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!.

Peeking In To The Post Office

A view inside of the post office on Fayetteville Street, as seen from the outside of it.

The Wilmont

UPDATE: The Wilmont Declared ‘Unfit for human habitation’. Read more here.




There is almost always something new to look at while driving by The Wilmont. The Christmas lights are usually on all year round. There are also frequently mannequins propped up on a few of the balconies.
The most interesting part? It’s the first apartment or other living space that I am aware of that has its own myspace page. The complex is around 70 years old.
What are some of the more memorable items you’ve seen on the various balconies of the Wilmont?


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