WUNC Looking at American Tobacco
The American Tobacco Historic District recently offered WUNC radio nearly 8,400 square feet of office space in the district’s Washington Building. WUNC executives are currently looking for studio and office space to ease the overcrowding in their offices at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill.
Jim Goodmon, a long time supporter of public radio and developer of the American Tobacco Historic District, has suggested that space on the first floor of a bay in the Washington Building would be a good home for the station.
The Washington Building consists of nine two-floor bays built over several years beginning in 1904, it utilizes brick ceiling vents that characterize early twentieth century tobacco buildings throughout the South. These bays feature exposed interior brick walls, loft-height ceilings and exposed wood or steel columns.
Goodmon hopes that if WUNC moves to the area, local radio shows could be produced near the Washington Building’s big windows. “They’d be a high profile tenant. I’m excited about this. I think it would be a lot of fun.”
Capitol Broadcasting Company, which is developing the space, sees the American Tobacco plan as the catalyst for more development in downtown Durham, bringing with it new life, new opportunities and new jobs for the residents. The vision is to revitalize downtown Durham with a mix of office space, retail space, homes and restaurants.
WUNC and representatives from the American Tobacco Historic District are still in the early stages of negotiations.
