Tobacco Plant Redeveloped into Apartments in Winston-Salem

By Dees Stribling, Constributing Editor

Winston-Salem, N.C.—Pennrose Properties and C.A. Harrison Cos. are on the verge of completing the redevelopment of Plant 64 in downtown Winston-Salem, a former RJ Reynolds tobacco plant, into apartments. When complete next month, the property will include 243 units and 9,700 square feet of retail space in five buildings.

One of the buildings contains the retail space, while another has been redeveloped into an amenities building, with a community center and other features. The remaining three buildings feature one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Unit amenities include 12-15 foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and in-unit washer and dryers.

The structures date back to 1916. The developers tasked Birmingham, Ala.-based Capstone Building Corp. to do the redevelopment as general contractor, while Commonwealth Architects did the design and Builders Design did the interiors.

Capstone COO Chris Travis tells MHN that it’s been a challenging project for a number of reasons, especially the dual requirement that the redevelopment maintain the historical character of the building, while making it modern space with features renters expect. The structures were largely brick, but also included a wide variety of other materials, “and in the structure that old, you just have to deal with what you encounter,” he says.

Capstone executive vice president Danny Stevens, who has spent most of nine months at the site, is overseeing the work, while Hubert Proctor is the on-site superintendent and Michael Hendrickson was the senior estimator on the job. The renovation efforts are considered an historic adaptive reuse. Not only is the revitalization an historic tax credit for the owner, but also a North Carolina mill credit project.