Medianeras In Raleigh
Medianera is a Spanish word used to describe a wall shared by two buildings. In Barcelona it is frequently used to describe a wall of a building that retains characteristics or artifacts of an adjacent building that has been torn down. One of the most easily noticed is the one off of Wilmington Street, as seen above.
Another one is the ghost staircase off of Salisbury Street, near the Court House.
Another one, visible on a building next to Lot 13.
These are the only examples that I am aware of. Do you know of more? Comment on this article and I’ll cover it in a follow-up.
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08/19/2008
An interesting post. I never knew these things had a name! They used to be far more common downtown than they are now… All the infill construction going on has pretty much obliterated them from the streetscape. There is another one I can think of over on Hargett St. adjacent to one of Greg Hatem’s recent restorations. On the east wall of the building that houses the Cave Art Gallery you can just make out the roofline of the old Royal Theater, one of Raleigh’s two African-American movie theaters from the segregation era. It doesn’t have nearly the dramatic effect of the “stairs to nowhere” on Wilmington St., but it is still an urban relic, nonetheless.
05/29/2009
Interesting post alright. How did it get the name ghost stairs?
12/16/2015
Another one that I see often is adjacent to what is currently Luccette Grace bakery along Salisbury Street. The rear the now demolished building is actually still standing and is attached to the Mahler Building that faces Fayetteville St.