The former Larus & Bro. tobacco factory is getting a new lease on life. After standing vacant for over a quarter of a century, this historic brick building is now being converted into luxury apartments and offices. The Richmond, Virginia riverfront, and the once heavily industrialized Shockoe area, is under redevelopment. The old Larus factory, which is located at 21st and Cary streets, along with the former Lucky Strike and Philip Morris factories, will be home to urbanites in a revitalized area of a city that once claimed to be the cigarette capitol of the nation. A cleaned up James River, plus the two old colonial canals that allowed shipping to bypass the beautiful James River Falls, is available for pleasure boating and sightseeing. City fathers hope that The Canal Walk will be used by hikers out for a pleasant stroll, and by those who want to experience the feel of the 1863 "Capitol of the Confederacy." There are also canal barges that will allow tourists to enjoy themselves on waterfront tours of this very historic Southern city.