Here’s the view of Charter Square from East Lenoir Street. The glass going up has a nice blue and green, kind of aqua-marine hue to it. The building should be done by this summer.
Similar Posts:
- Pic of the Week | June 17, 2015
- Updated Renderings of Charter Square North | August 24, 2015
- More to Charter Square Than Just a Tower | December 11, 2014
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Is anyone else disappointed that they have changed the design to leave off more than half of the roof structure on this building? Although the Mead Westvaco building in Richmond is very similar, I thought the previous design with the angled top was at least unique for Raleigh.
I was just at Downtown and saw the building. Wonderful Tower, very impressive building, I hope that the Second tower looks the same. Very attractive end of Fayetville Street.
Rick, I am also wondering why they decided to do that. I still think it’s a good-looking building, though.
Can’t wait for the North tower! Hoping that breaks ground in the next few months.
I like the emerald green and I think the roof trim will look pretty good white. Just wondering if the North tower will be the same color, could be a little rich. Still hoping for something at least 25 stories!
I felt like the building looked better in the original rendering. Cool, angled “wave-like” roof above purple-blue glass. The new rendering and actual glass looks like they downgraded for some reason. That being said, I am more anxious to see the rendering and groundbreaking of the North Tower than I am concerned about the South Tower changes. Both the North Tower and the Edison Office building would be great to see something concrete announced (no pun intended).
This looks nothing like the rendering. Did city council know this would be the final look (A BOX), if so, why was this rendering not released?
It is now just a box with absolutely no character (along with Empire, The developer of “The Dawson and developer of “The Hue”, Dominion also (to put it lightly), Sucks).
Once final rendering is approved by city council, developer should NOT be able to change the look of the building, PERIOD. This has happened to many times with downtown Raleigh development.
2006 and 2007 renderings of Charter Square were by far better than this final product (result: OUR city of Raleigh just settling for a bland blue box by another developer with no right to be building in OUR downtown, looks like the crap Charlotte has in their downtown, nothing but glass and NO vision)
Moving forward, City Council SHOULD NOT approve any rendering for the North Tower that looks anything like this building. Dominion needs to finally get their crap together and put up a quality product with character.
Anyone can build a BOX. This group is a joke.
Anybody know what the heck that wing is suppose to be at the top of the building?
Is it suppose to represent something?
Dominion most likely has no clue what they are putting at the top of the building.
I could understand if there is a historical meaning behind it, but it has to represent something!?
Anthony, you need to chill. This is a nice looking building. You only have negative things to say about new development in Raleigh.
So much butt hurt – the building looks clean / modern and is clearly different from the surrounding office buildings so I dont see the issue
@Robert. Are you asking about the design or the purpose? Parapet walls are on rooftops to hide rooftop mechanical systems, etc. sometimes these walls are recessed from the edge of the building and barely noticeable to us on the ground. Sometimes these walls are at the edge of the building and visible as is the case here. Oftentimes, these walls are intentionally decorative to add style or branding to a building as I highly suspect the case is with this building. These rooftop features may end up as crowns or like the little “hat” that sits on the PNC tower. Sometimes they are not covered at all. I suspect that this one may be covered due to the taller buildings nearby that have to look down on the roof of the building from their windows. I suspect that this developer cares more about the neighbors because they are going to be putting up a taller building next door.
THE BUILDING ISN’T DONE YET! The top story is half done. Anthony, relax.
The negativity is so overwhelming in the comments on this blog it’s absolutely ridiculous. The trite, dismissive words “NO VISION” are repeated so often among the comments here that they carry no meaning whatsoever. Leo, I love your blog and your articles are first rate. But isn’t there something you can do to tone this crap on the comments section down?
You should see the stuff I don’t approve. :/
Anyway, I just tweaked a few things so hope to moderate a little more closely now.
While I don’t have a published comment policy, the basic rule is to talk about how plans/ideas could be improved and not why they won’t succeed.
I’ll try and do better about enforcing that but for the most part, you guys are alright.
I think the building looks great,so far. Everyone has a opinion,that’s cool. But it’s going up soon to be followed by a larger version. It’s ok guys relax.
