Wake County Unveils Justice Center Plans
Wake County unveiled plans for its new Justice Center project. The complex will replace rise at Salisbury and Martin Streets, and feature an 11-story tower. The $214 million complex will offer several new courtrooms, much-needed room for records, offices, and underground parking. (map it)
The famed Garland Jones building (former First Citizens Federal Bank above, left) building will be razed, raising much angst among the architectural community. The building is one of the few of its style in North Carolina, but is not registered as an historic place. The building’s neighboring parking deck and the 8-story brick building next to the safety center will also be removed.
The construction timeline extends to the project’s completion in 2013. The plan allows for completion of the county’s L-Building (including a parking deck) before demolition of the current courthouse parking deck. Once completed, the building will connect to the existing courthouse and safety center via underground tunnels.
While the project is a much needed improvement to an ever tightening supply of space for the county, the project has some design weaknesses that can still be overcome.
The property’s redevelopment is a long-awaited opportunity to correct one of Nash Square’s corners. The square is one of only two remaining squares in the Christmas plan for Raleigh, and provides a valuable place for its nearby community that should be the focus of its surroundings. The current parking garage at McDowell and Martin, instead, treats Nash as a seemingly random, undeveloped lot. Joe’s Place at Dawson and Martin, on the other hand, fabulously addresses the grand park across the street, as will the Hue condominium building.
The picture above, left is the projection from Nash Square. The picture on the right is in Washington, DC, and addresses the intersection with a very bold corner. The architects, to their credit, did put one of the Justice Center’s entrances on the McDowell/Martin corner, however it is way too understated and vague. Just as Progress II’s Wilmington St. corner fails to address this important urban intersection, the Justice Center’s offset entrance and smoker’s patio is no way to formally address Nash Square.
From the square, the eye finds its way back to the complexes central, stubby tower. Perhaps bringing the building’s exterior fully to the corner with a rounded, ascending front would give Nash Square what it deserves. Perhaps a coffee shop or a small restaurant much like The Dawson’s Borough would invite interaction between the square and the building.
Salisbury Street’s projection (above) misses an opportunity as well. The Justice Center’s base is planned to abut the Public Safety Center. The new building’s tower is not only inset from the Public Safety Center’s tower, it also sits back from Salisbury St. Unfortunately the complex’s facade sinks away from Salisbury, too, in order to create an outdoor plaza with a central fountain. Do we really need another outdoor plaza with no programming (other than smoking) in Raleigh? Wouldn’t it be more interesting to pedestrians to fill this space with another coffee shop or small food outlet? A pedestrian walking this stretch of Salisbury will be greeted with two plazas of people hanging around on the right and a blank wall on the left. We need to avoid cavernous, blank blocks.
Tonight’s session the building’s features and design was an unusual, welcome, open extension by building designers. There are three more planned, and each lasts from 5pm to 7pm:
- Feb 12: Northern Regional Center (NRC), 350 Holding Avenue, Wake Forest
- Feb 18: Knightdale Town Hall, 950 Steeple Square Court, Knightdale
- Feb 19: Wake County West Regional Library, 4000 Louis Stephens Road, Cary
Here are a few more of the plates shown at the presentation (even more) (2/15 update: The images are part of this .pdf file, which is now available).
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February 11th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
While most people may get discouraged by the design, let’s keep in mind that this building is a government facility and we cannot expect retail and other non-governmental destinations. I am not as disappointed, considering the original design I saw years ago. The latest incarnation is a far cry from the monolithic building we saw back then.
I wish there was a way to save Lawyers Bldg, but given the fact they will have an underground tunnel in that location, I do not see how saving that building would be easy
I am not a big fan of GJ Bldg, and I think that the replacement for it is not as bad as I was afraid.
Hopefully, county leaders will find a way to incorporate some other uses (i.e. an office supplies store, a print shop, a small cafe, private offices) for the street-level, but even as is, we can speak of a major improvement over what we have today. I love the fact that Wake County Justice Center will stand above that big eyesore (County Jail). Overall, I am happy.
February 12th, 2008 at 12:32 am
I agree that this building adds little to the pedestrian experience. While this lacks retail space, ‘The L’ does not. I can see the coffee shops and restaurants opening up here, getting lots of traffic from those that park in the deck nearby.
On a side note, did you take that picture of DC? I think I’ve got the missing left half:
http://tinyurl.com/2qk88r
A very cool area.
February 12th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Ernest is absolutely correct when he points out that “we cannot expect retail and other non-governmental destinations” in a county government facility.
I have, so far, personally visited nearly 2,000 of our country’s county courthouses, as part of my mission to visit all 3,143 American counties. As I now look back on these fascinating travels, in the context of this story, it dawned on me how totally devoid of commercial eateries and shops these “citizen structures” are exactly.
I can’t remember any inviting, multi-purpose public/commercial, buildings off hand, but maybe the numbers could be counted on one hand? It didn’t surprise me when I would reach another new, distant courthouse, that was as common and lifeless (outside of the trial rooms) as the others — it was as expected, though. They were all designed over the centuries to get the judge and jury’s jobs done. Period.
But, who is to say that we, as the county’s citizens, cannot expect even more from today’s built environment. Why not change the paradigm this time? Let’s throw the sledgehammer. Let us demand at least the Nash Square corner area, otherwise that whole block is basically a fortress forcing us to slink around its cold perimeter.
Though, at least, we are not contemplating moving out from a beautiful, quaint, and/or lively town or city center and building on a desolate, utterly boring, cheap piece of land, as a surprising number of counties across America have done over the last decade. It is very depressing when I visit those particular “progressive” county seats.
February 12th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
We can certainly expect - and in a way, demand - to see street-level destinations at the North side (N&O block) and the West side (the block where Berkeley Cafe is). While the new Justice Center will not have retail destinations - why should it? - it is more than necessary that future redevelopment efforts will need to include something more. Private investments are more likely to include retail and entertainment destinations. Nash Square is an excellent candidate for such venues.
A bit off-topic, and very much of a speculation, but I can’t wait to see the N&O block - most of it, anyway - get redeveloped into a decent mixed-use development. Salisbury and McDowell streets can use some retail and entertainment destinations.
February 16th, 2008 at 8:06 am
I agree with many of the comments presented already. These are public buildings serving a public purpose. I’ve only been to the courthouse because I’ve had to, and I imagine that others will echo the sentiment. This is not the place where one would hear the casual conversation, ‘Hey, let’s go down to the courthouse for lunch/dinner…’
Also, because there is a public investment, why should there be a place made for private investment? Look at all of the comments being made about The Mint getting a plum location in a city building. Salisbury Street will need a mix of uses along it’s entire length to give it a better vibe. This will probably happen as Fayetteville Street is built out and the next wave of projects move forward include the N&O block, the convention center and the new Clarence Lightner complex.
With all of this being said, I’m not too enthused about having to go downtown for a courthouse function and parking 2-3 blocks away. I guess that’s my suburban mentality leaking through. Sure, there are two levels of underground parking being put in. But, that will most likely be for employees. So, I’ll try taking the bus…
Peace