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

Architectural Styles of Raleigh and London

My last post entry about the Post Office reminded me of the slight similarity or architectural styles of Fayetteville Street and London’s Piccadilly Circus. I first thought about it when noticing the light reflections on the Court House. It’s interesting that both buildings pictured have blue reflections on the windows. To be sure, Fayetteville Street pales in comparison to the busy nature and environment of Piccadilly.

The official Raleigh City Government web site says that

The new federal courthouse and post office with its identical front and back, was opened at the corner of Fayetteville and Martin in 1878 at a whopping cost of $400,000.

Considering the time frame that this building was constructed, it isn’t much of a surprise that it shares many architectural characteristics with a building in Piccadilly, shown below.

Reflections in Piccadilly Circus

The Federal Building and Court House had many buildings constructed around the same time frame as those in Piccadilly. There was talk of closing down the Federal Building (which includes the Post Office and Bankruptcy Court), until the plans came to revitalize the Fayetteville Street Mall.

If you are interested in seeing photos of London at night, please check out my other site, Goodnight, London!.

The North Carolina Legislative Building

The North Carolina state government web site says that

The North Carolina General Assembly met in the State Capitol from 1840 until the State Legislative Building was completed in January 1963. The home of the North Carolina General Assembly is unique in that it is devoted solely to the legislative branch of the state government. The Legislative Building contains facilities necessary for the efficient functioning of the General Assembly. The building includes not only Senate and House Chambers, but also committee rooms, offices for members, and space for clerical personnel. Throughout, provisions are made for easy access and observation of legislative procedures by the interested visitor.

Wake County Court House

Not too long ago I posted a photo with a view of the court house facing Fayetteville St. Here is a more magnified view of the facade.