Raleigh's Fayetteville Street

[JeffC]

Memorial Auditorium was built after City Auditorium burned but I'd have to look that date up too (1960's I think)

No, I think Mem. Auditorium is older....from a history website I found:

The south end of Fayetteville Street had sat idle for years after the Executive Mansion was moved to a new location at Blount and Jones streets in 1883, and in the late 1920s a project was undertaken to build an auditorium to anchor the south end of the street, opposite the Capitol. Dedicated in honor of fallen veterans of World War I, Memorial Auditorium's marble columns nicely complemented the state capitol five blocks away. At this point, the street was still the center of business in Raleigh, but few people knew that events were about to transpire that would spell the end of Fayetteville Street as the city knew it.

Jones that isn't right is it? I thought the governors never returned to the Executive Mansion after the end of Civil War....was it really hanging around until 1883? And, if so, was it just open space from 1883 to late 1920s??

[Jones_]

No, I think Mem. Auditorium is older....from a history website I found:

Jones that isn't right is it? I thought the governors never returned to the Executive Mansion after the end of Civil War....was it really hanging around until 1883? And, if so, was it just open space from 1883 to late 1920s??

Memorial Auditorium was definitely built from 1931 to 1932 after City Auditorium burned in 1930. I am a little less certain of when the Governors Palace was finally demolished...no governor occupied it after the Civil War, though it is clearly still standing in Dries map of 1872. I know the intervening years the site was occupied by the Centennial graded school, and have verified this existed at least by 1888 on a Sanborn map (possibly built in 1876 and named for the nations centennial). So the Govs Palace was demolished bwtween 1872 and 1888 with Governors living elsewhere from 1865 to 1883.

[ChiefJoJo]

FYI, the City Council will vote to approve the final design and construction contracts on Tuesday, Sept 18th, at ~1:00pm. (I'm guessing discussion won't begin until about 1:20-30 depending on where it falls on the agenda.)

If you support downtown, Fayetteville St, the plaza, etc, I strongly urge that you attend and show your support if possible.

[dand65]

FYI, the City Council will vote to approve the final design and construction contracts on Tuesday, Sept 18th, at ~1:00pm. (I'm guessing discussion won't begin until about 1:20-30 depending on where it falls on the agenda.)

If you support downtown, Fayetteville St, the plaza, etc, I strongly urge that you attend and show your support if possible.

The presenation to the Council has been delayed. No official time set yet. I'll let you know when iIhear something.

[ncwebguy]

Sorry for the short notice, but this was sent from the Raleigh City Museum mailing list to an email account I don't check as often as I should. If I didn't have other plans already, I would be there.

Last year we offered a walking tour of Fayetteville Street and it was a great success. This year we're pleased to offer another historic walking tour -- only better.

This Saturday, October 20th at 2pm, Kris Larson of the Raleigh Urban Design Center is going to be here to give us a preview of the new buildings going up along Fayetteville Street. He'll also tell us about plans for the new City Plaza that will open in 2008 on the south end of Fayetteville Street.

Following his presentation we'll stretch our legs and take a stroll down memory lane, revisiting the more exciting historical spots along "North Carolina's Main Street".

DATE: Saturday, October 20th

TIME: 2pm

WHERE: Raleigh City Museum, Historic Briggs Building, 220 Fayetteville Street.

MORE: For more information call 919-832-3775 or email [email protected]

The presentation should last about 30 minutes and the walking tour will last 45 minutes to an hour.

Please join us for the fun!!

[DPK]

This Saturday, October 20th at 2pm, Kris Larson of the Raleigh Urban Design Center is going to be here to give us a preview of the new buildings going up along Fayetteville Street. He'll also tell us about plans for the new City Plaza that will open in 2008 on the south end of Fayetteville Street.

Anyone else go? I went and really enjoyed it. I think I was the youngest person there though at 23. There were some younger guys and girls, but alot of older folks which I guess shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did. It was a beautiful day for a walking tour at the end.

I was the guy in the NCSU hat with a beard, hehe.

[markusnc]

Anyone else go? I went and really enjoyed it. I think I was the youngest person there though at 23. There were some younger guys and girls, but alot of older folks which I guess shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did. It was a beautiful day for a walking tour at the end.

I was the guy in the NCSU hat with a beard, hehe.

I was there too and thought, "Gee, I feel young here" and I just turned 40. There were a few interesting questions but most of it I'd found already from this site and local blogs. The history tour of Fayetteville Street was pretty good considering the volume of tales and interesting historical tidbits about the Street.

[ncwebguy]

It is a shame the Raleigh City Museum doesn't get the word out about events like this more often. I want to volunteer to do a similar tour every couple of months (maybe as part of First Friday), but I don't know if they'd go for it...

Events like this and Scare on the Square fall through the cracks because they don't have a media sponsor.

Also, welcome to UP Mark!

