The Elion Hitchens Building is located on Cornwallis Road in Research Triangular Park, North Carolina.  Burroughs Wellcome and Company was founded in 1880 in London.   They established research and manufacturing facilities in the 1920’s in New York.  Burroughs Wellcome moved its headquarters and research facility to Research Triangular Park, North Carolina.  Construction started in 1969.  It was completed in 1972.  The architect selected was Paul Rudolph.  Architectural style was Brutalist.  This style emerged in the 1950’s. This type of building is characterized minimalist constructions that showcase bare building materials and and structural elements over decorative design.

     The building design was an A frame with terraced floors and angled walls and windows with an eccentrically loaded trapezoidal frame with columns inclined at 22.5 degrees.The entrance has three levels with columns.

     The original building was 300,000 square feet of space.   In 1988, 130,000 square foot wing with more offices was added.  This building was named the Gertrude Elion and George Hitchens building.                   

    Glaxo PLC acquired Wellcome PLC in 1995.  GlaxoWellcome merged with SmithKline Beecham in 2000 to form GlaxoSmithKline.     The merged corporation moved its operations from Cornwallis Road and Maughn Road to Moore Drive in in 2011. In 2012, United Therapeutics bought the building from GlaxoSmithKline along with 140 acres of land and two other buildings. The new owners tore down 400,000 square feet of the buildings in 2014. They pledged to save the remaining 150,000 square feet; this is a promise that they never fulfilled.

     United Therapeutics received a demolition permit in September, 2020. They claimed that it was too expensive to renovate.  A campaign to save the building went nowhere.  The building was demolished in January, 2021.

Burroughs Wellcome Building

Entrance to reception area

Building demolished