Gideon Lecraft told me he went to work in The American Tobacco Historic District the very first day the restoration work began.

Gideon talked with me while he was proudly showing me the newly refurbished posts, beams, rafters and ceiling planks in bays 4 and 5 of the Washington Building. He helped return that beautiful wood to its natural state.

Gideon graduated from Durham's Hillside High School in 1961. My first question was, "Did you ever work here at the tobacco factory?"

He replied, "No, but my grandmother did for 38 years. Her name was Patsy Lecraft."

When I inquired about the nature of her work, Gideon told me she worked on the cigarette assembly line all those years.

When I asked if he ever visited the factory site much when it was in operation, he chuckled with this response, "Every week to get my allowance from my grandmother."

Gideon told me that this was at that time one of the busiest places in all of Durham. He said people were on the move everywhere all over the factory campus, forklifts moving materials constantly. He said the place was a beehive of activity and that people gathered for socializing at a store on the south end of the campus.

That "business" is about to return to this historic site. After years of silence, the Fowler Building is now alive with the gentle sounds of air rushing through new heating and cooling ducts. It was quite a shock to walk into Fowler on a cold January day, after having watched for months as new heating and cooling systems were being installed, to the warmth one would expect inside an office facility.

To some degree, it might be hard for the accompanying photograph to impart the magnitude of Gideon's pride in being a part of this restoration ... or his expressed happiness that once again this is going to be one of the busiest places in all of Durham.

But look again into Gideon's eyes. They reveal the pride that his grandmother earned a living here for 38 years and a pride that he is helping this place come back to life.