Raleigh photos

[Eastwestrob]

^Oh I am not going to be overly sad to see the "movie set" go, as it is mostly the photograph that makes it look that way.

And I will not be sad to see the CC gone.

[urbanesq]

excellent pics, as usual. thanks for sharing.

I have a front row seat of the construction pit of the new CC form my office window-- always so cool to see it from different angles.

I agree with others that it's a shame about those neat old buildings being razed for new construction. I hope the plan makes room for something similar. Too bad they can't be recycled into the new scheme.

[ZachariahDaMan]

What an awesome picture, thanks for posting it.

[Raleighsfinest]

Raleigh kinda looks like Chapel Hill.

[DigitalSky]

That is an awesome photo! I didn't realize Pepsi-Cola was around in 1909

[Flash]

I ahd posted this a while back last year.

[Raleighsfinest]

If Raleigh built a structure as large as the Wachovia building during that period of time. This would be a major major city right now. The reason why is beacause there was alot of ego competition during that era. Also skycrapers are symbols for a phallace. Crazy, but true.

[bdp]

that is really funny... you would be amazed at all the beautiful buildings that used to be downtown. someone i know has a book detailing most of them, and well, lets just say that being the capital city has some drawbacks... that whole eminent domain rule allowed for the destruction of huge swaths of historic buildings.

[Jones_]

This photo was taken from the still standing 1887 water tower on Morgan Street. It is sad how few of the buildings in this picture are still standing....the Capital (of course) First Baptist Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Post Office, Alexander Buidling, Briggs and Mahler....thats about it. I can understand in cities with confined areas (i.e. waterfront cities) tearing down small stuff and building bigger newer buildings, but Raleigh could have just expanded its grid outward and built newer and bigger buildings on new dirt...our downtown grid would be bigger now, would actually have a historic district that we could market and presumably the streets would have been built with cars in mind (i.e. more room to park...perhaps a "Broad Street" to funnel traffic through the city better) as the grid was expanded into the 20th centurt.....sigh....

[NCMike1981]

...that's one of the drawbacks of alot of people wanting everything on or very near to one street (Fayetteville St)...

[MR-2]

...that's one of the drawbacks of alot of people wanting everything on or very near to one street (Fayetteville St)...

This, above all else, is why we need the Reynolds project to succeed. If it does, it'll pull the skyline west, where the real room for big towers is, allowing Fayetteville to keep more of the historic structures and street retail currently on it.

[Justin6882]

So I just went on a little walk around downtown and took my camera. I started off eating lunch at Pharaos in the Progress 2 building - very good hamburgers and sweet tea btw

Here are some pictures of the block Highwoods and Progress are building the apartments and shops:

I also took some photos of the progress on Fayetteville Street, I noticed its easier to see how big the road will be. The sidewalks are nice and large, but the stone they used for most of it looks just like concrete blocks - not very impressive. Anyway, here they are:

They've also started on the new plaza in front of the courthouse - it looks like a warzone now of course, but I'm glad to see they've started on it. Its construction has reduced the sidewalk to about 4 feet wide right in front of the courthouse:

Here's where the "mystery" tower will hopefully someday go:

Here's a picture of my favorite row of buildings on Fayetteville Street:

And here are a few of the Postal Station that is about to be restored:

And to close, it looks like there has been the first casualty in the Progress 2 building - La Joy coffee either closed, or was bought by someone else. All the windows were covered in paper and little signs in the windows indicated they were changing names...at least it won't stay closed for long!

[DwnTwnRaleighGuy]

So I just went on a little walk around downtown and took my camera. I started off eating lunch at Pharaos in the Progress 2 building - very good hamburgers and sweet tea btw

Here are some pictures of the block Highwoods and Progress are building the apartments and shops:

I also took some photos of the progress on Fayetteville Street, I noticed its easier to see how big the road will be. The sidewalks are nice and large, but the stone they used for most of it looks just like concrete blocks - not very impressive. Anyway, here they are:

They've also started on the new plaza in front of the courthouse - it looks like a warzone now of course, but I'm glad to see they've started on it. Its construction has reduced the sidewalk to about 4 feet wide right in front of the courthouse:

Here's where the "mystery" tower will hopefully someday go:

Here's a picture of my favorite row of buildings on Fayetteville Street:

And here are a few of the Postal Station that is about to be restored:

And to close, it looks like there has been the first casualty in the Progress 2 building - La Joy coffee either closed, or was bought by someone else. All the windows were covered in paper and little signs in the windows indicated they were changing names...at least it won't stay closed for long!

