Downtown Live At Moore Square

This past Saturday was the Bud Light Downtown Live series, a free public concert put on by Deep South Entertainment. On average around 8,000 people fill Moore Square to enjoy beers, bands, and good times.
The Raleigh Coinneseur also posted footage of the event.

The Most Beautiful Building In Raleigh

Last week we featured the Ugliest Building In Raleigh, so this week we're featuring the most beautiful. Even in an incomplete state without the lighting, it is something truly fascinating. Currently without backlighting, colors still roll and move across the surface like the reflection of a bird flying over water. Once the illumination switch is flipped, Raleigh will have one of the most awe inspiring pieces of public art that is part of an urban landscape.
If you have not been keeping up with new developments in the area, this is the Shimmer Wall, an enormous piece of art on one side of the Convention Center covering an entire city block. It was designed and is being assembled by Clearscapes, an architectural and design firm located downtown.

"We wanted a wall that would be dynamic, that would move, that would shine," said Thomas Sayre, principal with the Raleigh architectural firm Clearscapes.

"So all afternoon, every afternoon, this surface gets bathed in light."

The idea is to take thousands of steel strips, maybe more than a million, each about the size of a shirt pocket. Half would be buffed shiny, the others would be dull, dimpled metal. They would hang on rods along an entire side of the convention center, covering a city block.

When the wind blows, they would swing, creating a wavy, glimmering image, reflecting sunshine during the day, and letting light show between their cracks at night.

Sayre said the shimmery strips would be spaced to form a larger picture. Light and dark tiles would function like the ones and zeroes of binary code -- a nod to the region's tech sector.

"Part of our job is to think, 'How can this be an interesting wall?' " Sayre said. "I hope when you go home and your kids say, 'How was the convention, Mom?' you can say, 'There's this really cool thing out front.' "

News & Obsever, 2005

To see convention center construction at various stages of progress, check out the façade in Janurary, the entire convention center (from a viewpoint now blocked by construction), and at a distance from the Boylan Avenue bridge (second photo).

Note: These images were taken the day before completion. Head over to New Raleigh to see images of it now that it is complete as well as a time lapse video of construction.

Martin Street Loses The Scaffolding

After a long time with scaffolding covering the sidewalk of Martin Street between Fayetteville and Wilmington Streets, the Mecca Restaurant sign is now visible again.

House Fire On Clark Avenue

There was a large array of police officers and firefighters battling a house fire 2700 2514 Clark Avenue at around midnight Friday. I do not know the specifics, but I believe it is some sort of halfway or rehabilitation house. I've seen a couple of the residents asking for money along Hillsborough Street before. I talked to a few of them, and they said that it was caused by someone that lived there. The person alleged to have started it was hauled off by police, unharmed. . He appears to have been smoking in bed.The folks I spoke with said that they don't see how it will be habitable again, as there was a lot of smoke damage, melted walls, etc.

UPDATE: An anonymous person emailed me with the following information:

Allen was taken to The Burn Unit in Chapel Hill with 3/4ths of his body covered with 2nd and 3rd degree burns and if he lives through it it will be at least two months he is in The Burn Unit at UNC Hospital.

I'm going to guess Allen was the person who was smoking in bed and caught the place on fire. We certainly hope that he has a full recovery. There is no doubt he has a long journey ahead of him.

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Reminiscences of a Raleigh Boy, Part 2

The Olivia Raney Library in the course of its demolition in 1966.


Same site 42 years later: At night, but no Christmas parade!


The Capitol from Hillsboro St. in 1965.


Same view today.


Christ Church about 1968 with art deco apartments in background.


Christ Church at night in 2008.


First Presbyterian about 1968.


Same view at night today.


WW Vass house in 1971, shortly before its demo. One of the last two residences on Capitol Square. The state history museum occupies the site today.


Yours truly and bros visit Capitol Square in 1966. Gotta go see the Peanut Man! The Labor and Agriculture Buildings are in the background.


Part 2: The Center of Town

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 1980s. For most of the 19th early 20th centuries Capitol Square was surrounded by residences, a three-story brick hotel and the four churches. Later on Raleigh’s public library, an art deco apartment building and the YMCA were built on the square. These are all gone now. Government expansion beyond the limits of Capitol Square did not occur until 1962 with the completion of the Legislative Building, straddling (then) Halifax Street one block to the north. The remaining two residences were demolished around 1971.

