Officials tour American Tobacco site

In 1987, the American Tobacco Company shut its doors and vacated a worn-down, musty factory. With some buildings full of rusting machinery and others dark and empty, it is hard to imagine how the complex could be anything but a tobacco factory.

But before the very eyes of Durham County Commissioners and city council members Friday morning, developers virtually transformed the complex into a hopping, modern center for social and business activity.

"Envision a big skyglass [ceiling] above you, a lobby and a little piano bar over there," said Tom Tingle, an architect with Keith Corporation, a brokerage and real estate firm working on the project.

Tingle led a group of about 10 people through several buildings and expressed the developers' vision of what may become the center of downtown activity in years to come. In place of the factory, officials hope to see establishments ranging from apartments and a movie theater to offices and a hotel.

Although few currently reside in the downtown area, county commissioner Ellen Reckhow said she thought living in the renovated complex could be advantageous.

"You can be in an urban environment, and it's quiet outside," she said, noting that the enclosed nature of the buildings provides a buffer from the busy Durham Freeway nearby.

And, Tingle said, the developers hope to keep the heritage-and industrial charm-of the factory intact. The Lucky Strike smokestack, which has become a trademark of downtown Durham, will remain standing. Developers will also sell space to vendors who wish to set up businesses in boxcars running along the train tracks.

Although officials say they do not know when all phases of the $200 million renovation will be completed, developer Capitol Broadcasting Corporation recently received a commitment to support the project from city council members and county commissioners.