Rising 150 feet over the American Tobacco Historic District, the refurbished Lucky Strike water tower is probably the second-most recognized structure in downtown Durham. The most recognized, of course, is the former CCB building.

Built in 1874, the tower provided water for the American Tobacco factory below it for more than 100 years before the complex was shuttered.

Although its utilitarian days are long gone, the tower began this week a new role in Durham's rich history. It will become the Bull City's Christmas Tree. Capitol Broadcasting, which has turned the old American Tobacco complex into a major Durham destination spot, covered the tower with hundreds of white lights, just like it has done for the WRAL broadcast towers in Raleigh for the past 46 years.

In the world of architecture, they call this "adaptive reuse," essentially adapting old buildings or structures for new uses while retaining their historic features.

Nothing could be more fitting, taking a longtime symbol of Durham's tobacco past and turning into it what should become another tradition for years to come.

Adaptive reuse at its finest. Now it they could only put an observation deck on that sucker.