of odd-numbered months at Bull City Commons. It also names Porchfest, West Fest and Night of Lights, without posting dates.

What is the history of the Erwin Mills buildings?

Duke's page says the Erwin Square Mill operated as a cotton mill from 1893 to 1986 and was once one of the largest denim producers in the world. The neighborhood association says the National Park Service designated much of Old West Durham a historic district in 1986.