North Carolina public radio has their office/studio across from the office space used by Duke University in the transformed America Tobacco campus. With its five restaurants, thousands of square feet of office space, public outdoor space used for concerts and an ever- increasing number of residential units, Durham, North Carolina's American Tobacco campus, is a shining beacon of modern urban living in a southern city. From 1874- 1987 the American Tobacco Company, was the world's largest cigarette manufacturer. In 2001, Capitol Broadcasting bought the one million square foot complex and began one of the largest and farthest reaching historic preservation and renovation projects in the history of North Carolina transforming the campus into offices, restaurants, retail, meeting spaces, on- site parking garage, and residences all encompassing a courtyard with an amphitheatrea dn a 1/4 mile long cascading waterway.

Having American Tobacco has spurred continued redevelopment in downtown Durham and has helped revitalize areas of the city that have been all but dormant since the tobacco industry closed its doors. What is important to note about Durham's new center of activity is that it is not the last step in the process of reinventing a long weary downtown but rather an integral early accomplishment that will set the pace for the future.

Residential area are located above restaurants in the American Tobacco campus right in the middle of downtown Durham, N.C. Here in Columbia, first steps have been taken to rescue the dreary remnants of urban manufacturing in the form of the Congaree Vista. The seeds planted in overhauling the Gervais Street corridor have the opportunity to infiltrate other parts of the city and allow for an expansion of the restoration and preservation in Columbia.

Columbia might look to other cities such as Greenville and Durham for examples of mixed- use space and ways to incorporate a living and vibrant residential community with an already successful business district.

In order for the downtown area to become a place where people want to spend time there need to be locations that generate excitement and fun. While the art museum certainly attracts residents and visitors alike, it would be no match for even a handful of interesting restaurants. Most of the dining options on Main Street are closed after lunch on weekends and lack the capacity for nightlife.

Using Durham's American Tobacco campus as an example, restaurants have the ability to introduce a younger and diverse crowd.If Main Street is trying to attract younger residents there must be an equal effort in giving them a place to go besides simply their office and their apartment or condominium.

Some time in 2008, the old Palmetto Building will open its doors as a boutique hotel and will offer several options of the restaurant and bar variety. This is a perfect stepping stone for local investors, restaurateurs, and anyone interested in making Columbia's Main Street a lively and economically successful area.

www.americantobaccohistoricdistrict.

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