Editing Durham, North Carolina (section)

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Durham, North Carolina}}

===Pre-establishment===
The [[Eno people|Eno]] and the [[Occaneechi|Occoneechi]], related to the [[Sioux]] and the [[Shakori]], lived in the area and may have established a village named Adshusheer (or Ajusher) in the area which became Durham.<ref>The Travels of Richard Traunter, page 38, ([1699], Sandra L. Dahlberg ed., University of Virginia Press, 2022).</ref> [[Trading Path|The Occaneechi Path]], a corridor of trading roads and trails, went through the area. Native Americans expanded the region by establishing settlements and commercial transportation routes.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Overview of Durham History |url=https://www.museumofdurhamhistory.org/learn/overview-of-durham-history/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406053213/https://www.museumofdurhamhistory.org/learn/overview-of-durham-history/ |archive-date=2023-04-06 |access-date=2023-06-08 |publisher=Museum of Durham History |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=July 2020 |title=About Durham |url=https://law.nccu.edu/about/about-durham/ |access-date=2023-06-08 |publisher=NC Central University School of Law |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1701, English explorer [[John Lawson (explorer)|John Lawson]], documented the area and would later call it "the flower of the Carolinas". Lawson claimed that Ajusher was situated {{convert|14|mi}} from Occaneechi Town.<ref>John Lawson, A New Voyage to Carolina, page 62 ([1709] Hugh Talmage Lefler ed., Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina press, 1967).</ref> In the mid-1700s, Scots, Irish, and English colonists settled on land granted to [[George Carteret]] by [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]]{{dubious|Which Carteret and which king?|date=May 2024}}, a grant that had by then been inherited by his great-grandson [[John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville|John]]. Early settlers built settlements as well as farms and mills, like [[West Point Mill]].<ref name=":1"/><ref name=":2"/>

Frontiersmen in the area, prior to the [[American Revolutionary War]], participated in the [[Regulator Movement]]. Loyalist militia used Cornwallis Road to cut through the area in 1771 to quell the rebellion. William Johnston, a local a farmer and shopkeeper, made munitions for the [[Continental Army]], served in the [[North Carolina Provincial Congress|Provincial Congress]] in 1775, and financially supported [[Daniel Boone]] on his westward explorations.<ref name=":1"/><ref name=":2"/>

===Antebellum and Civil War===
Prior to the arrival of the railroad, the area now known as Durham was the eastern part of present-day Orange County and was almost entirely agricultural, with a few businesses catering to travelers (particularly livestock drivers) along the Hillsborough Road. This road, eventually followed by US Route 70, was the major east–west route in North Carolina from colonial times until the construction of interstate highways. Steady population growth and an intersection with the road connecting Roxboro and Fayetteville made the area near this site suitable for a US Post Office. Roxboro, Fayetteville and Hillsborough Roads remain major thoroughfares in Durham, although they no longer exactly follow their early 19th century rights-of-way.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History Beneath Our Feet |url=http://museumofdurhamhistory.org/beneathourfeet/streets |url-status=dead |access-date=2022-11-06 |publisher=Museum of Durham History |archive-date=November 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106150037/http://museumofdurhamhistory.org/beneathourfeet/streets }}</ref>

