Since when are there TVs in Duke's parking garages?

I love watching HGTV as much as the next person, but it struck me as a little odd when I walked through a Duke parking garage Saturday evening and saw House Hunters playing on a television next to the elevators. 

The new seven-level 2,263-space parking garage at the corner of Highway 751 and Science Drive opened last semester to provide additional parking spaces for athletics events, business school employees and the new JB Duke hotel. Undergraduate students are not able to buy permits for the garage but graduate students may for $459 a year. Faculty and staff are eligible for $618 per year.

The new garage was designed with sustainable eco-friendly features like rain gardens and electric car charging stations. But it also has television monitors built into the walls outside elevator landings. When I walked by the garage again Tuesday evening, HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” was playing. 

I reached out to Carl Depinto, director of the Parking and Transportation Services department—which is now located in the new garage—to ask about the TV monitors and why HGTV would be on.

“The display screens installed in the new Science Drive parking garage were installed as a means of providing better on-site communication inside the facility, which is used by many visitors who may not be as familiar with campus,” Depinto said.

He noted that PTS is still testing the displays, and that they allow subscriptions to streaming content, as well as slides with information about events around campus. The system will also broadcast Duke athletics events when they are on. 

“We are also working to integrate other content from Duke’s digital display system that is used to promote events and activities within many buildings across campus,” Depinto added.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for somewhere on campus to get your HGTV fix, head to the new parking garage.