When I was a kid in the ‘60s Capitol Square was a big part of my childhood. My Dad was employed by the state department of Archives and History, and his office occupied a former rooming house in the first block of Halifax St., which was largely still residential at the time. Sometimes instead of taking the bus home from school at Hugh Morson, I would walk down to his office and get a ride home when he got off work. In the meantime I would amuse myself in the Square by climbing on the statues or buying a nickel bag of peanuts from the “Peanut Man” to feed the pigeons. The Peanut Man always occupied a spot in the square at the head of Fayetteville Street, dispensing his wares from a silver-colored charcoal-fired roaster, and surrounded by flocks of pigeons. Kids loved him! Back then pigeons pretty much had the run of the place, roosting all along building parapets, soiling statues and the like. The state later initiated a crackdown in the mid 1970s to get rid of them, and the first thing to go was the Peanut Man. I don’t think there’s any pigeons left in Capitol Square today.

All three of the state museums, History, Natural History and the Art Museum, were located on Capitol Square, so a family visit to any of them necessitated a romp in the square as well. The old cannons and guns mounted there were a special attraction to my brothers me, and a visit to the Peanut Man was a given. My family attended Christ Church right there across Wilmington St., and not a few times a pal and I would skip Sunday school and while away that designated holy hour in Capitol Square instead.

The original Olivia Raney Library fronted on Capitol Square at the corner of Hillsboro Street. It was housed in a beautiful Italian Renaissance style building constructed in 1899 and had a red tile roof; the Olivia Raney was Raleigh’s first public library, and only public library until the county system was set up in the early ‘70s. (The Harrison Library for African-Americans was on South Blount St opposite Moore Square, but I don’t know if it was part of the city system then or not.) Anyway, we were regular patrons of Olivia Raney. Back then the Christmas parade was held at night rather than on Saturday morning as it is now. My family would all head downtown for that event, and while Mom went shopping, Dad took my brothers and me to see the parade. We always staked out the corner at the Olivia Raney because Dad figured that from that vantage point we could enjoy it three times instead of just the one: once, while it progressed up Hillsboro St; twice, while making the turn in front of the Library (…watching the marching bands make that turn was quite impressive, BTW), and finally watching it pass by right in front by the curbside!

Later, when I was in junior high school at Morson, and my two buddies and I went on our weekend exploratory forays downtown, we always met in centrally located Capitol Square, as there was always something to do while waiting for the others to show up.

Nowadays, with so many of the familiar landmarks gone, Capitol Square is a different kind of place for me. It is still a verdant oasis in the center of town, though, and if I squint hard enough, I can just make out the Peanut Man, stationed by his charcoal roaster, surrounded by flocks of pigeons!

Fayetteville Street Then And Now

Karl's photo of Fayetteville Street in 1968

John's photo of Fayetteville Street in 2008

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It's really surprising that after all that Fayetteville Street has been through over the course of 40 years, so many of the original buildings remain. Perhaps similar to almost the entire city of Asheville, this area suffered from economic stagnation for a few decades (after being closed to auto traffic) which prevented new construction from displacing the old. Whatever the cause, it's nice to see a large, nicely preserved slice of the past juxtaposed against progress and development in the present.

Bird's Night Out On The Town

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.

The Ugliest Building In Raleigh [UPDATED]

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:

1301 Hillsborough Street

1301 Hillsborough Street is quite the anomoly. I've driven by this place several times and wondered if people lived in the house. As evident in the photos above, there are lights on in the place at night. It remains to be seen if it is actually occupied. There is a parking lot in the back with cars parked in it, but they could be there for other businesses.
What is particularly interesting about this house is the fact that it is subjoined to the storefront that is on Hillsborough Street. The storefront is currently The Jackpot, an indie club with a nondescript façade. It is located near The old Staudt Bakery, and like that old building, it is mostly hidden while in plain sight. This may have helped it escape the demolition spree of the mid to late 60's.


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Winstead Wilkinson Architects

According to RaleighMSA, they are working on designed Trilliums Place, A condo/townhome community on Hillsborough Street near NCSU, East of the intersection of Hillsborough and Gorman streets.

