List of tallest buildings in Raleigh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raleigh, the second largest city in North Carolina, is home to more than 50 completed high-rise buildings, 14 of which stand taller than at least 250 feet (76 m).[1] The tallest building in Raleigh is the 32-story PNC Plaza, which rises 538 feet (164 m) tall and was completed in 2008.[2] It also stands as the tallest building in the state of North Carolina outside Charlotte. The second-tallest skyscraper in the city is Two Hannover Square, which rises 431 feet (131 m) and was completed in 1991.[3] The Wells Fargo Capitol Center, completed in 1990, is Raleigh's third tallest building, rising at 400 feet (122 m).[4] Overall, of the 25 tallest buildings in North Carolina, three are located in Raleigh.[5] The history of skyscrapers in Raleigh began with the completion of the North Carolina State Capitol in 1840.[6] The first skyscraper in the city is the Briggs Hardware Building, which was completed in 1874.[7] Overall, the Council on Vertical Urbanism ranks Raleigh's skyline is the 46th largest in the United States, 63rd in North America, and 285th in the world.[8]
Tallest buildingPNC Plaza
Tallest building height538 ft (164 m)
Major clustersDowntown Raleigh
North Hills
North Hills
10 stories or more32
| Skyline of Raleigh | |
|---|---|
Downtown Raleigh in 2023 | |
| Tallest building | PNC Plaza |
| Tallest building height | 538 ft (164 m) |
| Major clusters | Downtown Raleigh North Hills |
| Number of tall buildings | |
| 10 stories or more | 32 |
| 20 stories or more | 13 |
| Taller than 75 m (246 ft) | 18 |
| Taller than 100 m (328 ft) | 5 |
| Taller than 150 m (492 ft) | 1 |
History
Historical skyline appearance
1909
c. 1935
c. 1960
1966
2008
2018
18th–20th century
Raleigh was designed as a planned city in 1792 by William Christmas, which hampered the city's ability to house future skyscrapers.[9] The first dwelling in the city & Wake County is the Joel Lane House, built in 1769.[10] Other large buildings completed around that time include the North Carolina State House, which was finished in 1796.[11] Raleigh's skyscraper history began in 1874 with the four story Briggs Hardware Building, becoming the first skyscraper in Raleigh. Edenton Street United Methodist Church later was completed in 1881. There was a building boom of 2-4 story buildings around Fayetteville Street in the early 20th century.[12] The boom included Capital Apartments, Capital Club Building, Masonic Temple Building, and Odd Fellows Building.[13][14][15][16]The Wake County Office Building was built in 1942, and became the tallest building, when Edenton Street United Methodist Church was destroyed by fire on July 28, 1956. The second construction boom occurred in the 1960s with multiple modernist buildings, including the Branch Banking and Trust Building.[12][17] The 1990s had the completion of three of the tallest buildings in the city, with two being over 400 feet (122 m).
2000s–present
In the 2000s, Red Hat Tower, Quorum Center, and PNC Plaza were built, with PNC Plaza being the first building over 500 feet (152 m). Soleil Center was planned 43-story skyscraper in 2005, which never materialized due to the Great Recession.[18][19] In 2009, the Raleigh City Council passed a comprehensive plan, for construction outside of city center: Downtown, Brier Creek, Midtown, Crabtree Valley, West Raleigh, Cameron/University, Triangle Town Center, and New Bern/WakeMed.[9] The first skyscrapers outside of the downtown area was built in North Hills. Renaissance Raleigh Hotel opened in 2008 and Captrust Tower in 2009. Other buildings completed in the late 2010-2020s include Bank of America Tower, Park Central, Midtown Plaza, Advance Auto Parts Tower, The Eastern, The Tower at Cardinal North Hills, NHX North Tower Apartments, One North Hills Tower, and North Hills Tower 5. Skyhouse Raleigh completed in 2015, making it the tallest residential skyscraper. The Dillon became the tallest structure in the Warehouse District in 2018.
Highline Glenwood in Glenwood South will be the second tallest building and Omni Raleigh will be the fifth tallest building once they are completed.
Tallest buildings
There have been several buildings in Raleigh that have held the title as the tallest building in the city. While the 3-story North Carolina State Capitol was the first high-rise building in the city, the Briggs Hardware Building is generally regarded as Raleigh's first skyscraper, when it was completed in 1874. The Edenton Street United Methodist Church was completed in 1881 and held the title as the tallest building in Raleigh for 75 years until it was destroyed by fire in 1956, for which the Wake County Office Building became the tallest building. Capital Bank Plaza became the tallest building in 1964, until the completion of the State Capitol Holiday Inn[a] in 1969. In 1977, One Progress Plaza overtook the Holiday Inn as the tallest in the city. First Union Capitol Center is the first building over 400 feet (122 m) in 1990. Two Hannover Square quickly became the tallest building in 1991. In 2008, RBC Plaza became the first building over 500 feet (152 m).
