The Center of Town

The Capitol from Hillsboro St. in 1965.

Same view today.

First Presbyterian about 1968.

Same view at night today.

Capitol Square (or, more properly, Union Square) has been both the geographical and political center of downtown Raleigh ever since the city was surveyed and laid out by William Christmas in 1792. With the massive Capitol building at its center, the square is anchored at its four corners by four imposing church buildings. Encircling the square are various somber stone and brick state government buildings, many of which are fine examples of the particular architectural period during which they were built. The first of these to be built, in 1888, was the Supreme Court building (now Labor); the last, the Museum of History in the 1990s.

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Pictured above are Danny and Sam. Sam is a 12 year old Moluccan Cockatoo. He only knows “hello”, but he knows it well and is very friendly.

This is the Bath Building. I’m not sure what state business or research takes place here, but it is pretty dreadful looking from the outside. If it had more windows then it would probably blend in with the rest of the bland state government buildings around it.
What do you think is the ugliest building in Raleigh?

UPDATE: Karl has provided the following photo of the bath building when it was new in 1972: