After its congregation moved to new facilities in 1976, St. Joseph's A.M.E. Church, first established in 1892, became a community and performing arts center after repairs stabilized the building and sealed its severely leaking roof.

The St. Joseph's Historic Foundation struggled to keep the building maintained and continue operations through the 1980s until, with city assistance, the original sanctuary received more repair and an addition with meeting space, galleries and offices was built in 1991.

St. Joseph's A.M.E. Church has been a major institution in Durham's African-American community since it began as a brush arbor by evangelist Edian Markham around 1870