Located one block from the state capitol in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, Heilig-Levine is a historic rehabilitation project that combines four neighboring commercial buildings into one mixed-use structure, with space split evenly between retail and LEED Platinum, Class A office space on floors 2 and 3. The building’s reinvigorated storefronts are filled with longtime Raleigh neighborhood retailers as well as new, local businesses and restaurants that are reactivating the once-vibrant street and at the same time providing a link to burgeoning development on the city’s iconic Fayetteville Street., , For decades, Raleigh’s downtown was affected by disinvestment, with most of the region’s growth occurring in the suburbs. Empire Properties’ Heilig-Levine project, however, has continued the recent wave of revitalization. The largest office space in the complex, created in collaboration with tenant Cherokee Investment Partners, is a model for how LEED certification and certified historic rehabilitation can work together to result in a simultaneously “green” and historic space. With the final tenant upfits nearing completion as of July 2008, the project is regarded as a mix of old and new Raleigh–at once retaining the 100-year-old buildings’ character while positioning the historic spaces for the next century.

Date Completed:
Case Study/Profile Type: DCS
Website: http://http://www.empire1792.com/property12.html
World Region: North America
Developer(s): Empire Properties
Website (Dev.): http://www.empire1792.com
Designer(s): Tise-Kiester Architects
Website (Des.): http://www.tisekiester.com