Bring back the lifeboat balconies!!!
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Well, the difference between the 40s and now is nearly 100 years of modern urban development and historical context. I think we can look at the past 200 years of architecture and say fairly confidently that Victorian residential architecture is and always was objectively more attractive than… uhhhh, whatever the hell you’d call the style of this 1970s monstrosity lol
But I get your point. I just think design/architecture needs to be viewed on a case by case basis. The difference in time between the 1890s and 1940s is more drastic than the difference between the 1970s and now, given the huge industrial, technological, and cultural booms of the early 1900s.
Let me know if I’m making any damn bit of sense here hahaha
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The Holiday Inn building (built 1969) is apparently the youngest building on the Landmarks list. However there are at least two other commercial buildings from the sixties on the list
The modernist offices of architect G. Milton Small (built 1966 / designated 1995) and the modernist office building at 333 Fayetteville (built 1965 / designated 2006) that had BB&T as an anchor tenant and was the tallest building in Raleigh at the time.
Met with one of Small’s architects in that building in the eighties. Parkimg beneath with vaulted second-floor above. Ahead of its time.
Also briefly had an office pre-Covid on the second floor of the 333 Fayetteville building. Very nicely appointed building that is narrow enough to possibly be converted to residential down the line.
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And both of these buildings are objectively more attractive (and unique) than the Holiday Inn lol
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I do love both these buildings. I use to walk under the architects office all the time to check out the fish when I was wee tyke, and the BB&T building is just such an awesome example of modernism.
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If you mean the NRHP… essentially nothing, in this context. A local ordinance might happen to convey protection (or at least impose conditions) for any property listed on the NRHP. But federal law imposes no restrictions unless federal funding is involved, Wikipedia has a list of over 200 NRHP properties that were torn down. Category:Demolished but still listed on the National Register of Historic Places - Wikipedia
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Buffalo is calling? char char char
I found an old photo I took from the Skye Tower Lounge (I think it was called that) from 2008. I can’t wait to check out this hotel later this year. 
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The construction fencing is down. I didn’t take a picture because it looks just like it did before they started.
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Opening soon
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One caveat: it doesn’t look exactly like it did on the outside in 1969. It looks exactly like a renovation it had some decades ago.
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Yeah I saw that and it bothered me. I’d be far happier with this project if they restored it to its original form.
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As a reminder, this is what it looked like originally:
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The architectural changes through the years are addressed in the historic landmark designation application materials.
The replacement of the balconies by larger windows is not unique to this building and was deemed an “additive” architectural change with the main components of the modernist design intact.
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Looking forward to trying out the rooftop cocktail lounge and the see the retro decorations in general.
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Good spot for a meetup. I hope they replaced the terrifying elevators tho
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