The crash happened at approximately 12:20 a.m. Friday in the 400 block of Lakewood Avenue near University Drive just south of downtown Durham.
Investigators said the crash happened when the 17-year-old driver of a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro going northbound on Lakewood Avenue failed to negotiate a curve. The car struck a building and a tree before coming to rest in the roadway.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
Speed is believed to be a factor in the crash, police said.
The incident remains under investigation