WHHNA – Watts Hospital-Hillandale Neighborhood Association

About The Neighborhood

The Watts Hospital-Hillandale Neighborhood is in Durham, NC and lies just west of downtown. Development in the neighborhood started in 1908 with the construction of Watts Hospital at the corner of Club Boulevard (known as E Street) and Broad Street. The neighborhood is composed mostly of Arts and Crafts style homes built from the 1910s through the 1940s.

In 1998, Watts Hospital-Hillandale became a National Historic District. The neighborhood is protected by the City of Durham historic district rules. In 2008, the neighborhood celebrated its 100th birthday.

As a neighborhood, we offer opportunities to throughout the year to gather with friends. See below for some current 2018 activities. Additional information can be found on the Events page or the Events Calendar.

WHHNA Wants to Hear from You

Join us January 22nd from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Lecture Hall of the Educational Technology Complex at NCSSM (at Club Blvd and Maryland Ave) to share your thinking regarding the Durham Planning Department’s Expanding Housing Choices initiative. If you are unable to attend but wish to provide some input to the board, please complete an input-gathering questionnaire that can be found at:https://goo.gl/forms/tCDoZ4KdbNRTzPQz2 . A document summarizing the components of the initiative can be found at Summary of EHC initiative.

Information can also be found at the Planning Department’s website: https://durhamnc.gov/3679/Expanding-Housing-Choices. On the Planning Department’s website there is a detailed questionnaire ( called Open House Questionnaire) that will likely be up until the third week of January but that is feedback for the planners and not the neighborhood board.

The Neighborhood Board hopes many of you will either join us on 1/22 at 7PM or will complete the neighborhood questionnaire.

Durham Planning Department’s Expanding Housing Choices

Neighbors met with Staff from the Durham Planning Department on 1/7/19 to learn about the department’s Expanding Housing choices initiative. Information can be found on their website: https://durhamnc.gov/3679/Expanding-Housing-Choices

Neigborhood Meeting with staff from the Tax Department

The WHHNA had the opportunity to meet with staff from the Durham County Tax Administration office to hear about the revaluation process. The program was held at 6:30 p.m. on January 14 in the Education Technology Complex (ETC) Lecture Hall at NCSSM.

To learn more about the reappraisal process, visit www.dconc.gov and go to the Tax Administration page.

Highlights of events from Fall 2018

Night of Lights

December 16th: Dusk until the candles burn out ~ 11:00 pm

As of Saturday evening, the event is on as scheduled

Let’s join together to share in the glow of warming light! This year marks the 33rd anniversary of our neighborhood’s Night of Lights luminaria display. We need 100% participation to make Watts-Hillandale sparkle with lights. Help make your street the brightest in the neighborhood. Everything you need — bags, candles, and sand — will be on sale at the picnic shelter at the south end of Oval Park on Saturday, December 15, and Sunday, December 16, from noon until 5 p.m. Supplies for each luminaria still cost just 50 cents. What a deal! Association members get a bonus luminaria! Contact Heather Gudac (919-696-4535) if you’re interested in volunteering to sell luminaries! Or just go here to choose a day and time. Rain date Wednesday 12/19.

ArtWalk 2018

The 16th Annual Watts Hospital Hillandale and Old West Durham ArtWalk is Sunday, November 11, from noon until 5 pm. This year’s line-up of artists looks to be great, including art for many tastes! Meet new artists and visit with your long-time favorites. In addition to the long-time favorites at the intersection of W. Club Boulevard and Alabama Avenue, this year there is a cluster of multiple artists on Maryland Ave. Marvel at Andrew Lonan’s intricate sculpture reliefs. Chuckle at Beth Denholm’s whimsical sculptures. You’ll also find metal work, jewelry, and seasonal decorations. Start in the 1700 block of Maryland Ave (look for the ArtWalk signs) and pick up a map of all the locations. The map can also be found at Art Walk Map 2018.

WHHNA Annual Meeting October 16, 2018

Join the Board and other neighbors on Tuesday 10/16 at the Fellowship Hall fo the Mosaic Church at 2031 W. Club Blvd from 7-9 for the annual meeting. The meeting will include a review of past and future neighborhood events, brief discussions of topics relevant to the neighborhood, a financial report, and a vote on the slate of Board member candidates. You will also have the opportunity to renew your annual neighborhood association membership dues which are $5 per person. We hope to see many friends and neighbors on 10/16.

Useful Links

Newsletters - PARADE is the quarterly newsletter of the Watts Hospital-Hillandale Neighborhood Association.
Mailing List - The whhna-list is intended for discussion of topics of general interest to residents of the Watts Hospital-Hillandale neighborhood.

updated 1/20/19 dd