During construction, house 6 was initially slated for Professor R. H. Shryock, who came to Duke from Syracuse University. However, due to an unanticipated rent increase, Prof. Shryock chose to live elsewhere in Durham. Instead, this frame structure was occupied by Justin Miller, Dean of the Duke University School of Law until 1934. By 1935, it was occupied by Raymond S. Crispell, Professor of Psychiatry, who served during WWII as a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserves. During his absence, various faculty members such as J. P. Mayfield and E. B. Nichols (both Physics Professors) lived in the house. In 1946, Dr. Crispell returned from the War but left Duke soon thereafter. Eugene Stead, Jr., MD, (above) Professor of Medicine, moved into the house in 1947. Dr. Stead created the Physician Assistant Program at Duke in 1965 and also served as Chairman of the Department of Medicine from 1947 to 1967. Dr. Stead lived in house 6 until 1977.
Occupancy of the house is undocumented for the years between 1977 and 1982, but according to Duke Directory maps, the house remained a private residence. The Center for International Studies occupied the house from 1982 until 2000 when it moved into offices on Erwin Road. House 6 was occupied by Undergraduate Financial Aid from 2001 to 2009 and Trinity College's Office of Technology Services until November 2020. It now houses the Department of Romance Studies.
