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The south tower of Charter Square is having a grand opening today. From the press release:
The latest addition to the Raleigh skyline, Charter Square, officially opens this week. Located at the south end of Fayetteville Street, one of the most prominent addresses in Wake County, Charter Square is welcoming its new tenants to the building with an official grand opening celebration.
Eleven stories of stunning Class-A office designed for Platinum LEED certification, Charter Square towers above a sophisticated mix of premier retail, restaurants and metropolitan nightlife in the heart of a downtown district shining with a vibrancy.
There are still some construction fencing and barrels along Wilmington and Lenoir Streets as part of the final cleanup. The Lenoir Street closing notice isn’t on the city’s website anymore so hopefully the street will be open again soon too.
Similar Posts:
- Updated Renderings of Charter Square North | August 24, 2015
- Project Highlight: Charter Square | September 30, 2013
- A History of Charter Square | July 18, 2022
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Looks good!
Also, seems like a 12 story hotel across the street on the left wouldn’t seem out of place at all. I hope the city and planning commission approved that rezoning.
If they weren’t too busy raising my property taxes, implementing parking fees for the decks downtown, and for some reason nixing the bike sharing program for lack of funding.
Me Too Mike! The Planning Commission Meets next
Tuesday on this & the last that I have heard, Steven Schuster , Chairman of the commission said that he will vote against it due to the historic issue. I did e-mail him , asking him to change his mind. By memory , his e-mail is sschuster@clearscapes.com if anyone wants to write him. I hope that I gave you the right e-mail address.
Honestly, I am not trying to be a troll, but the feeling I get when looking at south tower of Charter Square is “underwhelmed”. This building belongs in North Raleigh, not downtown.
where is the rest of the roof they showed in the rendering??!
http://dtraleigh.com/2013/04/rendering-of-the-new-charter-square-tower-via-twitter/
The city turned down the bike share idea??
I really like the dark green. The height doesn’t really bother me, knowing that big brother next door is supposed to be twice as tall.
That roof thing got nixed a few months ago. I think Leo even kept saying it wasn’t done yet and it might still appear. They have updated renderings that show no cool roof. As for the building next door, we don’t actually have anything official about it. I even emailed them twice since last year and got nothing back. It would be great if it’s twice as tall, but I’m not holding my breath.
Still waiting for this: http://dtraleigh.com/images/chartersquare/chartersquarerender1.jpg?22a446
Hill, if we had an endless amount of offers to build 20+ story buildings in DT Raleigh, I would agree with you. You also have to remember that in the end, this building is supposed to be the “little bother” to the taller building beside it. This building could be more, but it’s modern and it adds to the density DT. I did like the original roof but I also remember someone noting that the roof reduction was due to the vision regarding the north tower. Let’s hope that this is a sign that the north tower will come under construction quickly.
Also, the Edison is scheduled to break ground this fall. If we can get the Edison and CSqN going up at the same time(like Skyhouse and CsqS), that would be great for the momentum DT!
Another thing to consider is the fact that this building is going for a LEED Platinum certification. All those “green” features may have influenced the design.
It’s an attractive building and it makes a positive contribution to the skyline. Hopefully plans and renders for the north tower will be released soon, and they’ll get started as quickly as possible on it.
Charter Square South is a decent project and the most we can expect for now. Its success will determine not only the future of its “taller brother”, but also the future of other projects. The design is fine and I appreciate that the developer used LEED certification standards.
The only problem I have is the placement of the building. I truly hate the dramatic transition to that two-story component; I wish there was a Wilmington Street elevation instead. They could have accomplished that by rotating the building 90 degrees (counter)clockwise, thus leaving more room for the base of the taller component, or simply place the two-story in between the two buildings.
Another thing that bothers me – not exclusively specific to Charter Square – is our city’s inability to attract a major hotel developer. Last week I had the opportunity to speak with a person who is in charge of organizing conventions. She told me how disappointed she is with the lack of a single hotel that could offer 400+ rooms just for a single event. In other words, there is not a single hotel in DT Raleigh that could reserve 400+ rooms for one single group of participants. She told me that Raleigh has lost her business just for that reason alone. According to her, there is demand, but we don’t have a hotel large enough.
So, The Edison could have become a perfect location for a hotel of 600+ rooms, and even Charter Square (both towers) could have incorporated that many rooms. Having several smaller hotels will not do for the truly major events. Imagine having a downtown arena, but not enough rooms to accommodate the visiting fans.
Anyway, I am looking forward to the North Tower. I won’t hold my breath for something over 20 floors, but I surely hope the new building rises above most of its neighbors.
I am not sure what all of the positive excitement surrounding this particular building is about. It is a prime example of the uninspired, bottom line developer driven buildings of which Raleigh has an abundance. Buildings such as this contribute nothing to the architectural legacy of the city. They are poorly proportioned, cheaply clad, and self conscious to a fault. Raleigh truly deserves better. This will not happen until the city’s leadership demands that buildings contribute in a positive way to the urban environment not just the tax roles.
Jeffrey, Charter Square is a compromise, in many ways. The developer didn’t have much to work with, as the foundation was already built to accommodate a couple of limited size buildings. For the parcel the developer had to work with, it is the most we could expect. LEED certification, colors outside the norm, plus speculative office space – something no developer wants to consider these days. Not to mention that we finally got Site One “out of the way” and now we can focus on other parcels.
On the other hand, you raised an excellent point and an issue we have been struggling with, as a city, for many years now. Architectural excellence and a strong relationship between a building and its surroundings is not something that has been addressed enough, nor will it be, for as long as the city leaders and planners focus on size and not the overall contribution to our urban fabric. I am not suggesting that they don’t care, but I won’t hold my breath for anything magnificent, any time soon, be that a 15, a 20 or a 40-story building.