Adaptive reuse transforms Durham’s 1930 City Garage site. Here’s a first look.
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- Wye Junction adds 310 apartments and 26,326 square feet of ground-floor retail.
- Project reuses the 1930 polygonal garage, adds public art, park and retail.
- Developers opened mixed-use complex in 2026 with amenities, parking and pet services.
Once a fleet maintenance hub, City Garage — and the 1926 fire drill tower next door — is now repurposed as part of a mixed-use complex in Durham’s Warehouse District.
Developed by Ram Realty Advisors and renamed Wye Junction, the project officially opened this week at 701 Washington St. It includes a six-story wrap-style apartment building with ground-floor retail and a second, five-story apartment building, with ground-floor retail on the building’s south side.
A multilevel open-air bridge connects the buildings.
In total, it adds 310 one-, two-, and three-bedroom market-rate apartments and 26,326 square feet of retail space.
A third building offers 19,000 square feet of retail inside the restored City Garage, a one-story polygonal building built in 1930, with arcaded bays and stepped parapets.
“Wye Junction reflects Durham’s past, present and what’s next,” said Chris Birr, senior director of development at Ram. “From adaptive reuse and curated local art to amenities, [it’s] for how people want to live today.”
The 5.2-acre property, also known as City Place, sits just around the corner from the historic Durham Athletic Park.
Amenities include a pool, upper-level sky lounge, fitness center, coworking spaces, 340-space parking garage and pet amenities (including “away-from-home” services with mail, plant and cat care for up to three days, the firm said).
Rents start at around $1,395 per month and go up to $4,875.
A handful of retailers have already opened on site, including Bull City Running Co., Atomic Clock Brewing Co. and Timber Pizza Co.
Wye Junction’s public park is slated to open in the coming months, anchored by a 35-foot reclaimed oil-drum mural and direct access to the future Durham Rail Trail, which is expected to be complete by June 2028.
Additional public art installations are underway, and more retail will be announced in early 2026, Birr said.
A Durham landmark
Decades ago, City Garage helped spark downtown Durham’s resurgence.
In the 1980s, it housed three city government departments — Parks & Recreation, Asset Management and Transportation — with over 100 city vehicles on site, according to Open Durham.
In 1998, developer Todd Zapolski purchased and renovated the property. It later reopened as City Place, a commercial office space.
In 2000, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ram Realty acquired the parcels prior to early 2023 and began site work later that year.
The Florida-based firm is also behind the redevelopment of Chapel Hill’s University Place, a partially enclosed mall that is getting transformed into a mixed-use destination with apartments, shops and restaurants.
No official opening dates have yet been announced.
This story was originally published January 10, 2026 at 9:22 AM.