Just imagine if it looked like the B.O.A building next to it. Now that’s ugly. Hopefully both buildings will hide that monster. At least a little.
I am very grateful that Andy Andrews & CBRE are taking the risk of a $60 million tower project without having @ least 50% of prelease office space already signed. I believe that this project will be a great start for attracting new companies to downtown. I sure hope so! Dwight Nipper
Dwight, The economy is finally coming back. If the area’s growth projections come true. I think we will be amazed at what DT looks like in 10 years. Not to mention MT Raleigh. Things are looking good. Triangle unemployment down to 4.5. i think 2015 is going to be a great year!
Adrian – Haha a true statement. Dwight – Agreed! I think the South Tower is gonna look great once it’s finished. Very exiting to see the the glass mostly up. Is the North Tower going to be mostly office or residential? If it’s office space like the South Tower is, I think we’ll be seeing more of those really high ceilings and I imagine it will end up being super tall :)
Raven – I think I heard it would be a mix of residential and office. Dwight (or anybody else), do you know how much space has been leased in the south tower to date? I would imagine we won’t see any movement on the North tower until the South is completely leased. Seems like the last update was 47% full but that was probably 5 or 6 months ago. Thanks!
If it has not changed, North Tower is suppose to be office/residence apts. combination. The agent did not give any % of office or apartments. I have talked to 2 very reliable agents & they did not want to give out what the % of leasing is on the south tower. Dwight Nipper
Does any one else think the closeup Leo took earlier from Fayetteville of the glass beckons that one building that was torn down for the new courthouse? It’s name escapes me. Either way, at least it isn’t a stucco box. Our landmark buildings definitely lack glass.
The roof line on this building has not be completed yet… I would think that they have equipment that needs to be installed on top first! I do like this building and it has a reflective nature. I would have preferred a taller building… but this one looks like an emerald in the midst of rock.
Is it fact that the builder is not going to add the other side of the roof like shown in the rendering(shown on history of charter square) linked to this article? Or are we jumping the gun on assuming this is how the building is going to look? Anybody?
This building is even more impressive in person. The color of the glass really catches the eye. Pictures really don’t fully do it justice.
Bob, what seems to be the newest rendering of the building on the Charter Square website shows only half (or a little less, actually) the roof: http://chartersquare.com/. This makes me think they’ve decided to change it, but we shall see.
I’m thinking this design may even look better, though.
I would like to see how this new roof is formed/slopes on the backside. Suppose I will have to wait until they finish!
Thanks Simon. You’re right. I still has a nice design.
What Simon said. I think I tried to point this out awhile ago. The newest rendering appears on the Charter Square site, as well as the architect’s site, and has replaced the original renderings where the roof is shown. That, along with the fact that the frame of the building’s roof has not changed in a couple months, leads me to believe the roof design was altered. It’s not as good looking, and I agree with Anthony that if a rendering for a building is approved, it shouldn’t just change. Also, the whole project is much less cool than what was planned several years ago. Nevertheless, it’s still great to see something decent being built in that spot. I just am still really hoping the North Tower is tall and interesting. It’s the only project anywhere near actually being built that can really impact our skyline if done correctly.
With the crane still on site, there are still big pieces to lift upwards. ;-)
I had to come to work via Hammond Rd this morning into downtown. I don’t get to see the south side of down town view too often. Charter Sq and sky house definitely add to the sky line from that point of view. It’s nice to see the progress!
I have just receive some good news. A friend of mine was with Andy Andrews yesterday in a meeting. Andy said that The South Tower should be ready in May. He also said that his announcement for The North Tower will not be far away. Dwight Nipper
What a Beautiful Building, Waiting to see the North Tower be Built. Just adds New Life into the Downtown Core.How Tall will be the North Tower be? 20 or 30 stories?
Mark, I have heard between 21 to 24 stories. That was 3 months ago. Dwight Nipper
Excellent news Dwight! Something 350 ft will do!
Really hoping the north is over 300 ft. Raleigh doesn’t have a single building between 300-400 ft.
