American Underground, Durham’s longtime startup co-working hub, has returned to the American Tobacco Campus, moving its main operations into a newly built, roughly 40,000-square-foot headquarters in the campus’ Washington Building. The move pulls AU’s center of gravity back to Blackwell Street while the organization continues to operate about 25,000 square feet across its Main Street locations. Programming at the new ATC site is set to begin this month with a free coworking day and a Juneteenth celebration.
New Headquarters on the Washington Building
AU has consolidated its main operations into a new 40,000-square-foot space and will base its headquarters at 324 Blackwell Street, Suite 900, according to The News & Observer. The paper reports the move followed the expiration of a 10-year Self-Help Credit Union lease on West Main Street that left roughly 52,000 square feet of office space vacant and helped prompt a reshuffle of downtown tenants. AU will keep its Market Street and Kress locations open as members transition to the new ATC space.
What the New Space Includes
The ATC location was built out with open coworking areas, customizable private offices, a “botanical” library, a podcast studio and a lineup of meeting rooms and amenities, according to CBC Real Estate. Little Diversified Architectural Consulting led the design, and Consigli Construction handled the build, the announcement notes.
Why the Move Matters for Downtown
For CBC and AU leaders, the return is intended to reactivate more of the American Tobacco Campus and create paths for smaller companies to “graduate” into other ATC spaces as they grow. Michael Goodmon, executive vice president at Capitol Broadcasting Company, said “coming back feels less like a return and more like an arrival,” and AU leaders point to ATC’s reported occupancy of more than 93% as a sign of momentum in the district. Those details and comments were reported by The News & Observer.
Programming and Grand Opening
WRAL reported that AU held a grand opening event in early June featuring remarks from Michael Goodmon and Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams. The new ATC site is expected to host year-round programming that complements AU’s existing workshops and mentorship opportunities, WRAL notes.
Local Reach and Partners
AU supports more than 275 companies across three downtown locations and will use its ATC home to host events with partners including Google and the Fidelity Center for Advanced Technology, per CBC Real Estate. Leaders say the configuration, a slightly smaller headquarters paired with multiple Main Street outposts, gives AU flexibility to serve founders, remote workers, designers and small businesses across Durham.
Members, partners and visitors can find memberships, event listings and tour information at American Underground. AU says it will continue to run workshops, mentorship sessions and community programming from its new ATC home.
