Durham’s tobacco industry paid for the Hill Building, a 17-story tower completed in 1937 for the Durham Bank & Trust Company. The bank hired Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, the New York firm behind the Empire State Building, and worked with local architect George Watts Carr on the design, giving Durham its tallest building and an Art Deco landmark with green marble walls and silver-leaf ceilings.
Central Carolina Bank took over the building in 1961 and ran it for decades until the mid-2000s, when the bank merged with SunTrust to avoid collapse. The building sat mostly empty for years after developers’ renovation plans stalled. 21c Museum Hotels finally completed the conversion, preserving the old banking hall’s terrazzo floors and vault as the centerpiece of a contemporary art gallery. It’s been a Historic Hotels of America member since 2019.