Number of buildings by height in Raleigh by the end of each year, based on the information in this article. Click on the legend to toggle a specific height on or off. View chart definition.
Cityscape
Map of tallest buildings
The map below shows the location of buildings taller than 200 ft (61 m) in Raleigh, most of which are in the city's Central Business District and North Hills. Each marker is numbered by the building's height rank, and colored by the decade of its completion.
Buildings taller than 200 feet (61 m) in Raleigh. Each marker is numbered by height and colored by the decade of the building's completion. An asterisk (*) next to the building's name indicates it is located outside the map.
- 1950s and before
- 1960s
- 1970s
- 1980s
- 1990s
- 2000s
- 2010s
- 2020s
1
PNC Plaza2
Two Hannover Square3
150 Fayetteville4
The Eastern5
FNB Tower6
One Progress Plaza7
One City Plaza8
Red Hat Tower9
301 Hillsborough10
Bank of America Tower11
The Dillon12
The Holston at The Weld13
Ray at The Weld14
Skyhouse Raleigh15
Captrust Tower16
Wake County Justice Center17
East Civic Tower18
Advance Auto Parts Tower19
400H Apartments20
Wake County Public Safety Center21
Cardinal North Hills - East Tower22
Holiday Inn Raleigh Downtown23
North Hills Tower 524
333 Fayetteville Street25
Sheraton Capital Center26
Charter Square27
The Maeve28
Park Central29
West Condominiums30
Wake County Office Building31
Raleigh Marriott City Center32
Quorum CenterTallest buildings
This list ranks Raleigh high rises 200 feet (61 m), based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a buildings was completed. Buildings tied in height are sorted by year of completion with earlier buildings ranked first, and then alphabetically.
Was the tallest building in Raleigh upon completion
Architecturally topped out but not yet completed
| Rank | Name | Image | Location | Height ft (m) |
Floors | Year | Primary Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PNC Plaza |  |
Downtown — Fayetteville Street | 538 feet (164 m) | 32 | 2008 | Office/ Residential | Previously known as RBC Plaza; was the U.S. headquarters of RBC Bank. Tallest building in North Carolina outside of Charlotte. Tallest building completed in Raleigh in the 2000s.[21][2][22][23] |
| 2 | Two Hannover Square |  |
Downtown — Fayetteville Street | 431 feet (131 m) | 29 | 1991 | Office | Formerly known as BB&T Building.
Was the tallest building in Raleigh before being surpassed by PNC Plaza. Tallest building completed in Raleigh in the 1990s.[21][24][3] |
| 3 | 150 Fayetteville |  |
Downtown — Fayetteville Street | 400 feet (122 m) | 30 | 1990 | Office | Formerly known as First Union Capitol Center, Wachovia Capitol Center and Wells Fargo Capitol Center.
Was the tallest building in Raleigh before being surpassed by Two Hannover Square.[21][25][4] |
| 4 | The Eastern |  |
North Hills | 377 feet (115 m) | 36 | 2022 | Residential | Formerly known as Walter Tower. Tallest building completed in Raleigh in the 2020s.[26][27][28] |
| 5 | FNB Tower |  |
Downtown — Fayetteville Street | 358 feet (109 m) | 22 | 2019 | Office/ Residential | Regional headquarters of First National Bank. Formerly known as Charter Square North. Tallest building completed in Raleigh in the 2010s.[29][30] |
| 6 | One Progress Plaza |  |
Downtown — Fayetteville Street | 298 feet (91 m) | 21 | 1977 | Office | Formerly known as Progress Energy Building, CP&L Building, Carolina Power & Light Building, Center Plaza
Was the tallest building in Raleigh before being surpassed by 150 Fayetteville. Tallest building completed in Raleigh in the 1970s.[21][31][32] |
| 7 | One City Plaza |  |
Downtown — Fayetteville Street | 289 feet (88 m) | 17 | 1985 | Office | Formerly known as One Bank of America Plaza, One Hannover Square. Tallest building completed in Raleigh in the 1980s.[21][33] |
| 8 | Red Hat Tower |  |
Downtown — Moore Square | 286 feet (87 m) | 19 | 2004 | Office | Formerly known as Two Progress Tower, Progress Energy Tower. Previously the headquarters of Progress Energy; is now the headquarters of Red Hat.[34][35][36] |
| 9 | 301 Hillsborough |  |