Winstead Wilkinson Architects
201 N Harrington St
Raleigh, NC 27603
(919) 832-2878
Get directions

Fayetteville Street Tavern

My brother (from out of town) and I were exploring downtown this past weekend, and we found ourselves trying to find a late dinner past the typical kitchen closing time (11PM). Fayetteville Street Tavern serves a full menu until 2AM, so we decided to give it a try. The food was good, it was priced right, and the service was outstanding. Sitting outside gives you have a great view of the skyline. They also have several vegetarian options available. It is worth checking out.

If you'd like to see this outside view from a different angle, check out my post of the same building from higher up from October.

Fayetteville Street Tavern
112 Fayetteville St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 833-1722
Get directions

Clarion Tower From A Distance

In addition to the Clarion Tower, the windowless at&t building stands out in the photo above.

The Sketch Artist Of Fayetteville Street

Daniel is an artist depicting daily (or nightly) urban life with pencils and ink. He has beautiful drawings of many parts of downtown Raleigh. Above is a cityscape of Fayetteville Street and an almost isometric view of the Post Office. He is currently selling his works for $20 each, the proceeds of which will fund future illustrations with canvas. He has been in Raleigh 4 years.

Reminiscences of a Raleigh Boy, Part 1

Andrews-Duncan House in 1967

Andrews-Duncan House in 2008

Lewis-Smith House in 1965, when originally located on Wilmington St

Lewis-Smith House now located on Blount Street

Heck-Andrews House in 1967

Heck-Andrews House in 2007


The governor's mansion in 1967, before the fence

Richard Haywood House in 1967, cor Edenton and Blount

J.H. Pou house in 1965, cor Blount and Polk (gone)

Part 1: The Blount Street Saga

North Blount Street’s glory days as Raleigh’s premier 19th century residential district are long gone… Even before state government began its systematic destruction in the early 1960s of the architectural gems that once lined the street the glitter had already faded. For the past 40 years she has held her ground, though, like a proud gap-toothed dowager, barely on life support from the state, patiently awaiting her final demise.

When I was a kid in the '60s N. Blount St. was the primary access route from my neighborhood near Lions Park into downtown Raleigh. I used to marvel at all the stately homes that graced the street, inventing names for many of them…the Heck-Andrews house became “The Blount Street House,” another towered confection the “Addams Family House,” the old Meredith building: “The Castle.” My family attended church downtown, so I looked forward to the weekly visit to my Blount Street fantasyland. Later, I attended junior high at the old Morson (High) School over on E. Hargett St., riding the city bus with the other kids in my neighborhood. Now my weekly visits became a daily event. That’s about the time the state went on its demolition spree, clearing land for its planned grandiose “state government office complex.”

The first to go were two huge twin Second Empire style houses across the street from “The Castle.” They looked like giant frame versions of the Hinsdale house (i.e. now the Second Empire restaurant) on Hillsboro St. (Story was they were built ca 1875 by twin brothers, hence their identical appearance.) Every day as the bus went by, I witnessed their gradual destruction bit by bit until there was nothing left at all. Then the rest of the northern half of that block went. A state government surface parking lot is there now.

About this time I got my first camera: a Kodak Instamatic. That’s when I began to document as many of the Blount Street wonders as I could. On weekend forays downtown I would walk the length of the street all the way from New Bern Ave. out past Peace College snapping black and white photos along the way. Then in 1967 “The Castle” went… I was heartbroken! Then the entire 200 block across from the Governor’s mansion went; then the mansion across the street from the Andrews-Duncan house; then one-by-one, more houses went, cherry-picked by the demolition crews as the state acquired more and more property. I dreaded the day I would come downtown and my beloved Blount Street House, too, would have disappeared!

Finally, the madness abated when the state finally realized that a grandiose, landscaped, lake-studded, government office park downtown was unfeasible. (We did get the “Stalinesque” government mall, though, which wiped out another historic neighborhood; but that is another story.) Coincidentally, about this time sentiment favoring historic preservation began to surface: the City of Raleigh Historic Sites Commission was created in 1967; The Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood in 1972 (That neighborhood came a hair close to being wiped out too, but that’s also another story.) Then in 1972 the Heck-Andrews House was designated an historic site by the City of Raleigh Commission. Soon the remaining Blount Street houses were likewise designated, and that’s what you see there today. Wherever you see a parking lot now, that is where a Blount Street House once stood. Although the state subsequently moved a handful of properties to Blount St. in order to save them from demolition (oh the irony!), the area seemed destined to further stagnate as state government use became entrenched.