Large plantations, [[Hardscrabble (Bahama, North Carolina)|Hardscrabble]], [[Fairntosh Plantation|Fairntosh]], [[Lipscomb House|Lipscomb]], [[Walnut Hall (Durham, North Carolina)|Walnut Hall]], [[Patterson Plantation|Patterson]], and [[Leigh Farm|Leigh]] among them, were established in the antebellum period. By 1860, [[Stagville|Stagville Plantation]] lay at the center of one of the largest plantation holdings in the South. African slaves were brought to labor on these farms and plantations, and slave quarters became the hearth of distinctively Southern cultural traditions involving crafts, social relations, life rituals, music, and dance. There were free [[African-American]]s in the area as well, including several who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Durham's location is a result of the needs of the 19th century railroad industry. The wood-burning steam locomotives of the time had to stop frequently for wood and water and the new [[North Carolina Railroad]] needed a depot between the settled towns of Raleigh and Hillsborough. The residents of what is now downtown Durham thought their businesses catering to livestock drivers had a better future than "a new-fangled nonsense like a railroad" and refused to sell or lease land for a depot.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Durham |url=https://durhamnc.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/4097 |access-date=24 January 2017 |publisher=City of Durham |format=PDF}}</ref> In 1849, a North Carolina Railroad depot was established on a four-acre tract of land donated by [[Bartlett S. Durham|Dr. Bartlett S. Durham]]; the station was named after him in recognition of his gift.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Welcome to The City of Durham |url=https://durhamnc.gov/1457/Welcome-to-The-City-of-Durham |access-date=2020-07-30 |publisher=City of Durham}}</ref> A [[U.S. Post Office|U.S. post office]] was established there on April 26, 1853, now recognized as the city's official birthday.<ref name=":0"/>

Durham Station, as it was known for its first 20 years, was a depot for the occasional passenger or express package until early April 1865, when the Federal Army commanded by Major General [[William T. Sherman]] occupied the nearby state capital of Raleigh during the American Civil War. The last formidable Confederate Army in the South, commanded by General [[Joseph E. Johnston]], was headquartered in [[Greensboro]] {{convert|50|mi|km}} to the west. After the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia by Gen. [[Robert E. Lee]] at [[Appomattox, Virginia]] on April 9, 1865, Gen. Johnston sought surrender terms, which were negotiated on April 17, 18 and 26 at [[Bennett Place]], the small farm of James and Nancy Bennett, located halfway between the army's lines about {{convert|3|mi|km}} west of Durham Station.

As both armies passed through Durham, Hillsborough, and surrounding Piedmont communities, they enjoyed the mild flavor of the area's [[Virginia tobacco|Brightleaf tobacco]], which was considered more pleasant to smoke or chew than was available back home after the war. Some began sending letters to Durham to get more.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yeargin |first=W.W. |year=2006 |title=Tobacco– Part 3: The Rise of 'Big Tobacco' |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/tobacco-part-3-rise-big-tobacco |access-date=2018-01-25 |website=NCpedia |publisher=NC Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources – State Library of NC – NC Government & Heritage Library |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Reconstruction and the rise of Durham tobacco===
[[File:First Duke tobacco factory and surrounding buildings 1883.jpg|thumb|left|Early view of first [[Washington Duke|Duke]] tobacco factory and family home, Durham, 1883]]
The community of Durham Station grew slowly before the Civil War, but expanded rapidly following the war. Much of this growth attributed to the establishment of a thriving [[tobacco]] industry. Veterans returned home after the war with an interest in acquiring more of the tobacco they had sampled in North Carolina. Numerous orders were mailed to John Ruffin Green's tobacco company requesting more of the Durham tobacco. W.T. Blackwell partnered with Green and renamed the company as the "[[Bull Durham Tobacco Factory]]".<ref name=":0"/> The name "Bull Durham" is said to have been taken from the bull on the British [[Colman's]] Mustard, which Mr. Blackwell mistakenly believed was manufactured in [[Durham, England|Durham]], England.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Richardson |first=Lynn |title=The Bull City: Overview of Durham History |url=https://www.museumofdurhamhistory.org/learn/overview-of-durham-history/ |access-date=2020-07-30 |publisher=Museum of Durham History |language=en-US}}</ref> Mustard known as Durham Mustard was originally produced in [[Durham, England|Durham]], England, by Mrs Clements and later by Ainsley during the eighteenth century. However, production of the original Durham Mustard has now been passed into the hands of [[Colman's]] of [[Norwich]], England.
[[File:WhiteDoorColoredDoor.jpg|thumb|Separate "white" and "colored" entrances to a cafe in Durham, North Carolina, 1940]]

