Category / New Construction

by Leo Suarez

Charter Square Rising

On Fayetteville St., two cranes loom out of a giant hole in the ground. Construction on the underground deck continues and is beginning to rise up to the street. Concrete has now met up with Wilmington and Fayetteville Streets, which are actually at different elevations on this block. Fayetteville St. is higher then Wilmington. See the side view picture below to get a better idea of it. The south parking deck does not have as much progress as the north so we’ll have to wait and see if Charter Square or more parking deck comes next.


Looking north from Lenoir St.


Heads up Bank of America, that sign will be blocked soon.

by Leo Suarez

Destruction at City Plaza

The 500 block of Fayetteville St. is getting a major renovation. City Plaza is now being constructed and should complete the street’s new makeover. With one corner untouched and left for access to Bank of America, the other three corners have been ripped up and stripped down. Work on the plaza is steady and if all goes according to plan, we could be dropping the acorn here come 2010.

by Leo Suarez

The Great Wall of Raleigh

There are two projects to discuss here. The Wake County parking deck looks very close to being complete. The L office building that will wrap the front of this deck has not started yet, leaving a nice big gray wall. The plan was for ground floor retail with office space above. I did notice something interesting here; the sidewalks are being paved. If there is still work to be done on the outside then why are the sidewalks being laid out?


The future

by Leo Suarez

Powerhouse Plaza Site

Powerhouse Plaza has not been talked about much but the site for this new Glenwood South hotel is now being fenced off. A couple small houses and buildings will be demolished to make way for the hotel, which helps my theory that West St. will become a building corridor and actually contain more density then Glenwood Ave. West St. is important because it is more pedestrian friendly when making trips towards Fayetteville St.


This house will soon be getting a much larger neighbor.

by Leo Suarez

The Tucker Construction Update

The Tucker apartment complex has been moving right along all last year. The end isn’t quite near but if the current pace continues, it may be safe to assume that it will be open this year. More rental units in downtown will help raise the density of the area. Glenwood South is about to get a nice little boost once the place fills up. This is perfect timing for all the law students that want to walk to class once Hillsborough Place opens this fall.

See the construction site before construction started.


Common area with sidewalk access

by Leo Suarez

Construction Updates All Week

An epic walk downtown and lots of pictures means more blog posts are coming. This week will pretty much revolve around the current construction going on in downtown. I went to most of the construction sites this weekend and got some pictures of each project. This could also be a preview of what new stuff we will be watching throughout 2009.

I’ll get things started before the work week with this little update on Fayetteville Street. Progress Energy has replaced their old arcade over the sidewalk with a new one and workers are now putting the finishing touches to it. I’m also curious to know what will go on the ground floor of the building now that the RBC Bank has moved out.

by Leo Suarez

Cleaning up Bloomsbury Estates

The finishing touches to the building are being put up and the area around it is finally coming together. The sidewalk is being poured and the brick parking lot is being laid out. Just from walking around, the set back building reminds me of Park Deveraux, with an area for bushes and trees with a fence lining the sidewalk. I think this is fitting since the building sits on the edge of neighborhoods and there will be little foot traffic.

There is a stone on the corner of Boylan and Hargett that gives a shout out to the old Wake County courthouse. Readers, help me out here, has this stone always been at this location? I have actually never seen it before.

I know this building has been heavily criticized throughout the blogosphere but whatever your opinion is on Bloomsbury Estates, you’ve got to give them credit on the extra attention to detail. Compared to current condo buildings, this one has a little more substance then the others in downtown Raleigh.

New street, Independence Place, goes right in front of the building.