While Amanda Smith’s top-floor condo in the Kress Building is a sight to behold – outfitted in a well-curated mix of decor collected over a lifetime of gender equality activism and travel – it’s her rooftop terrace that steals the show. “If you’re looking at the front of the building, where it says Kress, that’s the other side of the [terrace] wall,” Amanda explains. “I put a raised deck in because it really felt like an elevator shaft.” The result is a two-level wraparound patio with a retractable awning on the lower level, abundant potted plants – she makes marmalade from the mini sour oranges in one of them – and an eclectic assortment of furniture and art.
“I used to live out in the country, between Guess and Cole Mill roads,” Amanda says of the homestead she once shared with her late husband, David, a political scientist at Duke. She decided to move downtown in 2008, when she found this perfect vantage point. “I love it here during a storm, because you’re right up amongst all the wind,” she says. “It’s just terrific.” Now a self-proclaimed full-time “politicker,” she often hosts friends for drinks outside before walking nearby for dinner. The terrace stars in her daily routine, too. “I tend to come out here for breakfast,” she says, “and in the evening. This actually makes a nice room at night, so I like to sit out here and read.” DM
DINING AL FRESCO
Each year, from August to September, a handful of Durham Central Park supporters host dinner and donate ticket proceeds to the park. The series, called Meals from the Market, is the park’s biggest fundraiser event. Amanda will welcome guests into her home on September 27 for a meal cooked by Amanda Orser, who formerly worked at Magnolia Grill.
How They Live – Amanda Smith
How They Live – Amanda Smith
How They Live – Amanda Smith
How They Live – Amanda Smith
How They Live – Amanda Smith
How They Live – Amanda Smith
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Ed. Note: This article first appeared in our September 2014 issue.
