Renderings for Public Safety Center on N&O
that will replace the current police headquarters at Nash Square. The article explains today’s vote by the city council for the $205 million (haha – bet it ends up being more than $275M) facility, but more importantly shows some renderings by KlingStubbins.
Also note in the right hand margin a section with more renderings. The massing in the image also portrays the current city hall, which will be replaced in phase II of the project.
The renderings look fantastic above the first two floors (if you like modernist, glass, asymmetry). Of major concern, however, is the blank wall that will face AT&T’s blank wall on McDowell Street. With Campbell Law School just one block to the north, the project will lie in a straight line between the school and the courthouse. Thus, foot traffic in this area will be very high, so this project would not only miss a large retail opportunity, but it also would contribute to a negative pedestrian experience.
I urge the council to vote “NO” on this project until it can incorporate more to the pedestrian experience vital in this part of downtown.
Amphitheater Gets Site Plan
(.pdf) for the downtown Raleigh amphitheater was submitted this week and it reveals some more details about the facility. The site is the vacant lot to the west of the Raleigh Convention Center. This lot is not a simply “empty lot”, though, as it contains the service access for the center via a sweeping, curbed driveway though the property.
According to the plan, the road will remain intact, and the stage will be set just inside the road’s arc, facing the SE (toward Memorial Auditorium). Also it appears that small, portable men’s and women’s restrooms will be placed at stage right.
At this point it looks like the center will not be convenient for visitors needing to use the restrooms. The other problems that will plague this facility is acoustics. The shimmer wall and a parking garage, both hard surfaces, will be directly uphill from the stage. Perhaps the design could be improved by rotating the stage about 20 degrees to the south, with a bias toward the stage right side of the audience instead of the planned bias toward the stage left side of the crowd. This would flatten the angle against the opposing hard surfaces and drastically reduce reverb.
While the facility will be smaller and not as nice as Cary’s Booth Amphitheater, the site is not meant to be used for very many summers. The long term plan for the site is for convention center expansion.
We still need a clever name for the tent-covered amphitheater….!
LiveNation Agrees to Operate Downtown Amphitheater
The long-awaited downtown amphitheater will take a giant step toward becoming a reality tomorrow. City Manager Russell Allen will ask the City Council for a $1.6million appropriation for construction of a 4,200 seat amphitheater in the empty lot that once was home to Sir Walter Chevrolet, adjacent to the Raleigh Convention Center. LiveNation will operate the facility with the intent to bring 15 to 20 shows during the summer. .
The only real question that remains is whether or not the Boylan Heights community will be tolerant of the city’s newest venture toward progress.
Ice House to Operate Winterfest Rink
Polar Ice House, with locations in Cary, Garner and Wake Forest, announced today it will operate the AT&T Raleigh Winterfest ice skating rink in City Plaza. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance selected the company to manage day-to-day operations of the downtown rink, which will open Friday, December 4 and run through Sunday, January 31.
“With years of ice skating experience in the Triangle, we are thrilled to work with the DRA on the Winterfest event and become a part of this festive tradition,” said Randy Lee, general manager of Polar Ice House. “This is a great opportunity to introduce winter fun into the heart of downtown Raleigh.”
The AT&T Raleigh Winterfest kickoff event on Friday, December 4, will include performances by Grammy winner Michelle Branch, local choirs and bands, figure skaters, Theatre in the Park’s Ira David Wood III, a visit from Santa Claus, and the mayor’s tree lighting.
Convention Center Earns LEED Silver Certification
that the Raleigh Convention Center has earned . It is one of seven such centers in the USA that have achieved some LEED certification. The article states that the building’s design reduces energy use, water use by 20%, and recycled much much of its construction waste.
Squirrel Nut Zippers Playing Lincoln Theatre
Raleigh’s marks the spot for the triumphant return to Raleigh. They are touring in support of the release of their new album yesterday, . The show is on Friday, December 18 (the same night the Connells are playing at the Pour House).
Moore Square Design Winner Announced
Congratulations to Charlottesville’s Christopher Counts, the winner in a 79-applicant field to create a new vision for Raleigh’s Moore Square. By winning, he will get to assign a design team to develop a real master plan for the square and surrounding areas. More information is posted about the applicants’ entries on the and on .
