Renovation? No thanks, that building is an eyesore and imo beyond salvageable. I’d gladly take the small hit in hotel rooms for a real entrance to downtown via Capital Blvd., even just a park.
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I agree. I’m deflated. I drove by this morning and when I still saw lights on, I was worried this may be the case. This could be a unique “something” here. Putting lipstick on this pig is a shame.
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Apparently it’s more like lipstick on a cockroach.
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They are going to have a hard time overcoming those reviews. Oh well. Time will tell.
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I have been saying this for years… I would love to see a signature fountain here. It would make for a memorable entry into DTR from the north. I hate the Days Inn with a passion!!
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With escalating land values downtown, the window of affordability for the city to purchase that parcel is long gone.
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How big can this site go? Can you fit a 12 story residential or office tower? Would One Glenwood fit here? Someone’s gotta flip this lot.
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according to the UDO mapping, there are 3 different parcels on that half circle block, each zoned DX-12-UG. The Days Inn appears to occupy the largest of the three. Someone needs to assemble those properties, but it’s doubtful if Days Inn is undergoing renovation.
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A park with a monumental fountain in it!! that’s what I am hoping for. that would lead right into the restored Caldwell Sq.
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I always laugh at Raleigh’s version of a water fountain on the Fayetteville St Plaza… completely underwhelming. Cary has a new(ish) water fountain that is pretty nice.! Raleigh should be able to do something equally as nice if not better.!
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YES, YES, YES!! It is good to know that I am not alone on the thought of a fountain for this location. No the question is… Is anyone at the City reading this and seeing our enthusiasm?
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Sorry, but this is way to fancy for DTR…now maybe NH’s? 
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It’s a grand idea, but it’s not publicly owned land. With the new UDO giving the owner the right to build 12 stories, that’s never going to become a park. It’s just too valuable a parcel for the city to ever consider purchasing.
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A big neoclassical fountain would be a nice replacement for the reflecting pool that’s in front of Duke Energy Center. It would complement the architecture of the original 1932 Greek Revival Memorial Auditorium. Right now, that modern stone pillar fountain thing just gets lost in the context of Memorial’s imposing facade.
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Not to mention that there’s little reason for anyone to even see the Memorial Auditorium fountain, since they’d have to walk across two streets and a parking lot from Fayetteville St. just to see it. In all honesty, before reading your comment, I didn’t know the fountain even existed.
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Yes, the little bubbly do-dad fountains on Fayetteville mall were worthless, as were the ones inside old North Hills. Gosh, remember how hideous the big fountain was in Crabtree? lol. Ah, 70’s design. For this location, it needs to be big and flowing, like Trevi in Rome, since nearly everyone will see it by car.
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I personally LOVED that fountain as a kid in the 70s. #haters 
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A bit off topic, but when they opened Crabtree in 1972, it was the largest mall in the Southeast except for Atlanta (or something close to that). It had a big impact on Raleigh as it drew people in from all around. Fast forward 47 years (damn I’m old) and we see that the right investments downtown can still do the same thing.
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When my family moved to Raleigh in 1974, we stayed for two weeks at the old Ramada Inn on that hill between the mall and the Beltline. Crabtree was basically our family’s introduction to Raleigh.