WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. The former R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. headquarters in Winston-Salem, which later inspired the Empire State Building, could be converted into an upscale hotel.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports the cigarette maker is giving a Greensboro developer most of this year to study the feasibility of renovating the 22-story building. The company moved its headquarters to another downtown Winston-Salem building in 2009 after 80 years.
Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels says it's looking at converting the building into a hotel with 120 to 180 rooms plus restaurant, bar and event space.
Chief executive Dennis Quaintance says the hotel could open in about two years. And no, the building doesn’t smell like smoke, he promises, thanks to a ventilation unit installed in the 1950s that drew all the air from outside.
