Walking around downtown this past Friday I came to a realization about the RBC Plaza. In essence, Raleigh’s tallest building comes up short in a few important ways.
As some have mentioned before, the setback from the street is far too narrow. Pedestrians never get a feel for how tall it is because from the street level it looks like any other dull building in downtown Raleigh. It might look unique from the top but it certainly doesn’t look unique from the bottom. You could walk right by and miss it.
Part of the problem is the lobby of the building. A large, open lobby would’ve conveyed the building’s grand height to those entering it. Instead the building has a modest lobby with modest ceilings. It doesn’t have the lobby of a 33-story building but the lobby of a five-story building.
One day downtown Raleigh will get the flash it needs to get noticed. The RBC Plaza misses the mark.
When Suzzanne worked in upstate NY, it was with a bunch of people who had transferred from the Met Life building in Manhattan. One of the ladies told her that she was walking in “The City” and saw a bunch of people looking up in awe. She followed suit and saw that she was right next to the Empire State and they were all tourists. She had been walking by the building for years and never once looked up.