The Ark is a building on the East Campus of
Duke University
Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
in
Durham, North Carolina
Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...
. It serves as an instructional and rehearsal studio for the Duke Dance Program.
Built in 1898 as Angier B. Duke Gymnasium, The Ark became the first home for the
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team, then known as Trinity College, in 1906. The team moved after the 1923 season, upon the completion of Alumni Memorial Gymnasium.
The Ark's current name is derived from the narrow walkway that was originally used to reach the building, forcing people to enter "two-by-two".
History
Angier B. Duke Gymnasium was constructed in 1898, funded by a donation from
Benjamin N. Duke, who named it for his son,
Angier.
The gym served as the host for the second college basketball game in the State of
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
on March 2, 1906, with
Wake Forest defeating Trinity by a score of 24–10. The playing surface measured just 50' x 32',
much smaller than a
modern court, which measures 94' x 50'. After the basketball team moved, the building was used in varying capacities over the next several decades, including as a laundry facility, a recreation center, and a coffeehouse/nightclub, before settling into its current use as a dance studio.
References
External links
The Ark– Duke University Campus Map
Defunct college basketball venues in the United States
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball
1898 establishments in North Carolina
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