Fast-forward 30+ years, and a real revitalization seems finally at hand, spearheaded by the Blount Street Commons project. Now back in private hands, Blount St. will be restored, so to speak, in an attempt to preserve what is left and to provide in-fill sites for endangered properties and style-appropriate structures. With the Jordan and Merrimon houses now on their way, it looks like the gap-toothed dowager is finally getting a much needed boost in life support, as well as some long overdue implants!




Views of the Casltle 1966-67 (RIP)

Open Mic Night @ The Berkeley Cafe

One of the greatest treasures of Raleigh's night life is Open Mic Night at the Berkeley Cafe. I've covered the Berkeley before back in September but open mic night is something truly special. Just as you may imagine, it's a night in which musicians of all varieties can perform for a rather large audience simply by signing up. It is usually an eclectic mix of music of several stripes, not music limited to one specific genre.
If you ever find yourself bored on a Wednesday night, I highly recommend checking it out. You won't be disappointed.

217 W Martin St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 821-0777
Get directions

The Forgotten Bar Of Hillsborough Street

The bar pictured above has been forgotten and abandoned for some time. It is very easy to miss if you aren't looking for it, but is located directly beneath Mitch's Tavern. It was purchased by Mitch some time ago, and has sat idle ever since. I've heard from various friends that have worked for him over the years that he bought it simply to prevent any sort of competition near his business. Many have also speculated that he is simply not ambitious enough to do anything with it.
Can anyone shed light on this particular place's history?

Moore Square Station Transit Mall

Every bus that travels through downtown makes a stop at Moore Square Station, CAT's transfer facility. It is located across from the Moore Square Park by City Market. You can enter the station from Blount Street, Hargett Street, Wilmington Street or Martin Street. Directories are posted at all entrances.

The Moore Square Transit Station Information Booth is open from 7 a.m.- 6 p.m. Monday - Friday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Saturday and it is closed on Sunday. The Customer Service Represenative can answer questions about CAT and provide brochures. The Information Booth also sells Weekly and 31-Day passes, multiple ride tickets and ART tickets.
-- City Of Raleigh

Moore Square

One of two surviving four-acre parks from Raleigh's original 1792 plan, the wooded square was originally surrounded by a residential neighborhood. During the latter part of the 19th century, Moore Square gradually transformed into a decidedly commercial district. Larger storefronts appeared on nearby Martin and Davie streets displaying wares of merchants, grocers and artisans.

Agricultural enterprises also took hold, drawn by the construction of the Mission style City Market in 1914. New bank buildings and the nearby City Auditorium further nurtured commercial activity. By the 1930's, the area was fully part of the city's business core. During the 1980's, the neighborhood was transformed into the Moore Square Art District you see today.

-- Moore Square Art District

In the lower right you can see the Skyy Dogs By Joe van in the usual spot on Davie Street. This perspective also emphasizes the number of fluroscent lights in the park.

A. Brothers Associates Building

A. Brothers Associates occupies part of this building on the corner of Martin and Blount Streets. Their web site is incredibly vague when describing what specific sort of design they specialize in, but their clients include companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, The NC Aquarium, and the Cary Heritage Museum.

A. Brothers Associates
123 E Martin St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 834-3964
Get directions

Wilmington Street Skyline

This is an updated view of a similar photo I took in October. Unfortunately I didn't include the top of RBC Plaza under construction as I did now.

The Corner of W. Martin And Salisbury Streets

This post kicks off a forthcoming series of photos taken from RBC Plaza. This photo and several others are also available as prints.

Estey Hall

Estey Hall may be the most beautiful historic building in all of Raleigh. It has a rich and detailed history, tied in with many parts of the city.

