December 4th / 6th, 2009
"RJR Should Donate Building"
In the late 1920’s, real estate prices took a nose dive, triggering a full
blown depression by October of 1929. Earlier that same year, the Reynolds
building opened in downtown Winston-Salem. At 395 feet in height, it was
the tallest building south of Baltimore, and served as the model for the
Empire State Building. Now, 80 years later, we are in a quasi depression which
was triggered by falling real estate prices, and the company whose name
adorns the Reynolds building has just put it up for sale. The symmetry of it
all is inescapable.
Built of Indiana limestone, the twenty-one story art deco structure was
designed by the architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon, and was
occupied primarily by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco company, whose only product then was
Camel cigarettes. Eventually, some of the space was leased out to a
variety of concerns, ranging from doctors and dentists, to attorneys, insurance
companies, and railroads. And while the marble laden lobby was the focus of
attention for those who entered, it was the exterior lighting that stood
as a beacon to those who passed by, especially during the Christmas holidays
when green and red lights illuminated the top floors. It is a landmark
that we all expected to last forever and to be occupied by its namesake company
until the end of time. Unfortunately, RJR has suffered massive lay-offs in
this decade, and no longer needs the towering space for its employees.
Reynolds Tobacco company paid $2.4 million dollars to construct its
elegant headquarters, and today they are listing it for roughly six times that
amount.
It’s a fair price and no doubt once the economy improves, some well healed
American developer will make RJR a reasonable offer. But it’s also
possible that some Chinese or Saudi businessman might show up with cash in hand
before the ink on the marketing brochure is dry. Either way, there is always
the remote possibility that in the hands of strangers, the Reynolds
building could be significantly altered, gutted, neglected, or even imploded. That’
s why the best way to honor and preserve this iconic structure is for the
community in which it is located to benefit in perpetuity from its proper
preservation.
The first step is for Reynolds Tobacco Company to donate their building to
a charitable trust or other similar funding entity, such as the
Winston-Salem Foundation, with assurances from the City of Winston-Salem that all
property taxes be waived indefinitely so long as the building becomes and
remains home to not for profit agencies exclusively. The Winston-Salem
Foundation, for example, was formed ten years before the Reynolds building opened,
and has as its long standing mission to support non profit organizations.
What better way to do that than to provide a permanent, affordable home for
those same organizations.
Groups like Legal Aid, the Better Business Bureau, the Urban League,
Outreach Alliance for Babies, Cancer Services Inc., the Arts Council, the
Tourism Authority, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and countless others would be invited
to headquarter their offices in the Reynolds building. As such, the
historic structure would convert from a towering symbol of corporate profit, into
one of corporate philanthropy and community service. The main floor could
be developed into a full fledged museum to honor all things Winston-Salem.
Meanwhile the upper floors could be converted to conference and banquet
facilities which the tenants could use for their fund raising events, and
which could also be rented out to private groups.
I realize that Reynolds Tobacco Company has no obligation to donate its
grand old building, nor does it even make good business sense to walk away
from millions of dollars which they would net from its sale. Still these are
extraordinary times, and our community has extraordinary needs.
Fortunately, Reynolds is led by an extraordinary woman in Susan Ivey, who should now
take extraordinary steps to ensure that the Reynolds building can once again
reach new heights. In so doing, Ivey would stand tall too.
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