“A Worthy Place”: Durham, Duke, and the World of the 1920s-1930s

The Sanborn Fire insurance maps are a rich and detailed resource for exploring the built environment as it was understood from a material and economic perspective. Building materials, distance to fire stations, structure usage, changing numbering systems—all of these were recorded to help insurers decide what to charge customers. The maps include pasted-in amendments and updates, reflecting the dynamic development process happening in the city during the 1920s and 1930s.