This building has been in the news a bit lately. It has, at least, in the local blogging scene. The Raleigh Connoiseur, New Raleigh, among others all ran interesting pieces discussing the approaching destruction of this unique and historic building.

The destruction of this piece of modernist architecture downtown will be a significant loss that will be remembered for years to come.

The Odd Fellows building, or as it says on the column, Commerce Building. It’s 11 stories and was built in 1923 for the Grand Lodge of the IOOF (Independent Order of Odd Fellows).

The IOOF website says that

In 17th century England, it was odd to find people organized for the purpose of giving aid to those in need and of pursuing projects for the benefit of all mankind. Those who belonged to such an organization were called “Odd Fellows”. Odd Fellows are also known as “The Three Link Fraternity” which stands for Friendship, Love and Truth.

I read about Raleigh’s Coverage by Google’s street maps over at New Raleigh, and probably did what every other Raleigh resident did and I typed in my own address. It was awesome, to say the least. I can say that this feature is especially exciting for this blog.
The first thing a friend of mine (who also used to be a room mate) did was retrace steps from our house to class. I did the same thing, and was just absolutely blown away. The idea of an experience on the computer that is this close to real life is a pretty intense one.
I think the idea of a Raleigh street view with a Grand Theft Auto flavor is a bit unnerving. If you mix Raleigh street view and a Tony Hawk Skateboarding franchise, then you’ve got a hit.