28-story Durham city center almost complete

The looming 28-story skyscraper in downtown Durham is almost finished. Complete with a roof deck, gym, outdoor dog track, pool and lounge on the top floor, the building is dynamic and entrepreneurial.

Durham has a special place in the Hills' hearts both of the couple’s children went to Duke University. Austin Lawrence Partners sees lots of potential in the city and wants to be a part of the economic growth.

"Durham is one of the most dynamic secondary cities in the U.S.," Jane Hills, developer of Austin Lawrence Partners said.

About 1,600 people are expected to work in the building, and a few hundred will live there. All 30 of its condos are sold, but retail spaces and apartments are still available. The tower will include more than 100 apartments, and only 25 percent have been leased so far.

This skyscraper is all about the views. From the top floor, you can see all the way to Raleigh.

Zach Prager, development analyst at Austin Lawrence Partners, is excited to work with the diverse age group that lives in Durham.

"One of the big trends you’re seeing around the country is a flight to downtown. The two biggest cohorts right now are millennials and baby boomers. Millennials want to live, work and play in downtown" Prager said.

"On the baby boomer side, a lot of those folks are now empty-nesters, and they don’t need their five-bedroom house anymore. We’re seeing a lot of folks who are downsizing."

One way that One City Center brings together the new and the old is through its historical preservation. Austin Lawrence Partners worked with the Historical Preservation Commission of Durham to save many bricks from the building that previously stood on the site. Hills said about 60 percent of the bricks are original.

"It will become a beacon," Hills said. "When people are looking for a landmark downtown and they’re on the highway, [they'll] look for the tall building with all the lights on, and it'll become maybe that landmark downtown."