Downtown — Glenwood South | 272 feet (83 m) | 19 | 2022 | Office | Phase 1 of the Raleigh Crossing development. Headquarters of Pendo.[21][37][38][39] |
| 10 | Bank of America Tower |  |
North Hills | 266 feet (81 m) | 18 | 2016 | Office | Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust moved their operations to the building. [21][40][41][42] |
| 11 | The Dillon |  |
Downtown — Warehouse District | 266 feet (81 m) | 17 | 2018 | Office/ Residential | The building was built on the 2.5-acre occupies the former Dillon Supply warehouse.[43][44][45] |
| 12 | The Holston at The Weld |  |
Downtown | 265 feet (81 m) | 20 | 2025 | Residential | Two tower developments near Dix Park.[46][47] |
| 13 | Ray at The Weld |  |
Downtown | 265 feet (81 m) | 20 | 2025 | Residential | Two tower developments near Dix Park.[46][47] |
| 14 | Skyhouse Raleigh |  |
Downtown — Moore Square | 264 feet (80 m) | 23 | 2015 | Residential | Upon its completion in 2015, it became the tallest apartment building in Raleigh.[48][49][50] |
| 15 | Captrust Tower |  |
North Hills | 260 feet (79 m) | 17 | 2009 | Office | [51][52][53] |
| 16 | Wake County Justice Center |  |
Downtown — Fayetteville Street | 258 feet (79 m) | 12 | 2013 | Office | [54] |
| 17 | East Civic Tower |  |
Downtown — Fayetteville Street | 258 feet (79 m) | 17 | 2026 | Office | Topped out on November 7, 2025.[55] It will be a city hall complex in downtown, which will consolidate most of the city functions into one building. The building is located at 110 S McDowell St, the former Raleigh Police Department headquarters.[56][57] |
| 18 | Advance Auto Parts Tower |  |
North Hills | 257 feet (78 m) | 20 | 2020 | Office | Headquarters for Advance Auto Parts.[21][58][59] |
| 19 | 400H |  |
Downtown — Glenwood South | 244 feet (74 m) | 20 | 2023 | Office/ Residential | [60][61][62] |
| 20 | Wake County Public Safety Center |  |
Downtown — Fayetteville Street | 241 feet (73 m) | 17 | 1991 | Office | [63][64] |
| 21 | Cardinal North Hills - East Tower |  |
North Hills | 241 feet (73 m) | 18 | 2023 | Residential | Located in the North Hills area.[65][66] |
| 22 | Holiday Inn Raleigh Downtown |  |
Downtown — Glenwood South | 239 feet (73 m) | 20 | 1969 | Hotel | Formerly known as Clarion Hotel. Future conversion to Hotel Indigo. Raleigh Historic Landmark. Tallest building completed in Raleigh in the 1960s.[54][67][68] |
| 23 | North Hills Tower 5 |  |
North Hills | 238 feet (73 m) | 18 | 2025 | Office | Located in the North Hills Innovation District.[47][69][70] |
| 24 | 333 Fayetteville Street |  |
Downtown — Fayetteville Street | 221 feet (67 m) | 15 | 1964 | Office | Formerly known as 333 Corporate Plaza, Capital Bank Plaza
Was the tallest building in Raleigh before being surpassed by One Progress Plaza.[63][71] |
| 25 | Sheraton Capital Center |  |
Downtown — Fayetteville Street | 213 feet (65 m) | 17 | 1982 | Hotel | [72][73][74][75] |
| 26 | Charter Square |  |
Downtown — Fayetteville Street | 213 feet (65 m) | 11 | 2015 | Office | Platinum LEED certified.[76][77] |
| 27 | The Maeve |  |
Downtown — Warehouse District | 213 feet (65 m) | 20 | 2025 | Residential | [47][78][79] |
| 28 | Park Central |  |
North Hills | 212 feet (65 m) | 16 | 2017 | Residential | [80][81] |
| 29 | West Condominiums | Downtown — Glenwood South | 211 feet (64 m) | 15 | 2008 | Residential | [82][83][i] | |
| 30 | Wake County Office Building |  |
Downtown — Glenwood South | 206 feet (63 m) | 15 | 1942 | Office | Was the tallest building in Raleigh before being surpassed by 333 Fayetteville Street. Tallest building completed in Raleigh in the 1940s.[84] |
| 31 | Raleigh Marriott City Center |  |
Downtown — Fayetteville Street | 202 feet (62 m) | 17 | 2008 | Hotel | [85][86][i] |
| 32 | Quorum Center |  |
Downtown — Glenwood South | 200 feet (61 m) | 15 | 2007 | Office/ Residential | Building received damage from the Metropolitan apartment complex fire on March 16, 2017.[87][88][89][90] |
- Sources do not state the exact height of this building. This figure was determined using Google Earth by subtracting the altitude of the building's lowest main pedestrian open-air entrance from the highest architectural point.