I really can’t complain since I didn’t enter, but damn!, I mean DAMN! I should have entered! After seeing the results of our “world-class plaza” and this? This week is a peek at the great vision of downtown Raleigh? [thump] [thump] [thump]. Let me tell you all about Windows Media Center with CableCARD tuner integration, since that’s where my mind has been the last few months… 
City Plaza Dedication Coming Tomorrow
At Noon on Friday city officials will be on hand to dedicate the new City Plaza. The plaza will not be open to traffic until Sunday morning, as it is the centerpiece for RWO4. The Collectors Gallery, Krispy Kreme and Shishkabob will all open this weekend, while the fourth pavilion, the home for Jimmy Johns will not be open until December.
Follow the Raleigh Wide Open 4 Calendar
Raleigh Wide Open 4 is coming this weekend, and that means a slew of events taking place on Saturday. In order to easier follow what is going on, feel free to follow my new . It contains all of the scheduled events for the festival!
Also be sure to in order to find the official schedule and map of where everything on Fayetteville St. will be. It works especially well for iPhones.
Big, Busy Week Ahead
I busy week, indeed. Let’s start with sports. The long-awaited, first-ever Thursday night football game for Chapel Hill begins at 8pm tomorrow night. Florida State and Erin Andrews (not necessarily in order of importance) are in town for a game that will be featured in ESPN. Plan accordingly, as traffic in Raleigh and RTP should be horrendous.
The other reason for traffic problems is the N.C. State Fair which ends on Sunday night. Today the Wake County Public Schools have an early release day, so there should be many students invading the fairgrounds. Tomorrow is can day, where entry is free for those with 4 cans of food for the needy. The remaining music acts are Julianne Hough, Anoop Desai, Jeremy Camp and Tenth Avenue North, Blake Shelton, and Eric Church.
The State Fair isn’t the only other draw for tens of thousands of people. Raleigh Wide Open begins Friday, and celebrates the grand opening of Raleigh’s new City Plaza. Delbert McClinton headlines the main stage of music, however more interesting, perhaps, is the Cherry Bounce stage, which is the culmination of a week-long local music series downtown. The series aims to get exposure for a mostly unheard of list of bands. Be sure to stop by the WTVD studios on Saturday afternoon for your chance to get on Wheel of Fortune.
The big stand along music event occurring this week is Queensryche at the Lincoln Theatre, tonight. However in the Greensboro Coliseum, rock gods AC/DC will play Sunday night. INto industrial? KMFDM is at the Cradle Monday night.
There is plenty of theater for the people this week, too. The Picasso Ballet performance by the Carolina Ballet continues at the Fletcher Opera Theater while NC Theater’s West Side Story production runs at Memorial Auditorium. Tonight David Copperfield will be at the DPAC, while the Carolina Crown II (wrestling theater) will take place at the RBC Center on Saturday night. NCSU alumnus, John Reep, the “Hemi guy” plays at Charlie Goodnights this weekend.
If all of that excitement isn’t enough, be sure to swing by the Raleigh Convention Center for the Junior League’s Shopping SPREE!, a seriously awesome event when shopping for things women like.
For more info on these events, check out the . That’s a heck of a week! I can’t wait to get out there and DO IT!
Try Out For Wheel of Fortune
is staging two try-outs in the areas this week. On Friday, from 5pm-9pm, the crew will be at Fayetteville’s Crown Center Arena. On Saturday they will be at Raleigh Wide Open from 2pm-6pm, near the WTVD studios.
Cherry Bounce Fest Begins Sunday
The Cherry Bounce Fest, a week-long leadup to Raleigh Wide Open, begins on Sunday in downtown Raleigh. Various bars and restaurants will feature a handful of each night, culminating in the 8-band lineup in front of the Raleigh Times next Saturday.
Shish Kabab Coming to City Plaza
In November the owner of Sam and Wally’s Eatery and bar will open Shish Kabob, an express cafe Mediterranean restaurant, in Raleigh’s City Plaza. This will be the second store, the first opened in Wake Forest in June, 2008).
Shish Kabob will serve a range of specialties from gyro-style sandwiches in pita bread, to vegetarian dishes and salads, to the house specialty, char-grilled shish kabobs – chicken, beef, lamb, and kafta. Sandwich prices range from $4.50 to $5.95. In addition to a large assortment of gyros, classic options like hamburgers and steak and cheese hoagies are available. Shish kabobs begin at $7.25, while a three-kabob combination platter (including two sides and warm pita) is $11.95. The $7.95 vegetarian platter includes falafel, pita, and choice of two sides – tabouli, hummus, grape leaves, rice, pasta, or fries. A kids menu is also available, along with non-caffeinated, sugar-free beverage options.
Shish Kabob will be open from 11 am – 8 pm, Monday through Saturday and will offer sidewalk seating, carry-out, and call-ahead ordering.
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