The Art of Tourism

摘要

Durham, NC's Hill Building, constructed in 1937 for the local Bank & Trust, has been reimagined as a new kind of downtown destination. This time, there aren't any tellers, vaults or ATM machines. Instead, a hybrid art museum and boutique hotel draws tourists to the 17-story Art Deco building designed by Empire State Building architects Shreve, Lamb & Harmon. The 134,000-sq ft gathering place is one of the newest properties from 21c Museum Hotels, a small but growing chain of hotel-museum combos. "A major part of the 21c ethos is urban renewal and the rejuvenation of downtown areas," says Chad Rains, founder and creative director for Illuminationworks, the London-based firm responsible for the lighting design. Rains and fellow Illuminationworks designer Panos Ferentinos created a lighting plan that supports both of 21c Durham's functions-art display and hospitality.