Poll: What is Your Favorite Piece of Architecture in Raleigh?

JT#2
08/19 12:49 PM

Most underappreciated/neglected…Montfort Hall in Boylan Heights ca. 1858.  It is disgraceful that such a beautiful building is allowed to fall apart and rot.

claudmia
08/19 12:57 PM

I agree with JT#2 that it’s a lovely building. (To the best of my knowledge, someone still lives there!)
Though I have to say, the Heck-Andrews house has to be my favorite. Now if I just had the cash to restore the inside…

CtrlBurn
08/19 01:07 PM

I don’t mean to sound like a dong or nothin’, but I kinda like the RBC tower and the convention center.

RaleighRob
08/19 01:26 PM

The Wake County offices (formerly Durham Insurance) building on Fayetteville Street is one I really like.  1942, I think it was built.  I’m a sucker for art deco.

a. dean/Apex
08/19 01:55 PM

The Memorial Auditorium - I grew up here and went to the NC Symphony, Plays, Musicals, Ballet, Cotillions . . . and now I take my children!

James Jr
08/19 02:03 PM

Baptist Female University (Meredith College) was beautiful.  How do you allow that to be torn down, Raleigh?  Really?

150
08/19 02:03 PM

I like the NC Museum of Natural Sciences.  The kid in me loves to look through the glass and see the pterosaurs gliding.

CardboardBox
08/19 02:04 PM

The Lightner Public Safety building…oh wait, that’s right, Raleigh City Council was too short-sighted and cheap to give downtown Raleigh a decent skyscraper.

Synaesthesiac
08/19 02:10 PM

I have a soft spot for the M&F Bank across from the Times.  The style is not so dissimilar to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water if you’re a few pints deep.  It’s a gem that has a humble, soothing aesthetic.

arthurb3
08/19 02:28 PM

Taton Hall on Oberlin Road. It is a nice estate on about 10 acres of land. I hope it is never torn down and turned in to a McMansionville!

Harry Seaward
08/19 02:28 PM

nc state’s entire campus is the best.  building everything out of bricks creates a sense of uniformity and evokes memories of a simpler time when everything was bland.

emc
08/19 02:31 PM

One of my favorites is the Archdale Building, at the north end of the Bicentennial Mall opposite the NC Legislature Building, another of my favorites in Raleigh.

Also the Water Tower Building at 115 W. Morgan and Waverly Akins Building at the corner of Fayetteville and Davie.

mck595
08/19 03:14 PM

I like the Capehart house since it is so unique with all the use of different elements on the exterior.
Also enjoy driving by Tatton Hall on Oberlin Road, has great presense.  It is one of the last true old estates in the area. 
Dorton Arena also gets a vote for probably being the most recognizable building in Raleigh. Many people who come to the State Fair get a look at Dorton while very few probably venture downtown.
Broughton High School should also make the list (pre trailer park in front yard.)

tc
08/19 03:16 PM

Not sure it’s my favorite example, but I think the Fadum House deserves some mention.  I really like the simplicity and idea of it.  Though, the bedrooms and bathrooms are just big closets.

gd
08/19 03:22 PM

Dorton Arena is the only thing that really stands out IMO so I’ll go with that.

AW
08/19 03:37 PM

My vote for building still standing is Dorton Arena.  For demolished I would have to say the Catalano House.

David Burney
08/19 04:07 PM

I work in my favorite building—105 Brooks Ave. Classic mid-60s, modernist beauty designed by G. Milton Small Sr. Now home to New Kind. Coming to work is a thing of joy when you work in a space of such beauty.

gd
08/19 04:27 PM

David:  Is that the building right behind SECU?

David Burney
08/19 04:32 PM

@gd: Yes, it is.

gd
08/19 05:07 PM

I’ve always been curious about that building.  It seems rather interesting.

ct
08/19 05:36 PM

I don’t know about the best, but whenever I see the Embassy Suites Hotel up the hill from Crabtree I have to control my stomach.

Outside Raleigh, RDU T2 deserves consideration as well as the former Burroughs Wellcome HQ in RTP and DPAC in Durham.

City-Zen
08/19 05:41 PM

Love: The capitol and the pullen building. HATE: moore square, C.A.M, and the new NCMA because they try to make Raleigh look edgy and modern, but Raleigh is way more down to earth that that

smitty
08/19 06:10 PM

I like the Garland Building.  Bastards.

John Morris
08/19 07:15 PM

My vote is for Milton Small’s Office Building on the corner of Hillsborough Street and Brooks Avenue. It’s the best representations of the International Style that I’ve seen: a symmetrical tinted-glass and steel box on stilts.

The entrance to the building is a set of concrete walking stones that lead across a koi pond with fountains.  The entire structure looks futuristic even today, 45 years after it was built. I’ve heard from those who have spent time in the building that it is a pleasure to work in.