[NCpride]

Any ideas on when the city plaza will be finished on F. Street? I'm assuming that Site 1 will have to be well underway before the plaza's comletion? I think I'm more impatient for this project than any other, as it will add so much to F. Street!

[Gard]

Any ideas on when the city plaza will be finished on F. Street? I'm assuming that Site 1 will have to be well underway before the plaza's comletion? I think I'm more impatient for this project than any other, as it will add so much to F. Street!

City plaza, as it has been stated in past posts, is supposed to be finished at the same time as the convention center.

[DwnTwnRaleighGuy]

City plaza, as it has been stated in past posts, is supposed to be finished at the same time as the convention center.

They better get started then, they have less than a year before the CC opens!

[ChiefJoJo]

From the city website:

September 2007 - Property owners have not yet signed easement agreement, project re-bid in parts to allow Fayetteville St. Phase 2 (not including the plaza) to remain on schedule for completion in summer '08.

Also, the city executed a contract for $4.7M to do the Fayetteville St Phase II construction work, minus the plaza.

Clearly, the plaza won't be ready for the RCC & hotel opening, but the street will be extended from south of the plaza to Lenoir St with a temporary gap in the middle where the plaza will go eventually... and once the easements are signed the plaza will follow. I think the BofA bldg owners (TSO) have been holding things up, as they own the underground lot beneath the street, and must sign off on any work to take place above.

Hopefully, the plaza at least gets underway before the phase II opens--that would be a major eyesore. At least if it's U/C, people will see it's "coming soon."

[RaleighRob]

^^ Yeah, cuz with a new Convention Center and a new Marriott, we need to complete the street grids ...Fayetteville to Lenoir, a reopened Salisbury, McDowell straighted back up, and Cabarrus fixed from Salisbury to Dawson. Otherwise the traffic there once the first convention starts will be an utter nightmare!

[DwnTwnRaleighGuy]

It's late January and they still haven't started phase 2 of Fayettville Street. I would think that if this project is to open at the same time as the Civic Center,(opening in Sept?), then they better hurry up! Has anyone heard of a specific time line? Or any further updates? I haven't seen anything on the cities website, so I am not sure it is going to get done in time. IMHO!!

[cophead567]

I've been thinking the same thing. The street MUST finish so that cars can get to the Marriott's front door when it is open. There really isn't much to do I think. The block of F street in front of the Marriott is there, it just needs sidewalks and some asphalt. Add lamps, benches, and a street light at Lenoir and we're golden. City Plaza however may take longer but it would not surprise me if they create the street first and take construction of the plaza past the opening date of the convention center and marriott. If that is the case, then i'm curious as to what the cause for delay is/was.

[RALNATIVE]

b.t.w. cophead567---your blog is superb!

[Jones_]

Salisbury is there for sure... but I didn't think Fayetteville was...not in front of Marriott anyway...

[cophead567]

b.t.w. cophead567---your blog is superb!

Very much appreciate the kind words.

Jones, this is what I mean.

Fayetteville St. Webcam

I

[ChiefJoJo]

I've been thinking the same thing. The street MUST finish so that cars can get to the Marriott's front door when it is open. There really isn't much to do I think. The block of F street in front of the Marriott is there, it just needs sidewalks and some asphalt. Add lamps, benches, and a street light at Lenoir and we're golden. City Plaza however may take longer but it would not surprise me if they create the street first and take construction of the plaza past the opening date of the convention center and marriott. If that is the case, then i'm curious as to what the cause for delay is/was.

Acording to the city's website: September 2007 - Property owners have not yet signed easement agreement, project re-bid in parts to allow Fayetteville St. Phase 2 (not including the plaza) to remain on schedule for completion in summer '08.

From what I understand, the portion of Fayetteville St south of the plaza will be finished in time for the RCC and Marriott opening this summer/fall, but the City Plaza itself has been delayed. So that means Fayetteville St will have a gap in the middle for a while until an agreement can be arranged to satisfy the bldg owners, or else the city condemns the land... which is going to be kind of embarrassing and disfunctional if you ask me.

[cophead567]

^aah, you are correct. I did not even think about the traffic pattern that way.

man, that just makes me nervous. A convention center, hotel, city plaza opening all on the same day would be phenomenal and the news could really raise interest. If there is a delay after the opening, let's hope it is short.

[ChiefJoJo]

FYI, I heard the city manager say that they have had some issues related to the design and budget on City Plaza (no mention of easement problems), but he expects the plaza to come before the council for final approval 'early in the year' such that it could open shortly after the phase 2 of Fayetteville St (adjacent to the hotel). He sounded optimistic that the plaza would be get going soon... also, it should not take a considerable time to construct, since there is no auto traffic to maintain and it is a relatively small area (3-4 acres perhaps). Most of the difficult work is likely to be underground utility construction.

[cophead567]

I just blogged about it but I got a response to an e-mail about City Plaza.