@Daniel^ – I was just checking that out yesterday! If you google search “Tallest Buildings in Raleigh” there’s a Wikipedia page with all of them there, and it jumps from 276ft (One Progress Plaza) all the way to 400ft (Wells Fargo) – I think the 300ft+ range is what Raleigh needs to be aiming for with any new buildings. The Edison office building should come somewhere close to 300ft, and the North tower should definitely be at LEAST 350ft, if not more. The buildings that go up on the 300block of hillsborough st need to be at least 300 ft as well. I’ve also been saying for years how I’d love to see some beasts go up in the big empty parking lot next to the convention center (the one with that useless one story Enterprise building)- but that spot is begging for 400 footers or taller. If Raleigh ever gets another 500 footer (PNC is 538ft tall), that would be the idea place. The whole surface lot(s) I’m talking about could house at LEAST 3 buildings.
That Enterprise lot is the single biggest opportunity for DT to go big. That’s the place I’m hoping some day will have a signature building (at least 700 ft) to dominate the skyline, something like the RSA Battlehouse tower in Mobile would be my preference. Something that combined a luxury hotel, offices, maybe condos and at least the bottom two floors of retail and restaurants. As far as I’m concerned, they should let that lot sit until something really exciting comes along, it’s better to keep it as it is than to ruin it with something bland.
Steve, I agree. Enterprise lot is primetime. Think it would fit two tall ones. A nice Westin across from the CC would be good and something mixed-use beside it to the north. The firestone lot has some space too, and the higher elevation would add some height.
I keep seeing articles about the lack of hotel rooms downtown and only wonder why the planned Residence Inn, across from the convention center, doesn’t go taller than 9 stories.Missing an opportunity here.
@William- I believe it’s now going to be 10 stories, but still, yes; could be much taller than that, even.
I think part of it is that making one really big hotel is probably too big a risk for developers. Hotels probably take a while to recoup the initial investment. I imagine it’s safer, in the event that the economy goes south and travel plummets again, to build smaller. That’s why I want to see mixed-use buildings. A 30 story hotel probably isn’t to happen in the near future, but a 30 story building with 8 floors of hotel seems pretty feasible. If the market dictates office, rentals, condos, whatever, then build that and add a hotel component. Or even split the costs, have two hotels in one building, maybe a smaller, higher end hotel and a larger, more economical brand. It could even be under the same parent company. I’d be very surprised if developers aren’t already thinking along those lines. I absolutely agree with y’all, though, why not add 10 stories of office to that Residence Inn building?
By the way, I recently ate at the restaurant at the top of the Holiday Inn and it’s worth a trip just for the view.
@Steve^ – YES. If only, if only…
@ Steve
Think Durham!
William,
How was the food?
Hey the food wasn’t bad, I’m still here! But I have been wanting to go up there for years and decided to take the family up there for my birthday dinner. I loved the view, it’s worth going even if you just get a burger.
@Robert
Yes, the City Center tower is a good example. That and the boutique hotel. Honestly, I’d also love to sit in the grandstand at a ballgame and look on Raleigh’s skyline, the way you (used) to be able to at the DPAB.
Blurb that came out of the downtown awards thing last night… developer of Charter Square will announce a 23 story tower soon (office over ground retail)! Taller than the 20 story envisioned a year ago. And more than twice as tall as the South Tower (which is ready May 1 and is around 60% leased)! Will make a HUGE impact on the skyline from almost all angles – but definitely from this one https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B4iKbxXIQAAVaFv.jpg
@mike … if you’re kidding, I swear…. word is bond???
Tweet from @downtownraleigh at 3:43 pm 2/19:
“Second project to be announced – 23 story tower with office space on top and retail on the bottom floor.” – Andy Andrews
Jake/Mike, I just got a call from someone that attended last night’s Downtown Raleigh Alliance Meeting. They said that Andy Andrews did announce on stage that he would soon may a announcement on The North Tower & that Charter Square South would be ready May 1st.Dwight Nipper
And we know this is Charter Square and not Edison office tower? What’s the story with that one, btw…
Only 23 stories but twice as tall. Wow.
215 X 2 = 430!
BB&T 430′
Wells Fargo 400′
This tower is going to be a nice one if it’s anywhere near that height!!
