Apologies for stoking the smoldering nostalgia fire, but curious as to what made this back patio so memorable other than the Enclosure + Furniture = Place design formula.
Can find no photos online. Anyone got something to share?
If you had been there, youâd understand.
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Yeah I canât even look at some of these pictures.
Yâall should check out the book âLost Raleighâ by Mary Ruffin Hanbury and Ian Dunn.
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Agreed, I canât look at pictures of the old City Hall and original City Market buildings anymore either. 
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this. spaces like that are priceless, and canât just simply be replicated.
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Hence why I said that it was what I miss the most.
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The tower couldâve easily been planned such that the Berkeley building could be spared. But developers have become accustomed to asking the city to spit on their shoe and kiss it. Raleigh is like a battered girlfriend putting up with it, never setting boundaries. Melton thinks this one wasnât very special but thatâs the thing⌠same was said about each other one that was lost. In aggregate, it becomes a lot.
Itâs a good looking building and I can live with what weâre getting (which is actually better than the hideously ugly 6 floor proposal that was originally pegged for this space). But we have to do things differently going forward.
This and Goodnightâs were both buildings that did not need to be demolished for the developer to get good return on the investment from their block, so it never shouldâve been allowed. And I feel a similar way about 501 Hillsborough (though admittedly not as architecturally relevant that stretch⌠still would have preferred to keep the frontages at least, or refit + a dense building on the lot behind).
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Fair enough, you arenât wrong. Raleigh has, and has used, leverage plenty, mostly around widening roads Can that not be extended?. It is not my alabama town, where we can make no demands because the developer will just move on. Raleigh & Wake are going to continue to grow, how does that get leveraged so it welcomes develipment and provudes a public good?
You always have a way of putting things that makes me agree with you, sometimes in spite of my previous grumpy opinions.
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I think my point was, if everything is worth saving, than nothing is worth saving. Not every old build is structurally significant. You have to fight for the ones you can.
If a property owner doesnât seek to have historic preservation applied to their property, they can do what they want with it. Often, the rezoning process is the only opportunity to negotiate conditions or sometimes protection. Here, we were able to negotiate an extended lease for Berkeley to give them time to relocate. But the physical building itself, in my opinion, is not a landmark.
But I appreciate everyoneâs interest in and passion for preservation. Thereâs a group working on these issues in Raleigh, specifically identifying at risk buildings and working with property owners to seek historic protection. Check them out and maybe consider getting involved: https://preservationraleigh.org/
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The entrance had to go there as NCDOT wonât allow driveway on Dawson and one too close to intersection. They were gonna fix the dip in left lane 
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Yeah, it was one of a kind. If you never went you obviously wonât miss it. But this is the place Iâd take people to show them that Raleigh actually had establishments with character. Everyone felt transported to an older Raleigh when you walked in.
There arenât any old school eat and drink spots like that left downtown. Although Iâm extremely glad they found another home, the new place doesnât come close to replicating what it was and you canât just create spaces like this anymore. Shiny and new is nice. Old, affordable, and charming is rare here.
I guess at least itâs just one building - one that will make a material difference on the sky line if the new one is ever built. Austin tore down an entire street of unique establishments that were given up for high rises and ruined the vibe that made people want to live on that street in the first place.
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There is also a driveway proposed on Dawson for the loading and service area.
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New listings on redfin for these condos were listed yesterday. 1100 square feet for $835K
217 W Martin St Unit 4 A, Raleigh, NC 27601 | MLS# 10184651 | Redfin
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Well⌠if the 100 year old Berkley Building gets demoâd next, weâll have our answer.
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Theyâre currently painting parking spot sections 
. This city gets more parking lots than new developments.
Edit: This is the Firestone lot.
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