===Incorporation===
As Durham Station's population rapidly increased, the station became a town and was incorporated by act of the [[North Carolina General Assembly]], on April 10, 1869. It was named for the man who provided the land on which the station was built, Dr. Bartlett Durham. At the time of its incorporation by the General Assembly, Durham was located in Orange County. The increase in business activity, land transfers etc., made the day long trip back and forth to the county seat in Hillsborough untenable, so twelve years later, on April 17, 1881, a bill for the establishment of [[Durham County, North Carolina|Durham County]] was ratified by the General Assembly, having been introduced by Caleb B.Green, creating Durham County from the eastern portion of Orange County and the western portion of [[Wake County, North Carolina|Wake County]]. In 1911, parts of [[Cedar Fork Township, Wake County, North Carolina|Cedar Fork Township]] of [[Wake County, North Carolina|Wake County]] was transferred to Durham County and became [[Carr Township, Durham County, North Carolina|Carr Township]].<ref name="1923hill_dir_durham" />

===Early growth (1900–1970)===
[[File:SKYL024 Old Bull Building ATC DiscoverDurham.jpg|thumb|Overlooking the newly renovated [[American Tobacco|American Tobacco Campus]]|left]]
The rapid growth and prosperity of the Bull Durham Tobacco Company, and [[Washington Duke]]'s W. Duke & Sons Tobacco Company, resulted in the rapid growth of the city of Durham. Throughout the [[Gilded Age]] and into the early twentieth century, Durham industrialists, including [[George Washington Watts]], [[John Sprunt Hill]], and [[Julian S. Carr]], built large mansions such as [[Somerset Villa]], [[Harwood Hall]], the [[John Sprunt Hill House]], and [[Greystone (Durham, North Carolina)|Greystone Manor]]. Washington Duke was a good businessman, but his sons were brilliant and established what amounted to a monopoly of the smoking and chewing tobacco business in the United States by 1900. In the early 1910s, the Federal Government forced a breakup of the Duke's business under the antitrust laws. The Dukes retained what became known as [[American Tobacco]], a major corporation in its own right, with manufacturing based in Durham. American Tobacco's ubiquitous advertisements on radio shows beginning in the 1930s and television shows up to 1970 was the nation's image of Durham until Duke University supplanted it in the late 20th century.

[[File:Durham Main Street.JPG|thumb|Looking west along Parrish Street, home of what was then known as Black Wall Street]]
Prevented from further investment in the tobacco industry, the Dukes turned to the then new industry of electric power generation, which they had been investing in since the early 1890s. [[Duke Power]] (now Duke Energy) brought in electricity from hydroelectric dams in the western mountains of North Carolina through the newly invented technology of high voltage power lines. At this time (1910–1920), the few towns and cities in North Carolina that had electricity depended on local "powerhouses". These were large, noisy, and smoky coal-fired plants located next to the railroad tracks. Duke Power quickly took over the electricity franchises in these towns and then electrified all the other towns of central and western North Carolina, making even more money than they ever made from tobacco.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Company: Our History |url=https://www.duke-energy.com/our-company/about-us/our-history |access-date=2022-11-06 |publisher=Duke Energy |language=en-US}}</ref> Duke Power also had a significant business in local franchises for public transit (buses and trolleys) before local government took over this responsibility in the mid- to late 20th century. Duke Power ran Durham's public bus system (now [[GoDurham]]) until 1991.

The success of the tobacco industry in the late 19th and early 20th century encouraged the then-growing textile industry to locate just outside Durham. The early electrification of Durham was also a large incentive. Drawing a labor force from the economic demise of single-family farms in the region at the time, these textile mills doubled the population of Durham. These areas were known as East Durham and West Durham until they were eventually annexed by the City of Durham.