Estey Hall is the first building constructed for the higher education of black women in the United States. It is also the oldest surviving building of Shaw University, the first institutionalized effort to educate former slaves after the Civil War. A Union army chaplain and Baptist missionary, Henry Martin Tupper, founded the school in 1865. Tupper’s efforts were part of a widespread, church-based movement to educate former slaves in the post-Civil War South. Originally meeting in a Raleigh hotel room, Tupper’s school was subsequently provided a building by the Freedmen’s Bureau. In 1870, with the financial assistance of Massachusetts benefactor Elijah J. Shaw, the school purchased a tract of land at the south end of Fayetteville Street, near the former Governor’s Mansion. Five years later, the school was chartered by the General Assembly as Shaw University.

Shaw began to admit women soon after its founding, and in 1874, “Estey Seminary” was erected to serve them. Named for Vermont contributor Jacob Estey, the building was designed by G. S. H. Appleget, architect of the Colonel J. M. Heck house and several other large residences north of downtown.
-- National Park Service

As noted above, the architect was G. S. H. Appleget, who designed the Heck-Andrews House and other historic houses on Blount Street and the surrounding areas. Estey, the building's namesake, also has a colorful history.

In 1855, Jacob Estey organized the first manufacturing company to bear his name, Estey & Green, which was followed by Estey & Company; J. Estey & Company; Estey Organ Company; and finally Estey Organ Corporation, until the company went out of business in 1960.

During these more than one hundred years, Estey became the largest and best known manufacturer of reed organs in the world, building more than 520,000 instruments, all of which carried the inscription of "Brattleboro, Vt. USA"
-- Wikipedia

In addition to being the first historically black college of the south, Shaw also is home to the Leonard Medical School building. Leonard Medical School was the nation's first four year medical school as well as the first medical school dedicated to teaching African Americans in the south.

Jones Barber And Style Shop

This is the building that the previously mentioned "Spot Up Your Community" painting is on.

341 S Wilmington St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 832-3605
Get directions

Then and Now, Part 3

Image taken by me in 2004

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The same art piece in 2008

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I've been meaning to follow up to a few then and now posts I made in August of last year. The subject of these photos is an art piece that I know nothing about. When I originally photographed it in '04, it was located on Fayetteville Street, long before it was reopened to auto traffic. It is now located across from the Progress Energy Center for the performing arts.
Does anyone know information on the artist or background of the piece?

John The Rickshaw Driver

This is John. He's a bicycle rickshaw driver by night, and by day he and his wife are personal fitness trainers. They are a husband and wife team that comes to your residence twice a week to help you train and get in shape. You can visit them on the web at Fitness With Stuef.

Spot Up Your Community

I absolutely love this painting. It's on the side of a barbershop on the corner of Wilmington and Davie Streets. I know it has been repainted at least once in the past 4 years, as it was faded the first time I saw it. As noted in the bottom right corner, it was created by James Stacy Utley in 1994. It's interesting to note that the skyline's two tallest buildings are Progress I and the BB&T building.


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Quality Grocery In Oakwood

This little place is located on the corner of Lane Street and Linden Avenue, near the entrance to the cemetery.


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Moving Two Giant Houses

These two houses are currently located on Peace Street, across from Peace College. They are in the process of being moved, but I don't know where their final destination is.
It is somewhat ironic that the likelihood of a house being moved from its original location in order to preserve it is directly proportional to how old it is and how large it is--two factors that make moing them much more difficult to do.

The First North Carolina State Fair

The inscription on the marker reads:

First NC State Fair sponsored by the state agricultural society the fair was held here, October 18-21, 1853. New Bern Avenue and corner of Tarboro Road on site of Dept. of Motor Vehicles. The state fair, with its large racetrack, was two blocks south, between Hargett, Tarboro, and Davie Streets. It operated from 1853 to 1872, with exception of Civil War years, when it served as a millitary training camp. The "Fairgrounds Hospital", the first millitary hospital in North Carolina, was established here in 1861.

This is the second sidewalk marker covered on this blog. The first was Raleigh At Four Hundred Acres. The second location of the North Carolina state fair was located on the present day location of Fairmont Methodist Church and Horse Track Alley.

Playing The Mandolin On The Corner

This is Duncan. He was playing the mandolin in front of Sadlack's Heroes (previous articles on Sadlack's--part 1 and part 2). If you aren't familiar with a mandolin (I wasn't), it is just like a violin, but is plucked like a guitar.

