Goodnight Raleigh - a look at the art, architecture, history, and people of the city at night

Nowicki’s Other Masterpiece: the Erdahl-Cloyd Wing at NC State

Built in 1952, the Erdahl-Cloyd Wing of D.H. Hill Library is attributed to the official architect of record, William Henley Deitrick. However, in the years in which the building was conceived, Deitrick was no longer designing, but handling the business end of the firm.

The details of who designed the Erdahl-Cloyd Student Union Building have been rather murky in history books and official records. The surprising part is that the design came from Matthew Nowicki, the visionary architect behind Dorton Arena. Sadly, he never received credit for it.

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2011: Year Of Rapid Disappearance Of Raleigh’s Places With Character

401 Oberlin, one of the newest proposed teardown projects

When looking at the number of planned development projects centered around the downtown area, one feels a sense of relief that Raleigh is well insulated from the economic woes currently plaguing most cities in the United States. While on one hand these are a reassuring sign of progress, on the other they represent a rapid loss of unique buildings with character that define Raleigh.

Before they’re gone, let’s take a look at what we’re losing.

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Apple’s “Spaceship” Campus Proposal Looks Familiar

Top: Rendering of Apple’s new headquarters in Cupertino, CA. Bottom: Model of Columbus Circle Shopping Center in NYC by former NCSU architecture professor Matthew Nowicki. Bottom image courtesy of and copyright NCSU SCRC.

The announcement of Apple’s new campus in Cupertino, California created a bit of buzz amongst the company’s fans as well as architecture enthusiasts. The design has been likened by many to a spaceship. It will feature several technological innovations as well as provide its own power from an on-site natural gas plant.

While many were focusing on how new and different this building is, I couldn’t help but think how similar it is to the Columbus Circle Shopping Center Proposal (unbuilt), drawn up more than 60 years ago by the former head of NCSU’s architecture program, Matthew Nowicki.

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