Much of the early city [[architecture]], both commercial and residential, dates from the period of 1890–1930. Durham recorded its worst fire in history on March 23, 1914. The multimillion-dollar blaze destroyed a large portion of the downtown business district. The fire department's water source failed during the blaze, prompting voters to establish a city-owned water system in place of the private systems that had served the city since 1887.<ref>{{cite web |title=This day in 1914 |url=https://www.facebook.com/museumofdurhamhistory/photos/a.286366331389809.90199.144344455591998/835801223112981/?type=1&theater |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/144344455591998/835801223112981 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |access-date=March 23, 2014 |website=Facebook |publisher=Museum of Durham History}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Durham quickly developed a black community, the center of which was an area known as ''[[Hayti, Durham, North Carolina|Hayti]]'', (pronounced HAY-tie), just south of the center of town, where some of the most prominent and successful black-owned businesses in the country during the early 20th century were established. These businesses — the best known of which are [[North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company]] and [[Mechanics and Farmers Bank (Durham, North Carolina)|Mechanics & Farmers Bank]] — were centered on Parrish St., which would come to be known as "Black Wall Street".<ref>{{cite web |last=Cain |first=Brooke |last2=Quillin |first2=Martha |date=February 2021 |title=10 NC Black history lessons you likely weren't taught in school (but should have been) |url=https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article249151195.html |access-date=February 27, 2021 |website=Raleigh News & Observer |language=en}}</ref> In 1910, [[James E. Shepard|Dr. James E. Shepard]] founded [[North Carolina Central University]], the nation's first publicly supported liberal arts college for African-Americans.

In 1924, [[James Buchanan Duke]] established a philanthropic foundation in honor of his father [[Washington Duke]] to support Trinity College in Durham. The college changed its name to [[Duke University]] and built a large campus and hospital a mile west of Trinity College (the original site of Trinity College is now known as the [[Duke University East Campus|Duke East Campus]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Shane |date=March 7, 2016 |title=Duke University |url=https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/duke-university/ |access-date=March 3, 2020 |website=North Carolina History Project |publisher=[[John Locke Foundation]]}}</ref>

Durham's manufacturing fortunes declined during the mid-20th century. [[Textile]] mills began to close during the 1930s. Competition from other tobacco companies (as well as a decrease in smoking after the 1960s) reduced revenues from Durham's tobacco industry.

[[File:Durham aerial view, Chanticleer 1952 page 376.jpg|thumb|right|Downtown Durham, 1942 or earlier]]

In a far-sighted move in the late 1950s, Duke University, along with the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University in Raleigh, persuaded the North Carolina Legislature to purchase a large tract of sparsely settled land in southern Durham County and create the nation's first "science park" for industry. Cheap land and a steady supply of trained workers from the local universities made the [[Research Triangle Park]] an enormous success which, along with the expansion resulting from the clinical and scientific advances of Duke Medical Center and Duke University, more than made up for the decline of Durham's tobacco and textile industries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Emerson |first=Rob |title=Golden Belt: Our History |url=https://www.goldenbeltarts.com/community/our-history/ |access-date=2022-11-06 |publisher=Golden Belt Arts}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Wiley J. |date=2006 |title=Research Triangle Park |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/research-triangle-park |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=NCpedia}}</ref>

===Civil rights movement===
As a result of its substantial African-American community, including many activists, a prominent [[civil rights movement]] developed in Durham. Multiple sit-ins were held, and [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], visited the city during the struggle for equal rights. The Durham Committee on Negro Affairs, organized in 1935 by C.C. Spaulding, Louis Austin, Conrad Pearson, and [[James E. Shepard]], has been cited nationally for its role in fighting for black voting rights. The committee also has used its voting strength to pursue social and economic rights for African-Americans and other ethnic groups. In 1957, [[Douglas E. Moore]], minister of Durham's [[Greater Bethlehem Temple Apostolic Faith Church|Asbury Temple Methodist Church]], along with other religious and community leaders, pioneered sit-ins throughout North Carolina to protest discrimination at lunch counters that served only whites.

