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DURHAM -- Plans are in motion for a proposed renovation and addition to a building in the Five Points area downtown that would turn the historic structure into a three-story restaurant space with a rooftop deck.
Scott Harmon, a partner at Center Studio Architecture, said the firm was hired to do design work for the two-story, approximately 100-year-old building at 108 Morris St.
Plans for the building would add a partial third floor that would open onto an exterior deck.
The property is owned by a limited liability company associated with Greenfire Development and is under contract for sale.
The developer is John Fife, president of Wilmington-based Capital Centre Development, which specializes in the development of anchor-based shopping centers. Fife is working with a local Durham restaurant vendor whose name has not been released.
Fife said that on each of the three floors of the building, there will be three difference experiences for the consumer, although he said the project involves one local vendor.
"When the time's right, we're more than happy to make that public announcement," Fife said. "All the I's aren't dotted and the T's aren't crossed. We want to make the announcement when it's the right time."
The plans for the building are still in the approval process, Harmon said.
Lisa Miller, a planner for the Durham City-County Planning Department, said an application was submitted to the Historic Preservation Commission for a certificate of appropriateness for renovations to the existing historic structure, which is in the Downtown Durham Local Historic District, as well as for the new construction to create the third floor space and roof deck.
The application is slated to go before the commission on April 5, Miller said.
She also said a certificate of appropriateness has already been approved for changes to the Morris Street streetscape, allowing for a portion of the street to be converted to two-way traffic and addition of amenities such as brick paving, seeding, and trees.
"This is an historic tax credit project, so preservation and renovation of the existing building is key," Harmon said of the project in an e-mail. "We're opening up and restoring many of the original windows in the façade that have been covered over."
Harmon said the building's original use was as a funeral parlor, and then it was converted into a bowling alley. It later housed a Penny's Furniture Co. store, he said, and also existed for several years as a nightclub.
He said the approximately 15,000-square-foot building renovation and addition project includes plans for a main kitchen on the ground floor, with small, supplementary kitchen spaces on the other two floors, with a restaurant occupying the entire building.
The addition will be designed to meet federal and state historic requirements, he said, so the developer will be eligible for the tax credits requiring approval from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
He said that the developer is scheduled to close on the property in June and that there is an eight- to 12-month construction schedule for the project.
The proposed deck addition, once completed, would allow patrons to view the Durham Arts Council as well as the Five Points area, Harmon said.
"Part of the aesthetic of an urban landscape is experiencing views of the city above street level, getting on top of these buildings and getting different views," Harmon said. "And also, with the mild climate that we have here, dedicated outdoor dining space is really critical to the success of many restaurants."
Fife, a graduate of Duke University, said he had a connection to the future restaurant tenant from his development work. He said the vendor approached him about working in Durham.
"Back when I was in school, the city didn't have the vibrancy as it does now, so I was intrigued with the possibilities," he said.
Harmon said that historically, the Five Points area has been at the center of downtown Durham activity. He said he expects continued growth in the area.
"The number of restaurants at Five Points is getting ready to double in the next year to a year and half, and I think at that point, the city center will probably eclipse Brightleaf as the real retail center of downtown," Harmon said.
