Transition: The American Tobacco Factory

This book, by photographer Michael P. Rosenberg, represents both a historic documentary of the site and a work of fine art photography. It shows the transition of a historic site and a photographic artist.

The American Tobacco Factory (ATF) was the home of Blackwell's Bull Durham tobacco, and the site of the first tobacco factory building, the Bull Building, built in 1884.

Subsequently bought by Washington Duke and his sons, it grew to become the home of American Tobacco.

The first mechanized production of cigarettes started here, and the world transitioned from 'rolling your own' to today's packaged cigarettes. The Bull Durham brand was known and in demand around the world; in World War I box cars of tobacco were given priority for shipment to Pershing's troops.

Tobacco production was considered recession proof and many came from around the country to work and produce tobacco.

The ATF was shut down in the mid 1980s, and the buildings left to decay. For six years, with the permission of the developers renovating the site, I had access to the American Tobacco Factory. The power and wealth of the Duke family business is still evident in the craftsmanship of the buildings, the unique brickwork and architectural details, and the pieces of remaining machinery.

• 46 black and white images

• Standard Landscape 10x8 inches (25x20 cm)

• 64 pages