Widely credited as the [[Royal Ice Cream sit-in|first sit-in of the civil rights movement in North Carolina]], on June 23, 1957, Moore and six others assembled at the church to plan the protest. The young African Americans moved over to the [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]] [[Royal Ice Cream|Royal Ice Cream Parlor]] and took up whites-only booths. When they refused to budge, the manager called the police who charged them with trespassing. Unlike the [[Greensboro Four]], three years later, the Royal Seven were arrested and ultimately found guilty of trespassing.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gregg |first=R. |date=January 19, 2008 |title=NC Finally Recognizes Pre-Woolworth Sit-Ins In 1956 |url=http://www.greensboro3.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=1495&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=2762&hn=greensboro3&he=.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202064022/http://greensboro3.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=1495&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=2762&hn=greensboro3&he=.com |archive-date=February 2, 2009 |work=The Greensboro Telegram |df=mdy}}</ref><ref name="sciblog_Royal">{{cite web|url=http://scienceblogs.com/terrasig/2009/11/dedication_of_1957_royal_ice_c.php |title=Dedication of the 1957 Royal Ice Cream sit-in historical marker |date=November 29, 2009 |publisher=Terra Sigillata |access-date=May 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816045824/http://scienceblogs.com/terrasig/2009/11/dedication_of_1957_royal_ice_c.php |archive-date=August 16, 2010 |df=mdy }}</ref><ref name="hwymkrg123">{{cite web|url=http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?ct=ddl&sp=search&k=Markers&sv=G-123%20-%20ROYAL%20ICE%20CREAM%20SIT-IN |title=G-123 Royal Ice Cream Sit-In |publisher=North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program |access-date=May 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818183910/http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?ct=ddl&sp=search&k=Markers&sv=G-123%20-%20ROYAL%20ICE%20CREAM%20SIT-IN |archive-date=August 18, 2010 |df=mdy }}</ref>

The six-month-long sit-in at a [[F. W. Woolworth Company|Woolworth]]'s counter in [[Greensboro sit-ins|Greensboro, North Carolina]], captured the nation's attention. Within a week, students from North Carolina College at Durham and Duke University staged a sit-in in Durham. About a week later, Martin Luther King Jr. met Moore in Durham, where King coined his famous rallying cry "Fill up the jails," during a speech at [[White Rock Baptist Church]]. Advocating non-violent confrontation with segregation laws for the first time, King said, "Let us not fear going to jail. If the officials threaten to arrest us for standing up for our rights, we must answer by saying that we are willing and prepared to fill up the jails of the South."

This community was not enough to prevent the demolition of portions of the Hayti district for the construction of the Durham Freeway during the late 1960s.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ehrsam|first1=Frederick|title=The downfall of Durham's historic Hayti: Propagated or preempted by urban renewal?|url=https://sites.duke.edu/djepapers/files/2016/10/Ehrsam-Fred_DJE.pdf}}</ref> The freeway construction resulted in losses to other historic neighborhoods, including [[Morehead Hill Historic District|Morehead Hill]], West End, and [[West Durham Historic District|West Durham]]. Combined with large-scale demolition using Urban Renewal funds, Durham suffered significant losses to its historic architectural base.

===1970s–present===
[[File:STRT092 Chesterfield Building DiscoverDurham.jpg|thumb|The renovations of former tobacco buildings are central to the revitalization efforts in downtown Durham]]
In 1970, the Census Bureau reported city's population as 38.8% black and 60.8% white.<ref>{{cite web|title=Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012 |df=mdy }}</ref> Durham's growth began to rekindle during the 1970s and 1980s, with the construction of multiple housing developments in the southern part of the city, nearest [[Research Triangle Park]], and the beginnings of downtown revitalization. In 1975, the St. Joseph's Historical Foundation at the [[Hayti Heritage Center]] was incorporated to "preserve the heritage of the old Hayti community, and to promote the understanding of and appreciation for the African American experience and African Americans' contributions to world culture."<ref name=SJHF>{{cite web|url=http://www.hayti.org/sjhf/index.php |title=Welcome to St. Joseph's Historic Foundation at Hayti Heritage Center |access-date=September 16, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060904030558/http://www.hayti.org/sjhf/index.php |archive-date=September 4, 2006 }}</ref>