My thanks to all for the update on the Charter Square North Tower project. Please know that I realize that everything is market based. And that I am truly happy to have this project finally moving forward. However, I wish that since this was at one time a City of Raleigh site that there would have been a clause stating that when developed the building should have to be a true mixed use project.(a few condos/apt’s/as well as office and retail/think Durham’s new skyscraper)Just my humble opinion! :-)
To be clear… I added the ‘more than twice as tall’ part, comparing the 23 floors to the 11 floors. #math
@ Mike
“More than twice as tall as the South Tower”?
I am very skeptical about that statement. Can this be confirm/verified anywhere? Please and thank you!
Wow that would be amazing to see Charter Square north at 400+ ft! Hopefully something is confirmed soon but that height would make sense if its going to be office and retail making up those 23 floors.
If it is office space floors like the South Tower, the floor height should be similar. At 23 stories, it is just over double the number of floors. That would mean it would be just over twice as tall. And the height would be around 450 feet, making it the second tallest in Raleigh. Now I think that is wishful thinking. Most likely the floor height won’t be as tall when it is going to have so many floors. But even so, it should still be taller than Skyhouse. At its location, this will be a great addition to the skyline. Still waiting for the official numbers tho…
I just got some more good news. My friend with the city has seen the plans for a 13 story hotel across from “The L Bldg”! It is suppose to be 2 hotels in the same tower. A Hilton Garden & a Homewood Suites.
The plans on the 13 story hotel across from “The L Bldg.” are preliminary plans & could change.
There is a combo Hilton Garden Inn/Homewood Suites about that size being built in Atlanta. Here is the site and a rendering. Hope I did this right!
http://hgimediacenter.com/index.cfm/page/2015
@ William
Thank you for the site/rendering. I really like the top but that bottom part, not so much….IMHO
Wow! What an ugly building!
I’m assuming those bottom levels are a parking deck, but if the City Council approves that design, I’m actually showing up at a meeting to voice my disapproval. This isn’t Atlanta; every new building counts in our little downtown.
That being said, exciting to see some more hotels being planned!
@Dwight… that is good to know… it was finally mentioned in an article today! http://www.wral.com/raleigh-officials-lack-of-hotel-rooms-hurting-downtown-s-chances-for-big-events/14459687/
I am with Jeff on the lower levels… the parking deck should not be obvious! Windows top to bottom! The overall design seems okay… but hopefully we get a more modern version.
@William, I appreciate the post! I found another rendering of the hotel in which the bottom floors show glass. https://wdanielanderson.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/homewood-suites-atlanta.jpgf
Sorry everyone…bad link! This one should work…
https://wdanielanderson.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/hotels-to-be-built-at-both-ends-of-savannahs-river-street/
Sorry everyone…seems to be a bad link! If you use the following in image search you should be able to pull up the alternate rendering. “Recently opened Hilton Garden Inn / Homewood Suites by North Point Hospitality Group who is developing the east River St hotel”
@ Randall
“I am with Jeff on the lower levels… the parking deck should not be obvious! Windows top to bottom! The overall design seems okay… but hopefully we get a more modern version.”
I agree with you and Jeff, I think that it should look more like,(not exactly), the CapTrust building at North Hills. IMHO!
Here is the actual hotel web site.
http://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/georgia/homewood-suites-by-hilton-atlanta-midtown-ga-ATLMIHW/index.html
So if this combo hotel turns out to be the rendering they end up proposing for the site across from the L building, what do you think? At 13 stories, it would help tie in the DT buildings with the proposed high-rises in the warehouse and Hillsborough areas viewing from the money shot, and add some much-needed hotel rooms DT.
seems like the Raleigh site is about half the footprint of that Atlanta hotel.
It would definitely take up that whole southern half of that block.
