First National Bank breaks ground on fourth-tallest building in Raleigh

First National Bank on Thursday will break ground for its new high-rise office, which will be the fourth-tallest building in downtown Raleigh when it's completed.

The 22-story building will sit at 501 Fayetteville St. — the site has historically hosted the popular downtown Raleigh ice skating rink during the winter. When it's finished, only the PNC, BB&T and Wells Fargo buildings will be taller.

Almost half of the available space in FNB Tower will be made up of offices, and there's also room for more than 200 apartments and retail space.

Dominion Realty, the projects' developer, said the building should be ready before the end of next year.

In the meantime, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance said they plan to bring the skating rink back to the area as soon as they can.