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Eyrie Initiative Community Projects and Design Studies

This page showcases work produced by NCCU students, collaborating studios, and their community partners: documentation, corridor studies, and design proposals. It is published as each project reaches a milestone.

Project Details

View the scope, partners, dates, and student teams for each project.

This project consists of corridor-scale planning and urban design studies conducted under contract with Preservation Durham, with community engagement through Durham-Hayti Promise and housing studies in collaboration with the NC State College of Design.

The Crescent,” AK Stipanov, Lauren Tran, and Sophie McRee, NC State University College of Design
The Crescent,” AK Stipanov, Lauren Tran, and Sophie McRee, NC State University College of Design

This project consists of six NCCU fellows documenting culturally significant sites on the corridor, June through August 2026: historical research, hand-measured drawings, as-built drawings, 3D modeling, and public presentation.

People standing on steps
Photo by Jordan Abdur-Ra’oof
  • A student rendering of Fayetteville Street showing a marching band passing St. Joseph’s A.M.E. Church
    A student proposal for the same corridor. From “The Crescent,” by AK Stipanov, Lauren Tran, and Sophie McRee, NC State University College of Design, in collaboration with the Eyrie Initiative
  • A student rendering of a redesigned residential street in Hayti, with St. Joseph’s A.M.E. Church at the end of the block
    Proposed housing along a Hayti street, with St. Joseph’s A.M.E. Church at the end of the block. From “The Crescent.”
  • Photo by Jordan Abdur-Ra’oof
    The 2026 HOPE Crew fellowship cohort at St. Joseph’s A.M.E. Church, now the Hayti Heritage Center. Photo by Jordan Abdur-Ra’oof.