October 00
features
pages
Or, Why “Beall” is Spelled That Way
Continued from page 4~
Durham community.
After Watts Hospital
shut its doors, no one imagined
that it would re-open as a school
for talented high school stu
dents. However, when Gover
nor Jim Hunt was elected, he
decided to
revive the
idea of
former gov
ernor Terry
S an fo rd,
who be
lieved in the
idea of a
“state-sup
ported, live-
in school for
the educa
tion of tal
ented high
school stu-
dents.”
Sanford had
used this
idea during
his term to
create The '
North Caro
lina School
of the Arts,
but his pro
gram ran out
of funding
before a
school was
built for sci
ence and
math. In
June of
1978, after the proposal to build
this school was made by Gov
ernor Hunt, the General Assem
bly of North Carolina
appropriated $ 150,000 to found
the North Carolina School of
Science and Mathematics. The
former Watts Hospital was cho
sen for the site of this school be
cause the Durham community
was willing and able to work
with the school, there was easy
and appropriate library access
for students, and adequate land
and buildings were available for
use. So, in September 1980, the
first 150 students entered the old
Watts Hospital and began a new
legacy as they beeame the first
graduating class of the North
Carolina School of Science and
Mathematics.
The information in this
article was based on the book.
Watts Hospital by P. Preston
Reynolds.
iValls Hospital, 1928
Hill House living mam, 1950
Hill House, 1950
Watts Hos
pital Then
and Now
Things have changed
over the past century; some of
the rooms we live in used to be
delivery rooms or part of the
morgue. Find out what your
room used to be...
Watts
P'floor — Lobby
2'“'floor - Maternity
Ward
3"‘ floor - Maternity
and Pediatrics
Big Fish Tanks - Nurs
ery
Reynolds E
Ground floor-Morgue,
Outpatient waiting
Room
F'floor - Men’s surgi
cal patients
2"‘‘floor — Urology
Reynolds D
F‘floor - Reception,
Dining Room
Reynolds C
Ground floor - Lab, Pa
thology, Electro-cardio
graph room
F'floor - Surgical pa
dents
2"‘‘floor - Medical pa
tients
Beall
Groundfloor-Gym,
Physical therapy
F', 2"‘‘, and 3’’‘‘floors —
Private patient rooms
Bryan
F'floor - Hospital ad
ministration
2"‘‘,3'^, and 4'''floors —
Patient rooms
Science Floors
Chemistry - Surgery
Biology - Delivery
Physics - Laboratory
Wyche House - Home
for nurses
Hill House - Dorms,
classes, and labs
Art Studio - Operating
Room
Library-X-rays
Watts Hospital at night.