who designed the Chrysler Building in NYC, right?
There is no better parcel in all of Durham on which to build a skyscraper. I said this in 2006 on the ABCD list when the property sold: “Downtown watchers have been waiting for things like this to happen for years, but it looks like the first step has been taken on what will probably be a long but complete journey for the big auto dealerships out of downtown. And I’m not remotely surprised that Elkins is the first to go. This isn’t in any way to disparage the Mr. Elkins or his dealership — they’ve provided jobs, services, and tax value downtown for longer than most anyone here can remember. But with the growth of Durham, the need for downtown to grow in order to serve Durham, rising and values downtown, and the need to move away from land uses which require massive surface parking lots, car dealerships downtown simply don’t make sense anymore in the long run. And the Elkins dealership sits on a prominent keystone property, so this change was going to come sooner or later. And now it’s