The new Charter Square South tower really does extend the skyline well…. I just CAN’T WAIT to see how it’s gonna look when the North Tower goes up (should add some height to an already dense area), and when the Edison tower goes up (heightwise, should be somewhere between SkyHouse and PNC – so it will DEFinitely be visible from the money shot). My wishlist is that all remaining surface parking lots are developed, and the bigger the lot, the taller the building. Really want to see something substantial in the skyline between the Wells Fargo bldng and PNC tower – maybe if we had a couple skyscrapers in the HUGE parking lots next to the science/history museum complex (there’s the big one that is used for the museum parking lots right now, but that lot could fit two, maybe even three large sized buildings (25-30 stories, maybe even taller), and they can build parking decks inside the buildings to be used for museum parking; then there’s the big lot that, other than the State Bar building recently added to the corner, is used for absolutely nothing. This lot could house 3-4 smaller buildings ((max 20 stories)), helping taper down the height). Last on my wishlist- the huge lot next to the convention center (where the Enterprise rentals is). This is where Raleigh NEEDS a SKY. SCRAPER. I’m talking a huge, 600-700 foot tall MONSTER that would really put the “sky” in our skyline (PNC tower, at 538ft, is of course our tallest, but it’s not nearly pretty enough to deserve “tallest building in Raleigh” status) on the corner of McDowell and Davie. Level the Enterprise building, and in that spot we could fit another, smaller building (but at least in the 400-500ft range). Then there’s that tiny lot across Gale street that could house a nice sized building (albeit much shorter than the last two monsters). Just IMAGINE how beautiful our skyline would look (and imagine how much further you could see the city from) with these additions. I would say I’d love to see some 300 footers (at least) at the 301 Hillsborough lot the city is mulling over right now, but for some silly reason they are limiting that whole area to 20 stories, so they might be shorter than that. Some skyscrapers would’ve fit in nicely where the stupid Edison Apartments are being built, too….. This is why the “enterprise” lot (next to Convention center) and the “museum” lot(s) in the Capital District NEED to go as tall as they possibly can. THIS IS ESSENTIAL. In 10-15 years, we could have a skyline to rival Charlotte’s. This is assuming Charlotte doesn’t go even taller and taller by then…
@ Jake,Thanks! As bad as I hate to write this, six homeowners has filed a rezoning request for 612-618 West St. to change the rezoning from DX-20 to UR-3. Z-9-15. I really don’t think the city will approve this request but I did want everyone to know about this. Dwight Nipper
Dwight, the existing zoning is R-20 for those plots- not DX-20. And the proposed zoning is NX-3-UL. With this zoning you would see neighborhood mixed use, max 3 floor height, and urban frontage. Very appropriate for that location and basically a formality for the City to approve. Surely, you wouldn’t suggest a 20 story building there??? The height obsession on this blog has gone to a whole ‘nother level. No pun intended :)
Mike, You are so right & I am so wrong! I panicked & sorry for the wrong information! I thought that this was the area where John Kane wants to build the two towers! Dwight Nipper
@Jake, I completely agree with your point. I think in general the downtown segments of Dawson and McDowell hold the biggest potential for Raleigh to grow ‘up’ so to speak. I don’t think it will happen soon, but 10-15 years sounds like a good time frame to at least get cranes in the air. I’d love to see a building with 600 feet of functional height and another 100 or so of decoration (my favorite tower is the Chrysler Building, there are several good ‘copies’ of it that are smaller and more modern that we could replicate). Though that being said, I wouldn’t argue with something really bold either. Making Nash Square a more inviting place to visit would probably go a long way to helping that part of town. It seems empty so much of the time.
Charlotte will doubtlessly have a bigger skyline in 15 years, their ‘uptown’ area is much larger than Raleigh’s downtown and they have fewer established neighborhoods in the immediate vicinity.
I was looking at this article from a year ago about Charter Square. http://m.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/2014/03/could-charter-squares-20-story-sister-tower-be.html?page=all&r=full
It’s been a year, the south tower is almost done, and I thought there was some mention of it at a recent awards dinner. Leo, or anyone else (Dwight),is there anything going on with the north tower? A rendering would great, but just a final height or start date would make me happy.
Jeff, Andy Andrews,CEO of Dominion Realty announced on stage @ a downtown Raleigh meeting in February that a announcement would come soon on The North Tower. The rumor is 23 stories! A friend of mine was @ the meeting. Dwight Nipper
IF the rumor is true- that the North Tower will be 23 stories- and assuming it will be similar in build to the South Tower, we could be looking forward to a 400-450ft building in our growing skyline!!!! FINGERS CROSSED!