Great pic's, thank you!

[krazeeboi]

Nice pics. I'm really diggin' the wide sidewalks.

[NCMike1981]

I can't wait to drive down Fayetteville St for the 1st time...

[bdp]

nice... thanks for sharing... i took some pics over at Dix today with some freinds... that is until a security guard chased us away. how much of the old convention center is left?

[Justin6882]

^Looks like they've torn off both "sides" to it and have started in on the middle section. They've progressed nicely after a slow start. I'd say it should be completely down by the end of the month.

[paco]

Justin6882- While you were Pharos ad La Joy Coffee did you notice any activity at the corner of Davie and Blount? Palladium Plaza is supposed to be under construction.

There seems to be a lot of excitement about other construction and about the planned Progress and Hillwood apartments. Why is there no apparent interest in the completion of Progress Energy II and construction of Palldium Plaza?

Paco

[Justin6882]

Yeah, they haven't really done much, just tore down a building that was in the way and some of the ticketing area for the parking deck. Nothing structurally has gone up - once it gets going I'll go take some pictures, I live right around the corner.

[orulz]

And to close, it looks like there has been the first casualty in the Progress 2 building - La Joy coffee either closed, or was bought by someone else. All the windows were covered in paper and little signs in the windows indicated they were changing names...at least it won't stay closed for long!

I've always sort of thought that Progress II has a pretty unfriendly streetscape. There's not much to differentiate from one store at ground level to the next. I'm not sure how it would look on a modern building like that, perhaps awnings would help bring it down to a more human scale.

[Justin6882]

Not to mention the signage is not particularly eye-catching, or even large enough to see unless you're right under it.

[Jones_]

I've always sort of thought that Progress II has a pretty unfriendly streetscape. There's not much to differentiate from one store at ground level to the next. I'm not sure how it would look on a modern building like that, perhaps awnings would help bring it down to a more human scale.

So lets leave the old buildings on the Clyde Coopers block so we aren't graced with another skyline friendly, pedestrian unfriendly hulk.

[ncwebguy]

Standing in front of the El Rodeo in City Market, there is no way you'd know what was on the south side of Davie street unless you've been there before.

The easternmost "storefront" appears to be a meeting or waiting room of some sort as well. It is better than the Fayetville and Wilmington fronts of Progress I, but that isn't saying anything. None of these places were open last summer.... I hope they have tables and chairs outside during the warmer months to improve the streetscape, but we'll have to wait and see.

But the same can be said of Coopers. The windows are nice, but if the rest of the north side of Davie had anything on it, Coopers wouldn't stand out. It's like Mecca without the sign.

Palladium Plaza has a fence around it and what appears to be a staging area on the southwest corner of Blount and Cabarrus, but nothing photo worthy yet. I want to take pics of the convention center coming down, but haven't had time and camera with me at the same time. It is so weird that traffic on Fayetville street will be a reality in less than four months!

The west side seems to have been stagnant since the opening of the Dawson on Morgan, but I hope this only a short breather. I haven't gone by the Quorum building yet, other than the Capital Blvd approach.

The pictures are a very good representation of the progress going on all over.

[orulz]

So lets leave the old buildings on the Clyde Coopers block so we aren't graced with another skyline friendly, pedestrian unfriendly hulk.

Yeah, I'm on the fence about this one... I really just don't want to end up with a repeat of "Moore Square Station Syndrome" where a huge, 8-level parking deck in back towering over the old 2-story buildings on the street. That is mucho feo. If they can somehow mask the parking deck, or wrap it in something other than parking (like condos) and then still fit inside the block, then I'm all for it.

Another problem is the old buildings are not of a uniform depth. If the backs of the deeper old buildings could be demolished such that they extend 100 feet back from Wilmington Street, and an alleyway built behind the entire row, that would still leave most of the block for new construction, and it would be a nice, regular, rectangular shape. And, oh yeah- don't forget to fill in the gaps between the old buildings with new construction. Something 8 or 10 stories tall might be nice.

[49er]

coopers is part of what makes downtown raleigh unique. take it away, and you have boring, new, anywhere usa development.

i dont know the specifics of this, but it'd be nice if the building could be incorporated into new development