North Carolina School Book Depository

The old NC School Book Depository building is located at 811 West Hargett Street. The particular part of W. Hargett Street that it occupies is a bit of an anomoly, as it exists for about two blocks before it turns in to Snow Ave., before turning back in to W. Hargett Street.
This building is now home to BFE Architects. Sadly, they don't have a web site. You can find them on the web at http://bfe-architecture.com.


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Artspace

Artspace is a non-profit visual art center dedicated to presenting quality exhibitions and educational programs within an open-studio environment. Since 1986, Artspace has been inspiring creative energy by bringing artists and the public together to experience the creative process in a very real and personal way

The Artspace building, located at 201 East Davie Street, has always been a center of activity and a community focal point. The 30,000 square foot building was built in 1911 as Raleigh’s city livery. At that time Raleigh businesses were located around Capitol Square. Fayetteville Street was the main street of commerce and the City Market area focused on bringing county residents into town to sell produce and goods for markets around the city.

The next owner of the building was the Sanders Ford Car Dealership, which at the time was one of the largest dealerships in North Carolina. In 1969, urban sprawl forced the Sanders Ford Dealership to move from the downtown area, leaving the building empty for several years.

Raleigh began to refocus its efforts on downtown revitalization, and with that mission in mind, Artspace was the perfect solution to enhance and rejuvenate the City Market and Moore Square Areas.

Artspace officially opened its doors and invited the public to experience the art making process in November of 1986. At that time, the City Market area suffered from problems relating to urban decay and was in need of revitalization. In many ways Artspace and its founders were pioneers in downtown Raleigh, convincing arts organizations and artists to join them in creating this new visual art center and bringing visitors to a then blighted area.

Artspace Visual Art Center

201 E Davie St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 821-2787
Get directions

Raleigh's Downtown Ambassadors

Pictured above are Angel (top) and Lamont (above). They are two of Raleigh's Downtown Ambassadors. On bicycle patrol, they serve as additional eyes and ears for the RPD. While on patrol they are responsible for a particular district (Warehouse, Glenwood, etc). I admittedly do not know the full scope of their job responsibilities, but at face value it seems like an awesome job--get paid to ride around Raleigh at night and get to know everyone coming downtown.

Revisiting The Old Esso Station

Our friends over at New Raleigh beat us to it today, but I wanted to follow up on my previous post about this building.

As you can see the old Gibbons Service building has been cleaned out and gutted in anticipation of a future lease. As a reader pointed out, the most recent occupant of this building was TAO Automotive
, now located on Capital Boulevard.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

I passed by this thing on at least two occasions before I grasped the absurdity of the situation. This trendy Trek Mystic girls bicycle is currently attached via a bike lock to the bar near Bruegger's Bagels on Hillsborough Street. It's been there for weeks now. My first thought is that it's the work of a humorous prankster, but you have to sit back and wonder who is going to pay top dollar ($140) for a bike to use as a joke? If you follow the link above, you'll notice this bike comes from the factory with steamers and a white plastic basket. Other than these two missing items, this bike is in brand new condition.
Do you have any guesses as to who put it there or why?

Keeping The Peace At Moore Square Station

Officer Jack (left) and Officer Edwards (right) talking with someone at Moore Square Station who may possibly be intoxicated. He was swearing pretty loudly as I walked by, which got my attention. They ended up leaving without incident.

City Cemetery (1798)

This was another chance encounter, as I was previously under the impression that Oakwood and the Raleigh National Cemetery were the oldest ones in town.

City Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Raleigh. It was established by an Act of the North Carolina General Assembly in 1798. It began as a four acre tract: two acres for burial of local residents, one acre for visitors, and one acre for blacks. Land was added in the 1840’s establishing its current boundary which encompasses more than 7 acres. Actual records of the cemetery were destroyed by fire in the 1890’s and again in the early 1930’s. The only existing records are those made by past Superintendents. The City Cemetery is surrounded by an iron fence that once was located at the State Capitol.

City Of Raleigh, Cemetery Study

Perhaps the most famous person buried here is Joel Lane, best known for his direct part in the decision to locate the state capital in Wake County and for donating 1,000 acres of his property which would later become the city as we know it today. Lane Street was named in his honor.