It be nice if they would bump it up to 33 stories and team up with a hotel developer. With all the talk recently about Raleigh’s lack of hotel space downtown it’s a no brainer.
I think its pretty sharp whether the swooping roof gets built according to the original drawing or not. I think its siting on the plaza is good too, as it’s properly appreciated from a little distance. Charter Square north should be a great follow up. I am not normally one to be overly concerned about height and towers but some height around the main visitor attractions Duke Center, Amphitheater and Convention Center) has helped the plaza as a whole come together nicely and is a good starting point and first-ish impression for out of town visitors staying in downtown.
A mixed used High rise Tower of at least 30 stories would be nice to see Downtown. Hotel/office Tower that would be a Wonderful Building in the Downtown area.
Chad & Mark: Because of the underground parking deck, there is a limit on weight concerning the north tower & I don’t know how many stories can be built to a safe weight limit. I’m like you guys, the taller ,the better! I sure hope that we hear something this month. Dwight Nipper
I’m sure they have their plans and they probably don’t include any hotel space, but I would really like to see that incorporated more on future projects. I also think a small indoor mall would be a nice addition. I know of one in Georgetown that’s pretty awesome. A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I were downtown so we decided to walk around and it’s truly a miserable place for retail. With a few exceptions, very few, retail doesn’t exist downtown. After a short walk we left because there really wasn’t much to do.
Listening to the news about Charlotte Trashing Raleigh as being a Boring Town. Well,I believe that Raleigh is going to Be one of these Cities that will Surpries a lot of folks As being one of the Best places to live. Sure there are more families here than singles But Raleigh has so much potential as a Vibrant Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. I admit,I was one of those that say that Raleigh is Dull, coming from New York Raleigh is a Sleeper. But A Sleeper now Awakening to such life. We do have many cultures here that make Raleigh Home and it keeps getting better each day. With Every new Development In Downtown and in Other areas of town, Raleigh will only get even better.
So True Mark! Raleigh will be alright! Just got a call from a good friend. His info. is very relivable! Charter Square North announcement will be soon, Edison not far behind, 301 Hillsborough St. will have a nice tower! “I Love It”! Dwight Nipper
“If I could just spell”! Take Care! Dwight
Excellent news Dwight. Things are about to take off!
And I wish people would appreciate Raleigh and Charlotte and stop trying to compare the two. Both are growing like weeds, so sit back and watch and chill out!
I agree with Raleigh not being nearly as dull as an outsider might think. But…..There are a few things that could livin things up quite a bit. For instance, moving a minor league baseball team downtown beside the Performing arts center….making Dorothea more than just a park. A park and also an area of tourist attraction. Namely, an aquarium?? Why is there one everywhere you turn in NC but not in Raleigh? The tourists are already coming to Raleigh for museums and tours of the capital, an Aquarium is a can’t miss IMO. And of course I have a pipe dream of someday moving the College Basketball HOF to Raleigh (although I’m sure this is about the longest shot you can get). This area is the center of the college basketball universe, I feel like this would be a can’t miss and would be perfect in Raleigh. Oh well….
A minor league baseball stadium in Downtown is great,maybe even a ARena football stadium. But I’m just dreaming, but the potential is there for downtown raleigh.
