The University Club of Durham closed March 26 after 39 years, ending the run of one of Durham's last private dining clubs. Owners Kelly Santel and Jessica Lee said in a statement that the club never recovered from pandemic-era revenue losses. They wrote that "the economic wounds of those empty years proved too deep to overcome."
The club opened in 1987 in the 17th-floor penthouse of University Tower at 311 Tower Blvd. The 11,000-square-foot space included seven private rooms for dining and events.
- Memberships started at $400 for residents of Durham, Orange, Wake, or Johnston counties under 35.
- Executive chef Robert Solis was leading the kitchen at the time of the closure. He had previously worked at the club as a sous chef from 2013 to 2014.
- University Tower is primarily an office building with tenants that include law firms and Duke University Health.
The closure follows City Club Raleigh, which shut down in late 2024 after 45 years on Fayetteville Street, adding another recent loss to the Triangle's private dining scene.
No new tenant has been announced for the 17th-floor penthouse, leaving a long-running event and dining space empty above University Tower.