My first few experiences with photography downtown involved the Clarion Building. In fact, the third post to this blog included a picture I took in 2004 from the top of the Clarion Hotel when the Tower Lounge and Restaurant was in the process of being built/formed. I also had another post where the top of the Clarion Tower looked like a UFO because the middle part was obscured by trees.
I’m not sure how some in the local architectural community in general feel about this building, but I view it as a landmark and am very proud to have it in my home town.

According to Shaw University,

Leonard opened in 1882 as the nation’s first 4-year medical school and was the first medical school devoted to training African Americans in the South. Approximately 400 doctors graduated from Leonard bringing medical care to areas across North Carolina and the world that had a desperate need for doctors. In addition to the medical school, Shaw opened a hospital in 1911 and gave the African American community in and around Raleigh access to precious medical care that was hard for poorer citizens to find otherwise.