Sir Walter Raleigh

[ChiefJoJo]

The roundabout would be a good place for Sir Walter. Another good place would be at the new foot of Fayetteville St. He would look good there with the backdrop of Memorial Auditorium, and would balance the statues at the north end of Fayetteville St.

But no matter where he goes, he needs a pedestal. He looks so silly standing on the ground. He would look much more dignified on a pedestal, like the old statues at the capitol. Or all the statues on Monument Ave., Richmond. Or the Statue of Liberty. Our statue of Martin Luther King also needs a pedestal. It makes a huge difference in a statue's appearance. People used to understand that.

[magicmk]

It would be cool if there was a small park or square over by the Boylan Ave. bridge with Sir Walter standing tall, facing downtown as if he were looking out over the city.

[DwnTwnRaleighGuy]

I wish they would do ANYTHING with that property below the Boylan Ave. bridge. It ruins what is otherwise a spectacular view of downtown Raleigh.

[DPK]

I think he is, that's definitely a Raleigh money shot.

[magicmk]

Yes, I was exactly referring to the wye location. Funny that the TTA location was mentioned, I was gazing over one of my maps of DT Raleigh and I noticed that a station is proposed for that location. I don't know why I never noticed it before. It's probably not desirable development property at the moment because of the train traffic, but I would think commuter rail would change the appeal of that area. Lord knows when that will happen. It's not easy to get a good shot of the Raleigh skyline without the unsightly buildings and brush creeping into the bottom of the photo, though.

Back on topic, I'd been wondering about the location of Sir Walter till I saw this thread... I very rarely venture south of Cabarrus Street (unless I'm on Saunders) so I swung over to check it out yesterday afternoon. I thought someone said he was on the ground, but it looks like he's on a 2 foot pedestal to me? It didn't look bad.

I'm not favoring the spot by the new Convention Center, although I understand the reasoning behind that choice of location. I'd love to see that statue maybe incorporated into Fayetteville Street somehow, or maybe as part of an entrance to the new Hillsborough streetscape project.

[askmisterbrown]

A two-foot pedestal is pitiful. The pedestal should be about the same height as the statue. This is the standard. This is what looks good. Look at the Statue of Liberty. Google images of statues of George Washington, etc. The statue of General Lee in Richmond has a pedestal over twice the height of the statue. That may be overkill, but two feet is not acceptable.

[magicmk]

A two-foot pedestal is pitiful. The pedestal should be about the same height as the statue. This is the standard. This is what looks good. Look at the Statue of Liberty. Google images of statues of George Washington, etc. The statue of General Lee in Richmond has a pedestal over twice the height of the statue. That may be overkill, but two feet is not acceptable.

[Gard]

Would be nice to see him on a pedestal at least his height and put some floodlights around him to shine on him at night.

[Jones_]

At one time I thought having Sir Walter among a line of statues on Hillsborough like Monument Ave in Richmond might be cool, but maybe scattering him plus Martin Luther King and Opie and Andy around might be cool too...say MLK at teh cultural center to be built with Sir Walter facing opposite accross city plaza and Opie/andy in front of Memorial Auditorium or put Opie at Marbles....just thinking....could be a visitors flier if we had enough statues....Downtown Monuments and Statues.

[ChiefJoJo]

I still think this is the best idea:

You know, old George Washington is perched at the south end of the Capitol facing down Fayetteville St... it would be very appropriate for Sir Walter to peer right back at him from Lichtin Plaza.

[askmisterbrown]

Absolutely right, Chief. The father of our country and the grandfather of our country.

[ncwebguy]

If Sir Walter was to go in front of Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, I think he should be on a short pedestal, like the Washington statue by the Capitol. Since the SWR bronze is larger, there might be people worried about blocking the view if he was too high.

The plaza feels too cold/empty most of the time, and it wouldn't be in the way of any parades, etc. in that location.

He could have been returned there after the return from the cleaners, but maybe they'll get it right eventually.