Filed Under Late Twentieth Century
(former) Branch Banking and Trust Building
When Wilson-based BB&T moved to Raleigh, it needed an architectural statement to underscore its ambition. Emery Roth & Sons, New York architects famous for the Pan Am Building in New York City, delivered a Manhattan-caliber skyscraper perfectly scaled to Raleigh's skyline. The International Style building owes a debt to Mies van der Rohe's influential 1958 Seagram Building in New York, incorporating into the facade vertical mullions shaped like I-beams, a nod to the structural frame. Polished black granite and glass curtain walls at the first and second floors contribute a luxe feel. The lobby and banking floor, designed by G. Milton Small, were removed in 1998.
Date: 1963-1965