Raleigh's $2 Billion Plus Renaissance Over the next three years, here are some of the major projects transforming Raleigh into the premiere event destination for entertainment, learning and technology in the Southeast: - New Downtown Raleigh Convention Center
- Raleigh Marriott City Center
- New and Notable Restaurants
- Reopening of Fayetteville Street to Vehicular Traffic
- Downtown Public Art Projects
- The Umstead Hotel and Spa
- Renaissance Raleigh North Hills
- The Westin Raleigh
- North Carolina Museum of Art Expansion
- Green Square Project at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
- New Terminal C at Raleigh-Durham International Airport
- New Contemporary Art Museum
New Downtown Raleigh Convention Center  Catalyst of downtown's $1.7 billion redevelopment and growing - 500,000 total sq. ft. of state-of-the-art space
- 150,000 sq. ft. exhibition hall, 32,000 sq. ft. grand ballroom with reception area, 20 meeting rooms totaling 32,000+ sq. ft.
- 400-room, four-star Raleigh Marriott City Center with enclosed access to the center; 355-room Sheraton Raleigh Hotel adjacent to center
- Opening Spring 2008
Marriott Raleigh City Center  Convention center headquarters hotel - 400 rooms, including 9 suites
- Almost 6,000 square feet of meeting space
- Opening Summer 2008
New & Notable Restaurants - Zely & Ritz: Organic tapas & wine bar; Chef Sarig Agasi; named "Top 20 Best Organic Restaurants in America by Organic Style;" located on Glenwood South; Opened December 2004
- JK's: Upscale Steakhouse; Opened in North Hills September 2005
- Mura: Upscale Asian Fusion with contemporary décor; Opened in North Hills September 2005
- Savannah : Upscale Lowcountry featuring contemporary design; Chef/Owner Chris Bender; Opened in North Hills December 2005
- Jibarra: Upscale Modern Mexican featuring contemporary décor; Opened in North Raleigh January 2006
- The Crazy Vine: wine & tapas bar; Located on Glenwood South; Opened February 2006
- Vivace: Contemporary Italian Trattoria by the Urban Food Group; Chef Jeremy Sabo; Designed by award-winning firm, The Johnson Studio; Opened in North Hills March 2006
- The Raleigh Times Bar & The Morning Times: Gastro-pub and coffee shop side-by-side, by Empire Properties; Chef Ashley Christensen; in restored downtown building that previously housed The Raleigh Times ; Opened March 2006
- Amra's: 1930's style jazz lounge & restaurant; Located on Glenwood South; Opened April 2006
- Riviera : European-style café & lounge; Located downtown; Opened April 2006
- NELSONS: Classic American-European Cuisine by Cameron Hospitality; features gourmet oyster bar, dining loggia, Skyline Loft bar; Located in Cameron Village; Opened April 2006
- 18 Seaboard: Seasonal American Grill featuring Southern influences and a wood-fired oven: Chef/Owner Jason Smith; Located in Raleigh 's downtown; Opened April 2006
- The Kitchen: Hip Soul Food restaurant & bar; Chef Ashley Christensen; Located in Raleigh 's downtown in the restored Heilig-Levine Building ; Opens September 2006
Reopening of Fayetteville Street to Vehicular Traffic  Raleigh 's premier address with the southern portion reaching Raleigh Marriott City Center hotel, Raleigh Convention Center and Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts - $10 million project featuring 2 lanes of traffic, wide sidewalks to accommodate outdoor dining, and parallel parking; the area will be embellished with sidewalks made of stone pavers, benches, bike racks, trees, planters, and public artwork
- Raleigh's Main Street since its creation as one of the 4 streets radiating north, south, east and west from the Capitol in the 1792 William Christmas Plan for the new State Capital City at Raleigh
- The Mall was constructed in the late 1970s and has existed in its original design until this conversion to vehicular traffic
- Opening Summer 2006
Downtown Public Art Projects  More than $7 million in projects, including $3 million dedicated to new convention center for shimmer wall, fountains and sculptures - Private gift of $2.5 million commissioned internationally acclaimed artist Jaume Plensa, known for his outdoor exhibits in Chicago 's Millennium Park and New Orleans , to construct a project for the Grand Plaza of Fayetteville Street
- Known for brainy and fun public art, the Barcelona resident passed up a commission in Miami to take on the Raleigh assignment
- His designs call for grassy plaza standing three feet above streets and sidewalks made of black granite; other recognizable features include a strong spotlight to shine above the city as a geographical center to the city as well as a wall of water falling from a lattice like canopy and LED lights displaying letters, numbers and colors
- The project was inspired by a silicon chip, representing Raleigh 's position in the hi-tech marketplace
- Sixteen dichroic glass chandeliers to line Fayetteville Street that stand some 25 feet high with artists Cork Marcheschi of San Francisco and LDDK Studios of Seagrove, NC
- Part of $1.8 million project, chandeliers tie into the State Capitol and Memorial Auditorium architecture by mirroring the square granite base of the buildings' columns
The Umstead Hotel & Spa  150-room hotel features 27 suites with a 14,000-square-foot full-service spa and original artwork throughout to be built beside a three-acre lake as an independent hotel locally owned and developed by Ann Goodnight, wife of SAS Institute co-founder Jim Goodnight - $75 million project with 4 and a half or 5 star quality and built by Hunt Construction Group, nation's premier builder of hospitality facilities