In 1987, the American Tobacco Factory in Durham closed, leading to an economic downturn and a decline in the city's reputation.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.ncpedia.org/anchor/economic-change-and-traditional-industries| title = Economic Change: From Traditional Industries to the 21st Century Economy| last = Medlin| first = Eric| date = 2020| website = Anchor| publisher = North Carolina Government & Heritage Library| access-date = September 24, 2023}}</ref> A new downtown baseball stadium was constructed for the [[Durham Bulls]] in 1994. The [[Durham Performing Arts Center]] now ranks in the top ten in theater ticket sales in the US according to Pollstar magazine. Many famous people have performed there including [[B.B. King]] and [[Willie Nelson]]. After the departure of the tobacco industry, large-scale renovations of the historic factories into offices, condominiums, and restaurants began to reshape downtown.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 21, 2010 |title=Durham |url=http://www.ourstate.com/articles/durham |url-status=dead |access-date=April 13, 2016 |website=Our State |archive-date=December 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211141353/http://www.ourstate.com/articles/durham/ }}</ref> While these efforts continue, the large majority of Durham's residential and retail growth since 1990 has been along the I-40 corridor in southern Durham County.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lavigne |first=Lora |date=2021-11-23 |title=Officials expect Durham's population to double in the next 25 years |url=https://www.wral.com/officials-expect-durham-s-population-to-double-in-the-next-25-years/19998964/ |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=WRAL News |language=en}}</ref>

Major employers in Durham are Duke University and Duke Medical Center (39,000 employees, 14,000 students), about {{convert|2|mi|km}} west of the original downtown area, and companies in the Research Triangle Park (49,000 employees), about {{convert|10|mi|km}} southeast. These centers are connected by the Durham Freeway ([[North Carolina Highway 147|NC 147]]).

===Downtown revitalization===
[[File:CASD082 Jack Tar DiscoverDurham.jpg|thumb|upright|A restaurant in downtown Durham]]
[[File:SKYL032 Back Porch Skyline DiscoverDurham.jpg|thumb|Downtown Durham]]
[[File:ICON092 University Tower DiscoverDurham.jpg|thumb|upright|[[University Tower (Durham, North Carolina)|University Tower]] is the tallest building in Durham located outside of the downtown area.]]
{{see also|Downtown Durham Historic District}}
In recent years the city of Durham has stepped up revitalization of its downtown and undergone an economic and cultural renaissance of sorts. Partnering with developers from around the world, the city continues to promote the redevelopment of many of its former tobacco districts, projects supplemented by the earlier construction of the [[Durham Performing Arts Center]] and new [[Durham Bulls Athletic Park]].<ref>{{cite web |date=October 7, 2010 |title=Office of Economic and Workforce Development |url=http://durhamnc.gov/ich/cb/oewd/Pages/Home.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513050936/http://durhamnc.gov/ich/cb/oewd/Pages/Home.aspx |archive-date=May 13, 2014 |access-date=May 4, 2014 |publisher=City of Durham |df=mdy}}</ref> The [[American Tobacco Historic District]], adjacent to both the athletic park and performing arts center, is one such project, having successfully lured a number of restaurants, entertainment venues, and office space geared toward hi-tech entrepreneurs, investors, and startups.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us: Welcome to Our Neighborhood |url=https://americantobacco.co/about-our-campus/ |access-date=May 4, 2014 |publisher=American Tobacco Historic District}}</ref> Many other companies have purchased and renovated historic buildings, such as [[Measurement Incorporated]] and [[Capitol Broadcasting Company]].
The American Underground section of the American Tobacco Campus, home to successful small software firms including [[Red Hat]], was selected by [[Google]] to host its launch of the [[Google Glass]] Road show in October 2013.<ref>{{cite web|last=McGee |first=Matt |url=http://glassalmanac.com/google-glass-road-show-starts-october-5th-durham-nc/ |title=The Google Glass Road Show Starts October 5th in Durham, NC |publisher=Glass Almanac |date=September 26, 2013 |access-date=May 4, 2014}}</ref> The district is also slated for expansion featuring 158,000 square feet of offices, retail, residential or hotel space<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.durham-nc.com/about/new_visitor_developments/new_visitor_developments_chart.php |title=New Visitor Developments Chart |publisher=Durham, NC |access-date=May 4, 2014}}</ref> The [[Durham County Justice Center]], a major addition to downtown Durham, was completed in early 2013.