Thanks for your inquiry. In the City Plaza, we are completing the negotiation of the easement with the owners of the Bank of America building

[ChiefJoJo]

Hmm, just saw this update on city plaza. Not really anything new for those of us that have been following this, but again, the city does not own the land the plaza will sit on, and moreover, the BofA bldg owners not only own that, but also the parking lot beneath... it's going to take a while to work all this out (no surprise to me), and it's going to be a bit of an eyesore for conventioneers and other visitors in downtown with a completed Fayetteville St on either end.

[DPK]

I'm taking Landscape Architecture this semester and Dan Douglas came to our class last Thursday to do a presentation on downtown and mostly on city plaza. He went through the entire process/fiasco starting with Plensa to what is planned today. He also shed some light on all of the crap he has to deal with in regards to making the public happy. He mentioned that a key problem has always been that everyone wants to keep adding specific things to the plaza, but when you do that it actually becomes less functional. It was a really interesting presentation; I admire the guy. From what I can recall, I attached a numbered map and description of what he mentioned each number is going to be targeted as. Please take this with a grain of salt as it probably will change and I might have accidentally flipped something around.

1 - Bank of America (aka pain in the ass)

The city has been trying really hard to get BoA to agree to some kind of ground level retail, restaurant, etc for their building. However BoA does not want to budge on any issues really so nothing is planned for them. Way to go BoA.

2 - Coffee Shop (Starbucks) planned.

3 - Bar/Restaurant/Retail. Also in the picture on the Sheraton watercolor, Dan originally asked for an illustration of hockey (ala Hurricanes), but got Rocky instead. Random, haha.

4 - This is planned to be a 2-story bar/restaurant that overlooks the plaza. (I'm really looking forward to this one!)

5 - Dan mentioned that he is really really trying hard to get a bookstore in this area. There will also be a bar/restaurant over here.

6 - Bar/Restaurant/Retail (If I remember right.)

Ultimately as we all know, Bank of America needs to step up and acknowledge the community that literally will be outside their doorstep. I think it'd be good for business if they did that, else they might want to rethink quick or they'll make a lot of enemies in the city.

Also, random bit of information. Apparently Dan had done a lot of paperwork with the Soleil Group to get an overhead pedestrian walkway from their new skyscraper to Crabtree, but Soleil ultimately decided against it. Sometimes I wonder if developers have their heads on straight. I mean you have all these people in your new fancy skyscraper; wouldn't you want to give them easy access to the giant shopping area next door?! Oh wait, I forgot, it's Raleigh. They have cars so they can just drive the 100 feet to the mall.

[JeffC]

I'm taking Landscape Architecture this semester and Dan Douglas came to our class last Thursday to do a presentation on downtown and mostly on city plaza. He went through the entire process/fiasco starting with Plensa to what is planned today. He also shed some light on all of the crap he has to deal with in regards to making the public happy. He mentioned that a key problem has always been that everyone wants to keep adding specific things to the plaza, but when you do that it actually becomes less functional. It was a really interesting presentation; I admire the guy. From what I can recall, I attached a numbered map and description of what he mentioned each number is going to be targeted as. Please take this with a grain of salt as it probably will change and I might have accidentally flipped something around.

1 - Bank of America (aka pain in the ass)

The city has been trying really hard to get BoA to agree to some kind of ground level retail, restaurant, etc for their building. However BoA does not want to budge on any issues really so nothing is planned for them. Way to go BoA.

2 - Coffee Shop (Starbucks) planned.

3 - Bar/Restaurant/Retail. Also in the picture on the Sheraton watercolor, Dan originally asked for an illustration of hockey (ala Hurricanes), but got Rocky instead. Random, haha.

4 - This is planned to be a 2-story bar/restaurant that overlooks the plaza. (I'm really looking forward to this one!)

5 - Dan mentioned that he is really really trying hard to get a bookstore in this area. There will also be a bar/restaurant over here.

6 - Bar/Restaurant/Retail (If I remember right.)

Ultimately as we all know, Bank of America needs to step up and acknowledge the community that literally will be outside their doorstep. I think it'd be good for business if they did that, else they might want to rethink quick or they'll make a lot of enemies in the city.

In the picture, Bank of America is in the building on the left, One Hannover Square (the building you have labeled no. 4 in your post). What you are calling BOA (No. 1 in your post) is actually Two Hannover Square, whose ground floor is occupied by BB&T. So did you confuse the two banks, or did you reverse the labels in your diagram? I will note that One Hannover (BOA) has contained some plaza level retail off and on for at least 15 years. There was a camera/quick photo place off the lobby as recently as four years ago, and there used to be a USAirways reservation office just off the plaza, along with a succession of mediocre restaurants in some retail space on the Wilmington Street side (down one level from the plaza). I would be surprised if BOA is a sticking point in City Plaza, given their tremendous work in downtown Charlotte, and suspect BB&T across the way (small town bank, small town mentality) is a more likely suspect. Check your notes again...