- Six-story luxury hotel will feature 150 oversized lavish guestrooms and suites, 16,000 square feet of flexible indoor/outdoor meeting space, sculpture garden, first class restaurant, concierge service, 24 hour room service and original artwork throughout the property
- Design by Three Architecture of Dallas (using extensive glass and limestone exterior for 86 foot tall building); interior by Frank Nicholson Inc of Boston
- SAS Institute is located across Interstate 40 from 5,577-acre William B. Umstead State Park. One exit from RDU Airport
- Opening January 2007
Renaissance Raleigh North Hills  229-room four-star luxury hotel that will anchor North Hills' new mixed-use district - Features 12 suites and a club level, almost 8,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 5,500 square foot ballroom and an upscale restaurant
- Access to the adjoining Natural Body Spa (a European-style day spa) and the new $3 million Gold's Gym Athletic featuring 50,000 square feet of space including an all-weather Olympic swimming pool
- North Hills reopened in Fall 2004 as Raleigh 's "Midtown"– a district of three city blocks designed to draw people with its sheer variety of experiences
- Opening Summer 2007
The Westin Raleigh  264 rooms and four-star quality hotel including 35 suites and 12,000 square-foot world-class wellness spa and fitness center - $120 million and 600,000 sq. ft. project promises to be one of the most beautiful buildings (42 stories) in North Carolina
- 12,000 sq. ft. of meeting space includes a 6,000 sq. ft. ballroom and a rooftop terrace of 10,000 additional sq. ft. for receptions
- 35 to 40 luxury condos and an upscale restaurant
- Would be only the second Westin in North Carolina (other in Charlotte ) and located near one of the Carolina 's largest malls ( Crabtree Valley featuring 220 stores)
- Opening Mid 2008
North Carolina Museum of Art Expansion  $75 million expansion featuring new galleries and public spaces built in direct relationship to the environment - Designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners of New York
- Expected to increase gallery space by 40 percent and provide much-needed space for the Museum's growing permanent collection
- Existing Museum building will be transformed into an education and temporary exhibition center, and will also house administrative offices, art service, and storage
- Received an unprecedented gift of Auguste Rodin works from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in November 2005 to be displayed in the new galleries
Gift of 23 works of art, including 22 bronze sculptures by Rodin, makes the Museum one of the world's top Rodin repositories and the only cultural institution in the South with a major Rodin collection; as part of the expansion, the Museum will establish a Rodin study center and name a Rodin gallery and adjacent garden in honor of the Cantor Foundation - Among the Rodin works are casts of the celebrated sculptures The Kiss and The Thinker , as well as Cybele, Monumental Torso of the Walking Man, The Three Shades, Monumental Head of Pierre de Wiessant, and Jean de Fiennes, Vetu , plus Camille Claudel's Bust of Rodin and a demonstration piece explaining the lost-wax casting process of Rodin's Sorrow
- Opening 2008 with construction starting in Fall 2006
Green Square Project at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences  Innovative $100 million partnership involving private and state agencies in development of entire city block in downtown Raleigh - Four-story project features Nature Research Center , office space for Department of Environment and Natural Resources, new banking center for State Employees Credit Union and more
- Nature Research Center is an almost 100,000 sq. ft. investigative science center as NASA just awarded $500,000 toward a Space and Earth Observation Wing
- Will meet some of North Carolina 's economic and educational challenges by providing hands-on training for science, technology and problem solving
- Opening 2009
New Terminal C at Raleigh-Durham International Airport  $600 million redevelopment and expansion and will become RDU's primary terminal - Accommodates the ever-increasing number of travelers using RDU and features 32 to 35 gates by tripling the size of the existing terminal
- Efficiently guides passengers through ticketing, security, gates and baggage claim
- Eight major airlines and 12 regional carriers currently offer nearly 450 daily flights to 37 nonstop destinations
- Phase 1 of new terminal opening in 2008 with most of the new front hall along with north concourse with 17 gates
- Phase 2 of new terminal opening in 2010 with remaining portion of front hall, reconstruction of the central concourse and rebuilding of south concourse
- Airlines scheduled to use new terminal: Air Canada , American, American Eagle, United (now in Terminal C) and Continental, Delta, Northwest, US Airways, America West (moving from Terminal A)
New Contemporary Art Museum - Originally established in 1983 and new facility will address its role as an urban cultural center, a downtown Raleigh meeting place, a catalyst for change and vital element in the region's urban renaissance
- Part of a 20,000 square foot redevelopment by Grubb Properties in downtown Raleigh 's warehouse district located at 409 West Martin Street that will include residential, retail and/or office space components integrated into the permanent museum setting
- Preliminary designs include two full levels, soaring interior space and two adjacent parking lots, plus both large and intimate gallery spaces, classrooms and new technology as both an art form and educational tool
- Opening Late 2007
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