Durham Skyline

There are cities with iconic skylines - New York, Hong Kong, Chicago. While I love Durham, I cannot say that we have one of those top iconic skylines.

See a picture of Durham's skyline, and all that's likely to stand out is the Lucky Strike water tower and Teasers Mens Club (yikes!). We do have a few taller buildings that have changed the landscape. But for those of you who were around when Durham didn't have a skyline, this bumper sticker is for you.

What are the buildings that make up Durham's skyline now?

One City Center

One City Center is currently the tallest building in downtown Durham (although not the tallest in all of Durham) and is primarily a "luxury" apartment high rise, with store and restaurant spaces on the main floor and a pool on the top.

Lucky Strike Water Tower & Smokestack

For nearly 100 years, Durham was home to the American Tobacco Company and produced a huge percentage of the nation's tobacco products. That ended in 1987, but the Lucky Strike water tower and smokestack remain as reminders of the city's tobacco history. They now rise above the American Tobacco Campus, a beautiful campus for work offices, restaurants, live events, and a Durham YMCA. It's wonderful when it's lit up for Christmas.

Hill Building

The Hill building, built in the mid-1930s, has a long history as a home to banks but is now home to a 21C Museum Hotel. It has a bank vault basement that you can walk through, a small art museum, upscale bar, and modern hotel rooms.

Duke Clinical Research Institute

This brick and blue glass behemoth is the largest "full-service, mission-driven academic clinical research organization," according to the DCRI website. The organization has practicing physicians from Duke University's School of Medicine conducting high impact research studies that benefit healthcare around the world.

University Tower, aka the Pickle Building

While University Tower isn't downtown, many people mistakenly think they're approaching downtown as it comes into view in the windshield. The skyscraper is out of place in south Durham, where it looms over suburban box stores and restaurants. Locals call it the pickle building because it can have a greenish ting. I was lucky enough to have lunch in the top-floor restaurant, which has an astonishingly beautiful view of Durham.

Major the Bull

One of the most iconic visual features of Durham can't be seen as part of its skyline -- the Major the Bull statue. Located at CCB Plaza near the Hill building, Major the Bull serves as a gathering spot for town celebrations, political protests, and a starting point for friends to meet and explore downtown.

We also have a bumper sticker (and magnet version) for those of you who love Durham's current skyline!