It’s almost a miniature version of Capital Bank Plaza on the corner of Fayetteville and Davie Streets. This building (designed by Milton Small) is also known as “The Little Seagram Building”, as it is strikingly similar to the building in NYC designed by Small’s mentor, Mies van der Rohe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seagram_Building

The Milton Small Building and Capital Bank Plaza both beautifully illustrate Raleigh’s legacy as a proving ground for the modern architecture movement.

smurfette
08/19 08:47 PM

I also vote for Montford Hall in Boylan Heights. I live a few houses away from it and it’s sad to see it in such disrepair. It’s on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Come on! Someone still lives there in the back annex portion of the house. I wish there could be some movement to restore the home to its former glory. The Boylan Heights Association is great; however, they don’t have the funds to undertake this project (to my knowledge0.

Raleigh Boy
08/19 08:48 PM

If I had two votes: one goes to yet another modernist masterpiece by G. Milton Small—the (former) Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company building (1962) out Glenwood Ave at Pasquotank Dr.; the other to the English gothic tour de force by Richard Upjohn—Christ Church (1854) on Capitol Square.

Jim
08/20 12:56 AM

The Paschal House

apostle
08/20 11:40 AM

Can’t the squatters living in the back of Montfort Hall be removed by eminent domain?  MH should be a public space for all to enjoy.  Tax value is over $912,000 so don’t start whining about the fate of the poor folks that live there; they bought the place for $38,000!  Take the money and run…PLEASE!  Why should the vermin living there now have all the fun?

roi
08/20 02:28 PM

I like the Capehart House and Dorton Arena.

Daniel
08/20 06:02 PM

512 S Harrington Street beside Colin Fairweather is now an Architecture group and it is my favorite building in all of downtown. They have updated and redesigned it and it is absolutely spectacular. They also have one of the best views of the city, second only to the Boylan Brewpub. I do not know the firm’s name.

I have also always loved the Briggs Hardware building on Fayetteville Street. The bottom floor (City Museum) is my favorite. I love the sound inside.

jz
08/20 08:51 PM

I think the building that Player’s Retreat sits in deserves recognition. I’m not sure of its history.  While unassuming, its doing some unique things, offers outdoor space to the upstairs tenants and is just has an all-around relaxed, unpretentious vibe.  I feel good hanging out there, my most important criteria that I’ve considered before I responded.

I find the new chapel attached to Pullen Baptist Church VERY interesting.

john b
08/22 10:36 PM

I am stunned at some of these weak choices.  Maybe Raleigh has no Great architecture. My fist thought was for Tatton Hall.i have stood at the end of the driveway a few times.

tar
08/23 11:35 AM

The IBM Building at the corner of Hillsborough and St. Marys was designed by former College of Design professor George Matsumoto and is a wonderful example of midcentury modernism. If only all corporate architecture was as thoughtful and inspiring. It is currently being re-imagined as the Junior League of Raleigh’s “Center for Community Leadership”.

WILLNCSU
08/23 01:30 PM

Dorton Arena is hideous.  What is wrong with you people.  The RBC building is the best.  I hate old stuff.  Tear it all down.  The only old things worth keeping are the NCSU bell tower and Carter Finley.  Maybe Reynolds.  Maybe.

WILLNCSU
08/23 01:36 PM

I kindof like the Captrust building too. Main at Peace College is a decent old building.

ct
08/23 01:38 PM

I agree that Dorton hasn’t been maintained or properly modernized over the years, but it was absolutely stunning when built. World-class engineering! See

http://www.arcaro.org/tension/album/dorton.htm

For several years its photo was included in the Architecture article of the Encyclopedia Brittanica, along with the Catalano house. Dorton also contributed to engineering knowledge because the roof was discovered to flex excessively in strong winds.

Jess
08/23 02:05 PM

Heck-Andrews House @ 309 N. Blount St is my favorite house…and the Merrimon-Wynn House is kinda awesome too…except for the big hole in the floor in one of the rooms on the first floor…

smitty
08/23 05:24 PM

Jimmy Hendrix and Zeppelin have both played at Dorton.  http://www.ledzeppelin.com/image/photos-home/memorabilia/ads/raleigh-1970-ad

vrooooom!
08/23 06:08 PM

The Harley-Davidson Dealership on South Saunders—anything with a gigantic V-twin engine beats all, hands down….

Rostel
08/23 08:18 PM

Existing:  Wake county Bldg. (peek in at the lobby..Aaaahh), Court of Appeals, just about everything bordering the capitol, Oddfellows bldg, Wachovia tower, Bloomsbury, Old water tower, Water works, Broughton, NCSU Belltower, Peace college, Heck Andrews, Archdale, Science museum, Solas. Clarion Hotel, Briggs Hardware, Capitol Club Bldg., Monfort Hall, City Apartments, Second Empire

Wish was existing:  Kings business college, Commercial National Bldg., Baptist Womens Univ., Garland Jones, Park Hotel, State Penitentury

Rostel
08/23 08:21 PM

Sorry, didnt read the questions at the top.  I absolutely cannot stand RBC tower.

