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For half a century, the Holiday Inn has owned the title of quirkiest building in the Raleigh skyline — not for its cylindrical shape, nor for resembling an oversized air filter, but for the flashy characters and wild nights inside.
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And now that the oddball landmark has survived the wrecking ball, reborn as the Hotel Indigo, its new stewards want to collect and preserve the most colorful memories. Submit one here, and you could win a free night at the Indigo plus a $100 dinner credit.
“Did you sneak into the pool as a teenager?” the hotel’s spokesperson asks. “Attend a concert by Southern Culture on the Skids or another memorable performer? See Prince jam with a fraternity band? Spend evenings listening to pianist Will Silver sing Howlin’ Wolf, gospel favorites and requests in the lounge?”
When it opened in 1969, the Holiday Inn topped the list of Raleigh’s tallest buildings — holding its title for eight years.
“The plushest pleasure dome ever decreed here,” raved The News & Observer at the time, gushing over the Maine lobster on its menu, the racing stripes on its white vinyl tile and the “wall-to-wall everything” inside.
In the short week since the Indigo began gathering memories, it has already collected the story of a man who met Lionel Richie in the elevator. Well before he crooned “Hello,” Richie headed The Commodores, who flopped at the round hotel while playing in Raleigh.
Another spotted NBA great Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell in the lounge, fresh from parking his BMW with its vanity plate spelling “Cornbread.”
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Best year, in about 1974, Cindi Trowbridge was working as a waitress in the tube-shaped tower when she served a customer eating by himself.
She didn’t recognize him, or even notice that he was blind until a fellow waiter pulled her aside and whispered that she was serving “Doc” Watson — legend of the bluegrass guitar.
“I was so intimidated that I never even thought of asking for an autograph,” she said. “I will never forget his kind sweet voice and the curl in his gray hair. Those white shaggy eyebrows. I can’t remember what he ordered, but I think it was a steak.”
Some buildings grow so legendary that any experience inside them deserves to be archived.
Add yours today.
Anyone who shares a memory at https://bit.ly/roundhotelmemories will be entered for a chance to win a one-night stay at the Hotel Indigo Raleigh Downtown and a $100 dining credit. The winner will be selected at random from the pool of entries on Sept. 10. Blackout dates apply. Room night and dining credit must be redeemed at the same time. Deadline to submit: 11:59 p.m. Sept. 9.
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This story was originally published August 19, 2026 at 2:55 PM.