Bishop’s House, Lilly Library’s home away from home while the renovation is ongoing, sits near the northeast corner of East Campus, a stone’s throw from Baldwin Auditorium. The rambling historic home has a wide front porch, creaky floors, windows that look out onto tall trees and quiet neighborhood streets, and a colorful history of previous campus tenants.
The house was built in 1911 to be the home of former Trinity College President John C. Kilgo. After stepping down as president in 1910, Kilgo became a bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church and lived in the home from 1911 to 1915. (Hence the name Bishop’s House.)
Later, the building took on a variety of uses, first as a women’s dormitory and then as a home for single faculty men. In 1920, Bert Cunningham, professor of biology and zoology, moved in with his family on the first floor, with a group of law students living one floor above.
In 1922, the building was turned over to the Trinity Faculty Club for use as a clubhouse, which it remained until it was extensively remodeled and reopened as the Woman’s College Infirmary in 1935.
For nearly thirty years, Bishop’s House was a “convenient convalescent place for co-eds with winter colds, a possible stomach upset following a ‘box from home party,’ or other minor ailments,” wisecracked the Durham Morning Herald in a 1938 article about the infirmary.
In 1962, the doctors and nurses moved out and the Duke University Press moved in, remaining there until 1983. After that, it became the administrative offices of Duke Continuing Studies, a university department that offered popular enrichment courses open to Duke students, alumni, and the general public on everything from yoga and improv comedy to history and wine tasting.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Continuing Studies staff left Bishop’s House to work remotely and ultimately decided not to return. That left the building available as a swing space when the Lilly Library renovation project started.
The interior of Bishop’s House still displays many of the picturesque features from when it was originally built in 1911, such as the wraparound porch, high ceilings, and fireplaces with ornamental tile. For the staff of Lilly Library, it’s a welcome way station— full of built-in charm, easy for students and faculty to find, and ready for another chapter in its long and eclectic history.