One of the coolest things to watch is a big big building being built. Watching the cement being poured into floors and watching steel being welded together are something special. The foundations of buildings is truly spectacular. While it is inconvenient to pedestrians and traffic flows, a high-rise is a thing of wonder that requires preparation. It is pretty amazing that the foundation of a building can require up to 15% of the height to be underground. Most people don't realize it, but the foundations of the buildings can be almost as formidable as the buildings themselves.
The foundation for the new Wachovia Tower was nearly 80' deep. In digging a hole that deep, the construction crews used TNT...that's right dynamite to blow up large pieces of bedrock that stood in their way of getting deeper. The blasting typically occured in the middle of the afternoon and resulted in temporary street closings around the site. Workers in the buildings nearby, were notified of the daily blast and could feel the building shake from the shock waves. Sitting in a vehicle nearby, you could feel the earth shake from the blast.
It is reported that during the construction of the now Bank of America Corporate Tower, that gold was actually found during the excavation of the foundation. Not too surprising though since Charlotte was once...a mining town. The first major discovery of gold in the US was just outside of Charlotte in Concord. Following the discovery, gold mines started popping up all over the city...hence the Federal Reserve located Uptown and gold is money and money results in banking.
Back to big holes. There are two major holes in the Uptown right now. The first is the previously mentioned Wachovia site that is coming long. The hole is being filled with concrete and a building is starting to emerge. This site, pictured right, is located in the block defined by Tryon, Church, and Stonewall. This site will eventually hold 2 high-rises (1 residential and 1 commercial office), a 1,200 seat performing arts theatre, 2 art museums, a cultural museum, and the Wake Forest MBA school.
The other big hole is located on College St between 4th and Trade. This site will be home to Charlotte's first Ritz Carlton and a Bank of America office tower. 
Lastly, as an update of the Epicenter, the complex is quickly coming together. Pictured right, this shopping, dining, and entertainment center looks like it is nearly ready to open for business. It will likely be early next year before anything opens up there and the condos are scheduled for occupancy in 2010. 
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