@Daniel- to expand on your ideas- A: regarding Dix Park, I think putting some tourist attractions there would be highly important, something like a GIANT ferris wheel, rock climbing wall, and/or tennis courts/basketball courts would be awesome. However, I don’t think putting an aquarium there would make much sense- that’s something I would LOVE to see IN the city. It’s actually something I’ve wanted here for a long time- I’ve always had the idea that the city should develop the HUUUUGE parking lots next to/used for the History/Science museums (see my long ass post from March 10th above). In these lots, we could fit a couple major towers (with parking decks built in) and a few smaller buildings to extend the “educational” avenue. I’ve always thought a multi-story aquarium & botanical gardens building would be AMAZING here (think the National Aquarium in Baltimore). I realize this is a BIG idea, but I think that’s what Raleigh is really lacking right now- people in government who think BIG, who have VISION. Right now it just seems like the city govt is full of naysayers and negative nancies. @Mark- ehhhh… personally I think a minor league baseball team or (especially) an Arena football team would just be suuuuuuper lame. Wouldn’t really help our case against Charlotte when they’ve got the Panthers… (and the Hornets but HAHA, the hornets). Really, I just don’t think we need any more sports here. If ANYTHING, I think a long term plan to move the Hurricanes closer to downtown would make the most sense, being that it’s an already-established team. Regarding bringing the college teams downtown.. not for nothing, but if it’d be an attempt to bring more tourism, it probably wouldn’t do much- college sports aren’t nearly as popular everywhere else as they are down south (coming from NY, when I moved down here, the obsession with watching what is basically the pro-leagues “tryouts” was/is baffling to me). I do agree that the whole Raleigh vs Charlotte thing is pretty stupid- I’m proud to have Charlotte in our beautiful state! Charlotte has two buildings in the Top 100 Tallest Buildings in the US list (and there are only 17 states included on that list! It puts on on the map!) I do also think that Raleigh is the more interesting city, Charlotte just has a killer skyline. Call me trivial, but I’d really like to see more attention put into improving ours.
Good news as always from you, Dwight! I saw Reliable Jewelry is getting an online store, and they said they are announcing the move to a new location next to their current spot in the next couple months. I assume that will coincide with the Edison Office announcement (and maybe they will move into that empty building next to Fox Liquor Bar).
I’m still very confused with the height of the Edison apartments. TBJ and WRAL have referred to it as 6 stories, a rep for J Davis told me it will be 6 and 7 depending on the ground elevation, the old rendering shows 6 stories, and the newer rendering shows 7 stories. The elevator shafts that have been built seem to show 6 near the parking deck and 7 near the street. Then there’s this rendering of it at night which I’ve never seen. Seems to show 7 except the end near Wilimington St with 6. http://www.fluhrerreed.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Edison_View-from-Davie_lowres_opt.jpg
Yes, in the long run,I think that the hurricane will move closer to downtown in the future, I just think that the city needs more life in Downtown. SO many possibilities for dix
@Jeff – as much as I HATE the height of the Edison apartments, I gotta say- that night rendering you shared looks pretty nice! At the very least, it will add LOTS of retail space along that whole block, which is much welcomed! Regarding the building next to Fox….. I hope that freakin’ Reliable Jewelry doesn’t move there. That space is PERFECT for an art gallery/shop, or a clothing boutique, or a book store, or another record shop, or a vintage shop, or…. anything more interesting than Reliable jewelry hahahahaha. If I had the money….. man!
@Mark…. definitely not anytime soon, though :(
True Jake, But one can dream a little.But all the negative Hype about Charlotte vs Raleigh is Just Silly.Raleigh is starting to have real momentum, Pretty soon we will see some real nice High Rise Buildings in the future. I just think that there is a Mix for everyone, Not just for families But for Singles too.
Oh….as for the Second Building aka Charter Square Tower,Why build it so close to the 11 story one,what about the property across the street from Charter Square North, Wilmington Street side. Very huge property there for a Taller Tower. Just an observation,Guys.
@Mark! I can see your point… it would be great to have a large building on that lot. Especially since a new hotel will be just across the street… this can only add to the attractiveness of that location to a corporate identity.
The only negative things I see in this happening… is
1) The location of the Pope House Museum and
2) The additional costs associated with having to also a build a new parking deck for that building.
Great idea man… as much as I dislike Donald Trump… he does build great looking buildings. I would not mind a bit if he built on that lot! (just dreaming of big money builders)
Mark, the reason is because it is a two-tower project. Always has been planned that way. There’s a big empty gap at the moment. As far as other available spaces, there’s plenty of potential projects someone could dream up for those.
Concerning the Edison Apartments, it looks like the Wilmington Street elevation will be 6 stories (5 residential, 1 retail) and the Blount street elevation will be 7 stories. You can see the grade change in the rendering.
I wonder what the impact of the tragedy at Charter Square will be on the announcement, financing or even the developer of tower two?