Celia Fate
08/23 11:12 PM

Dorton Arena is a gorgeous place to photograph Roller Derby.

jz
08/24 11:17 AM

—What pieces of historical architecture do you feel have played pivotal roles in the development of the city as a whole? How have these pieces changed the fabric of our community?
1. NCMA (E.D. Stone building): Con: It moved art away from downtown.  Pro: Laid the groundwork the growth for one of the best state-owned collections and a fabulous potential for a notable art park
2. Cameron Village: Pro: ushered in what can be seen now a a fairly responsible strip mall/mixed use development. Con: started the trend away from the downtown core. Somebody was gonna do it, CV just happened to be the first big example.
3. CAM / Adaptive reuse of the Brogden Wholesale Produce Warehouse: I really hope that this becomes a catalyst for cultural development in the Warehouse District.
4. Pine State Creamery Redevelopment:  As a catalyst for all of the Glenwood South phenomenon.
5. Blount Street Commons: unfortunately stalled and not really architecture per se.  But this redevelopment put some prize historic Blount Street homes back into the private sector and potentially can effect change on the entire northeast corner of downtown.

—Are there structures that you feel help to define the community? How?
1. Capital Building: for obvious reasons as the symbolic center of our state as well as our city.
2. Convention Center: Shimmer Wall, ‘nuff said.
3. Memorial Auditorium/Progress Energy Center: for psychological center in the celebration of all the arts
4. As a space, Fayetteville Street has great potential. Its historic past demonstrates that fact.  The continuity of the street wall, with many examples of finely detailed buildings was a structure in and of itself. The new City Plaza is a debacle, but all that can be corrected if we have the willpower.
5. Pine State/Glenwood South, Cameron Village and North Hills might be considered another type of community definers….we are all American consumers after all.
6. NCSU’s belltower is a classical symbol, but I’m not sure it offers a place of gathering or events. I think that’s very important for something to define a community.
7. Dorton Arena: Lacking a bit of TLC, but definitely the structure that helps to define the fairgrounds, roller derby, hockey,  and a myriad of events.  A building whose form reinforces the gathering and sharing of experience within it.
8. The City Market Building: Its a shame that we have let fall into the hands of private development, who appears to not express deep motivation for finding a use or tenant.
9. Moore Square: With the recent competition, the potential for what this space could be has become readily apparent.

—When you think of Raleigh’s architecture, do you feel there is a defining theme? Is it lacking a theme?
I don’t think there is a strong theme today at all but I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing.  I would posit that per capita, we may have historically a pretty good proportion of quality buildings, perhaps humble, but well-designed. The influences are all over the map and gaining in sophistication along with profile, evidenced by CAM, NCMA’s Addition, the future AIA Headquarters and Lightner Center.  But in comparison to the hoards of structures like the RBC Tower, the downtown Marriott,  Hue, 222 Glenwood or the new Wake Justice Center, they are still perhaps still being overshadowed.  While I hope we will increase the percentage of good buildings in our community, I recognize the interest in the general public is not high…or does not place it as a high priority. 

—Which discipline of architecture best represent the goals of our community? 
Not sure how to answer this question.  Which ‘discipline’?  Meaning Residential or Commercial?  If so, commercial definitely. While residences are important microcosms,  I think our civic or corporate buildings speak directly to how we dwell collectively.

—Is there a building/structure that you absolutely can’t stand? Why?
RBC Tower:  Badly proportioned with a cheap spire that conveys a miserly banker attitude and contributes nothing to the skyline. For all you Modernist haters out there, be careful what you wish for because this is basically a straight International Style building with a cute party hat on top.  But, even worse, it also is a preeminent example of a weak zoning code ordinance that allows for the second and third stories of a building downtown to be occupied by the automobile. I would suggest that the first 3 to 5 stories of any building should be exclusively dedicated to people as there is still a strong connection to the street and vice versa.

Jonathan Parker
08/24 02:17 PM

My list ignores buildings that have been lost over the years.  If those were included, my list would be more expansive.

Classical favorites:

Memorial Auditorium - it’s design will stand the test of time; truly a great complementary anchor to the Capitol on Union Square

The State Capitol Building - the symbolic center of the city/state; appropriately understated design is fitting for our state motto: “to be rather than to seem”

Briggs Hardware Building - it’s the most visually appealing commercial of the historic old core of Fayetteville St

The Masonic Temple Building and the Odd Fellows Building - both are classical reminders of simpler times in Raleigh

Any of the homes in Historic Blount St and Oakwood (many listed above) - my favorite of the near-downtown streetcar suburbs

Modern favorites:

510 Glenwood - Some may disagree, but I think it’s the most attractive and well designed urban, mixed use building built in the city in the last 10 years (not that there’s much competition)

Not in Raleigh, per se, but… RDU Terminal 2 - Modern, forward-thinking, open, inspiring design; presents a great first impression to newcomers and travelers to the region

Cdog
08/25 12:26 PM

I’m so happy that many people have mentioned the Female Baptist College.  I would love the state to build a modern replica on that site to house the Department of Cultural Reources.

blzebub
09/13 12:06 PM

West condos near Glenwood.  A beautiful example of modern architecture.