Also count me as a fan of One Progress Plaza. A fine tower indeed for a 1970’s tower is just dandy even today.
At 277 feet, it was the tallest building in Raleigh from for 13 years until 1990 when the first of the ‘big 3’ finally showed up.
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Those canopies were an update from the old bubble canopies (Cameron Village had the bubbles too and got rid of them around the same time). At least there is street facing retail space to start from…I think they are a bit too cavernous and set back though. Maybe the first floor needs reskinned and configured to feel like actual street retail and not retail set up in an office building (if that difference makes sense).
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One issue that I haven’t seen come up yet in regards to this topic is that many of this old buildings were constructed before designers gave even the slightest consideration to people with physical disabilities, much less before the ADA was passed.
Tearing down an old building and replacing it with something new inherently involves trade-offs, but one benefit that doesn’t get discussed enough is that in many cases starting from scratch is the only way to correct past mistakes that, in practice, excluded people with physical disabilities from a lot of public places.
Another thread on this website deals with the future of the building in which I work, which is absolutely terrible in this respect, let me assure you, and that’s a big part of the reason why I will not even slightly mourn that building once it’s gone.
I realize that everyone gets to make their own decisions about what they value, but I personally value the creation of public spaces that include people with disabilities, rather than excluding them, more than I value maintaining the architectural aesthetic that existed in this less inclusive era.
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These are all fine lines to walk, and even code authorities recognize it as such.
I think that it’s admirable that you see the World as inclusive to those with disabilities; I really do, but accommodation doesn’t always require tearing something down and replacing it. If that were the case, then we’d just tear everything down and start over.
On a case by case basis, I think that it’s certainly fair to evaluate buildings vis-a-vis their cultural significance/importance, their costs to be made relevant for today’s codes and technological realities, and their functions. In some cases, the hard decision will be made to take a building down and replace it. In many others, however, the decision will be made to retrofit the building so that we can retain our culture and identity.
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Can someone please grabs photos of the buildings that have been fenced off between Daisy & Dixie Trail for documentation purposes? I remember talking to the owner of Curious Goods maybe around this time last year about them needing to relocate because the property was being sold but completely forgot about that conversation until I drove along that side of Hillsborough Street the other day and almost had a heart attack that all of those businesses have vacated already, especially East Village.
[In fact, I just looked and found out via their FB page that demolition day was today for the EVG building. Ugh!]
Yeah, I know the buildings on those properties were nothing special or historical and kind of an eyesore and sure, you could even say I’m lost in the nostalgia but I AM SO IN MY FEELINGS ABOUT THIS, Y’ALL. Wow wow wow!
Oh god, I never thought I’d be “sad” about seeing that block get redeveloped (although it might be partially due to what the development is slated for- more “luxury apts” /eyeroll).
[To elaborate on that, I’m all for higher density residential options but would have loved to see this awkward nook stay low density commercial. Definitely a pipe dream now but I’d always hoped it’d see new retail and renewed street activity.]
I know I’m barely half the age of some of you and I also know what contributes to an area’s charm and character is subjective, but- it’s breaking my heart to see more of the last bits of “character” I associated with Hillsborough street from my experience of growing up in Raleigh being ripped out.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the block Nice Price and Cuppa Joe are on would be next 
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The area between NC State campus and Cameron Village is growing like crazy lately. New projects going up all over the place. People want their density but hopefully everybody can acknowledge that we also lose something in the process.
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Something - sure. Some things - no.
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Roy Rogers is finally all gone. Were best fast food burgers ever.
Sad to lose that building, but at least we’re not Charlotte. They’re losing this classic building to a 14-story apartment building:
It was built as a Buick dealership, and later converted to state offices. Demolition is currently underway at the site. 
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Oh man, I loved Roy Rodger’s. That was my mom’s preferred option for tailgating out at what then when just Carter Stadium.
Cup a joe is more or less safe as long as the current landlord is alive. He loves all his businesses and is regularly seen at Cup hanging out. But you are not alone in your feelings…I come close to popping a blood vessel over some of this stuff. To be clear to the community though, I recognize lots of the recent character lost on Hillsborough St does not involve actual historic buildings (some very much does such as Maiden Lane). I think some combination of gentrification and homogenization is giving us all these predictable chain restaurants, and identical apartments targeted at well off students and that is concerning all on its own. The pattern continues to be that an area that is overlooked and cheap to operate in is made cool by interesting businesses, buildings etc and develops a reputation as such. Then a few people decide they can make a bigger buck piggy backing on the organic coolness somewhere. They the area gets overwhelmed with out of town money and bland things, tear downs of the original fabric and enjoys a period of predictable ok-ness. Eventually a down cycle hits and it all starts over.
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This is the gray area. We have a topic for this so I will move posts about it there but when looking at that house and others, which ones should be saved and which ones shouldn’t?
I agree that the market doesn’t seem that interested in saving historic structures but there are many variables at play here.
Keep chatting on the topic over at Historic Preservation in Raleigh. What to keep?
My last comment on this (in this thread, I mean): I think if a building is 100 years or older and structurally sound, I think it should be preserved (honestly even 70-90 years old is pretty historic in my eyes, but 100+ is obvious).
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There is an 100yo outhouse in a field near me. Should that be declared Historic?
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This brick building was moved by state in I think late 70’s. Was in what is now Halifax mall.
Offices of North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
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In a field? Is it downtown? I thought we were discussing downtown structures.