Many of the historic tobacco buildings elsewhere in the city have been converted into loft-style apartment complexes. The downtown corridor along West Main St. has seen significant redevelopment including bars, entertainment venues, art studios,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/travel/36-hours-in-durham-nc.html?pagewanted=all | newspaper=The New York Times | first=Ingrid K. | last=Williams | title=36 Hours in Durham, N.C | date=January 17, 2013}}</ref> and [[co-working]] spaces,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mercurystudiodurham.com/ |title=mercurystudiodurham.com |publisher=mercurystudiodurham.com |access-date=May 4, 2014}}</ref> in addition to shopping and dining in nearby [[Brightleaf Square]], another former tobacco warehouse in the [[Bright Leaf Historic District]]. Other current and future projects include expansion of the open-space surrounding the [[American Tobacco Trail]], new hotels and apartment complexes, a $6.35-million facelift of Durham City Hall, and ongoing redevelopment of the Duke University Central Campus.

In 2013, [[21c Museum Hotels]] announced plans to fully renovate the [[Hill Building]]. The renovations added a contemporary art museum and upscale restaurant to the historic building. Additionally, a boutique hotel was built in this major renovation effort in downtown Durham. [[Skanska]] is responsible for managing this project.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/blog/news/21c-begins-renovation-and-restoration-of-downtown-durhams-historic-hill-building/ |title=Downtown Durham NC &#124; Opening 2015 |publisher=21c Museum Hotels |date=June 28, 2013 |access-date=May 4, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310061435/http://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/blog/news/21c-begins-renovation-and-restoration-of-downtown-durhams-historic-hill-building/ | archive-date= March 10, 2014 |url-status=dead|author-link=21c Museum Hotels }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/durham/ | title=Hill Building: Museum, Boutique Hotel & Restaurant in Durham, NC | publisher=21c Museum Hotels | access-date=February 11, 2019}}</ref>

In 2014, it was announced that downtown Durham would be the site of a brand new 27 story high building, tentatively named "City Center Tower," but now called "[[One City Center (Durham)|One City Center]]".<ref>{{Cite web  |date=2021-10-29 |title=Big-city amenities, big-city prices come with new residential tower in Durham |url=https://www.wral.com/big-city-amenities-big-city-prices-come-with-new-residential-tower-in-durham/19951187/ |access-date=2023-08-10 |website=WRAL News |language=en}}</ref> Along with other new buildings in downtown Durham, it was under construction in 2018.<ref name="One City Center+">{{cite web | url=https://www.heraldsun.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article214635105.html | title=One City Center and other new buildings in downtown Durham | newspaper=[[Durham Herald Sun]] | date=July 24, 2018 | access-date=February 11, 2019 | author=Vaughan, Dawn Baumgartner }}</ref> It was built on the corner of Main St. and Corcoran St. Upon its completion, it was the tallest building in downtown Durham and the 4th largest building in the Triangle. Originally scheduled for a 2016 opening, the building opening was delayed to May 2018.<ref>{{cite web|title = Construction set to begin on downtown Durham tower|url = http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/durham-news/article57052953.html|website = newsobserver|access-date = February 3, 2016}}</ref> The building was an $80 million project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/real-estate/2015/01/new-buildings-durham-raleigh-nc-2015.html |title=Durham, Raleigh ready for new 26- and 23-story buildings |website=The Business Journals |access-date=April 13, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.onecitycenter.com/retail#overview | title=Retail Space Available ― Downtown Durham NC — ONE CITY CENTER | publisher=One City Center | access-date=February 11, 2019 | archive-date=February 12, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212012108/https://www.onecitycenter.com/retail#overview | url-status=dead }}</ref>

In October 2014, a major new development, the Durham Innovation District, was announced. The development will span 15 acres and comprise over 1.7 million square feet of office, residential, and retail space.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article10079894.html |title='Innovation District' coming to Durham's downtown |website=The News & Observer | access-date=2018-07-07 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="One City Center+"/>

On April 10, 2019, a [[2019 Durham gas explosion|gas explosion]] rocked Kaffeinate, a coffee shop in [[Bright Leaf Historic District]]. The blast destroyed a city block and killed Kong Lee, the owner, as well as injuring 25 others.