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James Buchanan Duke established the Duke Endowment in 1924. The endowment provided funds to form Duke's School of Medicine and Duke Hospital. Duke North opened in 1980 and was connected the older hospital, referred to as the South division, through a personnel rapid transit system (PRT). Construction of this addition corresponded to the construction of the hospital's nearby Communications Center and Medical Library, leading to a degree of overlap between records for both projects. Types of materials in this collection include meeting minutes, planning files, reports, construction notes, blueprints, conceptual drawings, correspondence, reference materials, accounting and revenue records, sound recordings, photographs, photographic slides, and negatives. Materials range in date from 1972 to 1986.

James Buchanan Duke established the Duke Endowment in 1924. The endowment provided funds to form Duke's School of Medicine and Duke Hospital. Duke North opened in 1980 and was connected the older hospital, referred to as the South division, through a personnel rapid transit system (PRT). Types of materials include correspondence, meeting minutes, memoranda, floorplans, charts, reports, articles, notes, and surveys. Materials range in date from 1979 to 1982 but the bulk of the material is undated.

The collection documents facilities planning and construction activities of the Duke University Medical Center. These materials also show the evolution of responsibility for health facilities planning and administration during a period of extensive building activity that occurred before the organization of the Facilities Planning, Design and Construction Office within the Medical Center and Health System Architect's Office. Included are records of major planning initiatives and specific building projects from the offices of Louis E. Swanson, an early director of the Medical Center Planning Office, and Dr. Jane G. Elchlepp, the first assistant dean for planning. In addition to correspondence, memoranda, committee minutes, statistical reports, and planning reference materials, the collection contains design studies and long-range planning proposals completed between 1952 and 1998. Presentation drawings and graphics span the years 1964 to 2000. The collection also contains photographs, slides, and other documentation pertaining to the planning and construction of Duke Hospital North from 1973 to 1980. Materials date from 1952 to 2013.