This weekend we should begin to see RBC Plaza reach its final null before the spire is attached. One of the four pieces of the decorative crown were moved to the middle of Martin Street in preparation for placement at around the 446 foot mark. Here are a few quick snapshots:
Each piece kind of resembles the space ship in the Atari game asteroids.
RBC Plaza Crown Section
Head-on (apply directly to the…)
I bet the view from that staircase is pretty nice.
Tower Crane
The flag was added sometime Friday.
April 26th, 2008 at 1:44 am (#)
Wow what a crowning achievement for raleigh.
April 26th, 2008 at 9:05 am (#)
What flag are you referring to in the last photo caption?
April 26th, 2008 at 10:37 am (#)
The American Flag on top.
April 26th, 2008 at 1:43 pm (#)
Great pictures! Matt, at which time on April 25 were you taking these pictures? I was on Fayetteville St. at about 4:30pm on April 25
April 26th, 2008 at 2:31 pm (#)
I LOVE THIS WEBSITE!!!
April 26th, 2008 at 10:27 pm (#)
So, Beau has become an urban dog, from what I can see in the first photo 🙂 Great images, as always, and the last photo shows amazing clarity!!!
April 28th, 2008 at 7:21 pm (#)
its sad to me that a low 30 something story building is even a conversation piece in a capital city. this building would be another ignored filler piece in most other metros. oh well. i guess it is what it is.
April 28th, 2008 at 8:00 pm (#)
For Raleigh it is not a filler though, but the new tallest building, making it a conversation piece. Not sad, but happy!
April 28th, 2008 at 9:05 pm (#)
I lived in Austin in 2004 when the Frost Bank Tower opened up as that capital city’s tallest building at 515 feet.
RBC Plaza in 2008: 538 feet. Here’s the new wave of skyscrapers that followed in Austin in the next 5 years.
I love Austin, and I think Raleigh has a similar character and potential to follow the footsteps of the capital of Texas. You know what their motto is? Keep Austin weird. I say keep Raleigh weird. And I say Carolina as a whole can and will stack up against a great state like Texas within the next 5-10 years. Drink it in.
April 28th, 2008 at 10:34 pm (#)
There is truth to guest’s post… Too bad we look at 30-story buildings as something special. On the other hand, Rome wasn’t built in one day. Up until recently there was nothing above 30 floors or 500ft+, but today we can be happy about the skyline growing taller and denser. While RBC Plaza may not be the most innovative design, every city the size of Raleigh would be happy to have it.
April 28th, 2008 at 11:31 pm (#)
Brendan I disagree. It is a filler between Wachovia and BB&T. The BB&T building looks taller. RBC’s claim to fame is a Christmas tree like structure that makes it the tallest.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:41 am (#)
Lorenzo, your observation is correct, when we see this tower as space occupied… At this point RBC Plaza is not a filler, but it will be in the future, just like Two Hannover Square and Wachovia Capital Center will be. Personally, I hate the fact that RBC Plaza had to cheat its way to taking the title of the tallest structure, but those who measure buildings count the crowns and the spires as part of the whole deal. Besides Two Hannover Square looks taller ONLY from some angles. Just drive along Wake Forest Rd, near the intersection with I-440 and you will see a completely different.
Of course, The Edison’s two towers will be taller if we count the real height, between ground level and the top of the last floor, but who knows, the developer may opt for a trick similar to Highwoods Properties’, pushing the two towers higher and claiming a new tallest for Raleigh 🙂 Anyway, for the moment RBC Plaza IS the new tallest structure, and like Brendan implied, we are happy for a very good reason. The progress in our city’s skyline is evident.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:56 am (#)
Ernest, you said, “the Edison’s two towers will be taller if we count the real height…,” but I thought that one of the towers would be taller than rbc, but one would be like 15 floors or something like that. What are the plans for the dual buildings again???
April 29th, 2008 at 11:31 am (#)
two towers one being around 410 ft and the other being around 600 ft
April 29th, 2008 at 12:05 pm (#)
A couple of 600 feet towers would be great for Raleigh! I am anxious to see the renderings of the Edison project.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:09 pm (#)
Considering that not that long ago, a building downtown was limited by Raleigh ordinance at about 400 feet depending on teh size of the block, anything taller is better.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:32 pm (#)
brandon, according to the site plan that was submitted to the city, the two towers will be 470ft/34 floors (residential/hotel) and 410ft/24 floors (office). HOWEVER, the developer had scaled up the taller of the two to 38 floors, which translates to roughly 525ft. Keep in mind that the developer will shoot for LEED certification, which means the ceiling to floor height will be higher than usual. Can these two towers be pushed up – or down? Absolutely, but it is very unlikely at this stage. Expect more information on this project by the end of this year. I know, last year it was mentioned that the end of 2007 was going to be the time we should expect more news, but given the way the market went, it is wise not to show all the cards at this point. The completion date is planned for some time in 2012 and the ground-breaking should take place not long after the parking deck – which is a separate project – is finished.
My comment on The Edison towers being taller – at least based on the current site plan – is based on the fact that RBC Plaza’s main structure tops at 401ft. With the addition of the crown and spire, another 137ft will be added to the final height. Just for the record, Two Hannover Square and Wachovia Capital Center are 430ft and 400ft, respectively. Today, I went to take some photos from the Boylan Ave bridge and I can now confirm that RBC Plaza is officially looking taller than the two aforementioned towers 🙂
April 30th, 2008 at 10:31 am (#)
I really hope these two towers are something worth looking at. I’m having a hard time picturing this block as nice with two huge towers and the parking lot that stretches all the way across the block. On top of that, the remaining stores that are there need major facelifts. I just get the feeling on this is the back alley of fayetteville street.
April 30th, 2008 at 1:17 pm (#)
Travis,
I agree. This block has been ruined with that ugly parking deck in the middle of it and those pathetic looking buildings that remain. This block had potential until that deck was built (another prime piece of property wasted).
Problem is, no “Triangle” developers or architects with 21st century vision (starting today, there should be a requirement for all downtown Raleigh future development “use only archictects and developers from NY, Chicago, Seattle).