Tallest under construction or proposed
Under construction
Buildings approved that are currently under construction, in site prep, or demolition phase. Buildings listed are planned to rise above 200 feet (60 m) and include:
| Name | Image | Height (ft.)/(m.) |
Floors | Year | Status | Primary Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highline Glenwood |  |
490 feet (149 m) | 37 | 2028 | Under Construction | Mixed-Use | Initially planned to rise to 32 stories, but modified in 2022. The building experienced permit delays in 2023 and broke ground in October 2025.[91] It will have 306 Residential units, and it will be the first phase of Highline Glenwood.[92][93] The developer Turnbridge Equities, has secured financing for the project. Once complete, it is expected to be the tallest residential building in the city.[94] |
| The Strand |  |
210 feet (64 m) | 20 | 2027 | Under Construction | Mixed-Use | A 20-story residential tower has been ground at a former parking lot next to the Advanced Auto Parts Tower. It with have 362 apartments and 9,000 square feet (840 m2) of ground-level retail.[95][96] |
| Omni Raleigh | 384 feet (117 m) | 29 | 2028 | Under Construction | Mixed-Use | It is a 29-story hotel containing 600 rooms and 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) of retail. The site is located on former surface parking directly across the street from the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh. It broke ground in February 2026 and it will deliver near the end of 2028[97][98] | |
| Union West |  |
? | 23 | 2026 | Under Construction | Mixed-Use | Initial planned for two towers, 32-stories. Now a single, 23-story building.[99][100] |
Proposed
Buildings currently planned, approved or on hold. Buildings listed are planned to rise above 200 feet (60 m) and include:
| Name | Height (ft.)/(m.) |
Floors | Year | Status | Primary Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington Street Mixed Use | 242 feet (74 m) | 20 | TBD | Proposed | Mixed-Use | Located at 521 S Wilmington Street.[101][102] |
| Life Time at The Exchange | 225 feet (69 m) | 17 | TBD | Approved | Mixed-Use | It is a 17-story building containing a 80,000 square feet (7,400 m2) Life Time Fitness location, 250 apartment units, and a 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2) rooftop beach club. Construction will start in early 2026.[97] |
| 404 Glenwood at The Creamery | 295 feet (90 m) | 20 | TBD | Approved | Mixed-Use | Second phase of Highline Glenwood. Located in Glenwood South. [92][103][104] |
| The Nash (Tower 1) | – | 40 | TBD | On Hold | Mixed-Use | First of two planned towers located next to Nash Square in Downtown Raleigh. Would be Tallest Building in Raleigh if constructed.[105] |
| The Nash (Tower 2) | – | 40 | TBD | On Hold | Mixed-Use | Second of two planned towers located next to Nash Square in Downtown Raleigh. Would be Tallest Building in Raleigh if constructed.[105] |
| Raleigh Convention Hotel and Downtown Development Project (Tower 2) | 530 feet (162 m) | 40 | TBD | On Hold | Office/Mixed-Use | Planned to be constructed near Raleigh's convention center and performing arts center. While the height has not been revealed, the city desires for both buildings to be of a substantial height.[106] |
| One Nash Square | – | 20 | 2029 | Approved | Residential | Located at 217 W. Martin St. Planned condominium. Initially plan for a 36-story mixed-use tower.[107] |
| Vela LongView | 336 feet (102 m) | 30 | TBD | On Hold | Mixed-Use | Will have 524,568 Sq Ft for residential units and retail spaces. To begin construction in mid-2023.[108] |
| Bloc83 Tower 3 | 274 feet (84 m) | 18 | TBD | On Hold | Mixed-Use | Third building in Bloc83 development, after 621 Hillsborough and One Glenwood.[109][110][111][112] |
| West at Peace | – | 27 | TBD | Approved | Mixed-Use | Breaking ground in 2027[113][114] |
Timeline of tallest buildings
This lists buildings that once held the title of tallest building in Raleigh.
| Name | Image | Height ft (m) |
Floors | Years tallest | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina State Capitol |  |
97 feet (30 m) | 3 | 1840-1859 | [6] |
| First Baptist Church |  |
98 feet (30 m) | 1 | 1859-1874 | [115] |
| Briggs Hardware Building |  |
100 feet (30 m) | 4 | 1874-1881 | [7] |
| Edenton Street United Methodist Church |  |
184 feet (56 m) | N/A | 1881-1956 | [116] |
| Wake County Office Building |  |
206 feet (63 m) | 16 | 1956-1964 | [84] |
| Capital Bank Plaza | |
221 feet (67 m) | 15 | 1964-1969 | [71] |
| Holiday Inn Raleigh Downtown | |
239 feet (73 m) | 20 | 1969-1977 | [67] |
| One Progress Plaza | .jpg) |
298 feet (91 m) | 21 | 1977-1990 | [31] |
| Wells Fargo Capitol Center |  |
400 feet (122 m) | 30 | 1990-1991 | [25] |
| Two Hannover Square | |
431 feet (131 m) | 29 | 1991-2008 | [24] |
| PNC Plaza | |
538 feet (164 m) | 32 | 2008–Present | [23] |
