American Underground opens new Durham coworking space, returning to American Tobacco Campus

American Underground, a hub for startups and entrepreneurs, is celebrating a return to Durham's American Tobacco Campus with a grand opening for its newest coworking space.

The 40,000-square-foot workspace features a botanical library, podcasting studio, coffee bar, coworking spaces and more. It's located at 324 Blackwell St., across from Bay 9 and 10 in ATC’s Washington Building. 

A grand opening celebration will be held Wednesday between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. with remarks by Michael Goodmon, Executive Vice President at Capitol Broadcasting Company, Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams and others.

American Underground was established in the late 2000s by a group of entrepreneurs who were seeking a collaborative space and a modern alternative to traditional commercial leases. 

WRAL News wrote about American Underground's plans to move back to ATC last year. The new space replaces American Underground's HQ space, which was more dispersed, with offices across several floors and only one open coworking and event space that filled up quickly.

Founders told WRAL News they wanted the new spot to be more communal to encourage collaboration and ideas.

American Underground is now a hub for more than 275 companies, including startup and growth-stage companies, independent creatives, remote workers and freelancers.

“Sixteen years ago, we took a bet on Durham’s entrepreneurial spirit, and Durham paid it back tenfold,” said Michael Goodmon, Executive Vice President at Capitol Broadcasting Company. “Coming back to the American Tobacco Campus feels less like a return and more like an arrival. This space is everything we imagined AU could be one day, and then some.”

Regular programming begins June 18 with a free coworking day and Juneteenth celebration. 

American Underground and American Tobacco Campus are both part of CBC Real Estate, a division of Capitol Broadcasting Company.