Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 92

projects

the durham hotel

southern
retro
A former Durham bank
building transforms

By NORA ZELEVANSKY
Photography by SPENCER LOWELL

Longtime friends Daniel Robinson

and Brad Wiese first conceived of turning
the circa-1969 midcentury landmark
Home Savings Bank in their hometown of
Durham, North Carolina into a hotel during
the recession of the late aughts, when they
took control of the building as it hung in
limbo. It seemed like the perfect outlet
for their shared business aspirations and
enthusiasm for the Southern university
town, currently in the middle of a growth
spurt. "We both have deep professional and
personal ties to the community and had
been looking for a project of this scope to
work on together," explains Robinson, a
longtime entrepreneur whose background is
in finance, while Wiese has 17 years of real
estate experience under his belt.
The duo formed development company
the Gentian Group in early 2012, and by late
2013 was searching for designers to realize
their vision for the appropriately named
Durham Hotel-something that was at
once contemporary and historic, globally
aware and locally reflective. Los Angelesbased Commune sold them right away. At
dinner the night before their meeting with
the design studio, Robinson and Wiese
"had been talking about Black Mountain
College," a school and design collaborative
near Asheville, North Carolina that operated
from 1933 to 1957 and was "instrumental
to what happened creatively in the state as
a whole," recalls Robinson. "We show up
for our meeting [with Commune] and front

1

092

January/February 2016 hospitalitydesign.com

1. The Durham Hotel
occupies the former
Home Savings Bank, a
midcentury landmark.
2. The hotel's striking
entry and newsstand is
wrapped in black and
white tile and housed
in a contemporary
addition that plays
off the existing
architecture.



http://www.hospitalitydesign.com

Hospitality Design - January/February 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - January/February 2016

Hospitality Design - January/february 2016
Contents
Online TOC
From the Editor
Behind the Design
People: CitySCENE San Francisco
People: Platinum Circle Awards Gala
Perspectives
Sketchbook
Brand Identity: Hotel RL
5 Questions for Thread Collective
Products
Profile: Patricia Urquiola
Trends: Made in America
Wallcoverings
Casegoods
Window Treatments
Special Feature: Hidden Treasures
Projects
The Durham Hotel
Quirk Hotel
The Buchanan
Shui Mo Xuan Tea House
Ad Index
Back Space
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Intro
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Hospitality Design - January/february 2016
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Cover2
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 1
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 2
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 3
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 4
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 5
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 6
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 7
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 8
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 9
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Contents
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 11
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 12
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 13
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 14
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 15
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 16
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Online TOC
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 18
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 19
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 20
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 21
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 22
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 23
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - From the Editor
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 25
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 26
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 27
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Behind the Design
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 29
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 30
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 31
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 32
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 33
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - People: CitySCENE San Francisco
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 35
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 36
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 37
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 38
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 39
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 40
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 41
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - People: Platinum Circle Awards Gala
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 43
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 44
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 45
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 46
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Perspectives
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 48
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Sketchbook
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 50
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 51
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 52
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Brand Identity: Hotel RL
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 54
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 55
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 5 Questions for Thread Collective
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 57
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 58
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Products
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 60
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Profile: Patricia Urquiola
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 62
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Trends: Made in America
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 64
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 65
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 66
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 67
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 68
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Wallcoverings
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 70
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 71
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 72
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Casegoods
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 74
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 75
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 76
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 77
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 78
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Window Treatments
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 80
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 81
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 82
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Special Feature: Hidden Treasures
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 84
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 85
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 86
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 87
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 88
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 89
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 90
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Projects
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - The Durham Hotel
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 93
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 94
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 95
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Quirk Hotel
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 97
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 98
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 99
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - The Buchanan
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 101
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 102
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 103
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Shui Mo Xuan Tea House
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 105
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 106
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 107
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 108
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 109
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Ad Index
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - 111
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Back Space
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Cover3
Hospitality Design - January/February 2016 - Cover4
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