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| - My biggest complaint about Charlotte has always been that the city's disparate elements have nothing to draw them together into a community, and I think the Duke building is a step towards correcting that.
It is hard to capture the effect that this building has had on Charlotte's skyline. Two years ago we had a smattering of small-ish buildings around the Hearst Tower and the BofA Corporate Center. The claustrophobic horizon began and ended on one block. Then in 2010 up sprung The Vue and Duke Energy Center, both at a little distance from the aforementioned banking duplex, stretching the skyline into that of a beautiful metropolis.
Then at night, Duke introduced a real surprise. The sides and top of the building light up in crazy colors. Blue, red, green, repeat. Those first few nights were terrifyingly tacky, but they have toned it down since. Now the colors signify events in the city - blue when the panthers are playing, orange for the bobcats, etc - and the result is that the city is starting to feel cohesive.
When Duke bought this building from Wachovia, my secret wish was that they would rename it the Tower of Power and replace the (presumably aesthetic) crossbar at the top with a Jacob's Ladder-style spark gap, hurling bolts of lightning across the building's apex. Take note, Duke. It would be awesome.
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