Bank of America Center, Houston
Encyclopedia
The Bank of America Center is a highrise representing one of the first significant examples of postmodern architecture
construction in downtown Houston
, Texas
. Formerly the RepublicBank Center
, NCNB Center
, and NationsBank Center
the building was completed in October 1983 and designed by award winning architect Philip Johnson
and partner John Burgee
and is reminiscent of the Dutch Gothic architecture of canal houses in The Netherlands. It has three segmented tower setbacks, each with " a steeply pitched gabled roofline that is topped off with spires". The tower was developed by Hines Interests
and is owned by a joint venture of M-M Properties and an affiliate of the General Electric Pension Trust.
The banking center is housed in a separate building, due to construction problems, and has a three storey lobby. The building contains an art gallery in the lobby and plans to host curated exhibitions such as art shows.
and is the seventh tallest
building in Texas.
The northeast corner of the structure houses a building within a building. On the site is the main Western Union
building and when relocation of the telegraph cables proved infeasible new structure was built over the site and the existing structure was incorporated into the new building intact.
On June 9, 2001, the building was the site of a tragic accident that took place during Tropical Storm Allison
. Building security warned individuals that the below grade parking levels were in danger of flooding and instructed persons working late in the building to move vehicles to upper levels of the garage. Kristie Tautenhahn, an employee of the law firm Mayer, Brown & Platt, went to move her vehicle parked on sub-level 3 at 10:30 UTC (05:30 CDT) which by that time was completely submerged. She drowned in an elevator car when it filled with water as it descended to the lower floor of the garage.
Postmodern architecture
Postmodern architecture began as an international style the first examples of which are generally cited as being from the 1950s, but did not become a movement until the late 1970s and continues to influence present-day architecture...
construction in downtown Houston
Downtown Houston
Downtown Houston is the largest business district of Houston, Texas, United States. Downtown Houston, the city's central business district, contains the headquarters of many prominent companies. There is an extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting the buildings of the district...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Formerly the RepublicBank Center
First RepublicBank Corporation
This article is about the defunct bank based in Dallas, Texas. For the bank based in San Francisco, California, see First Republic Bank.First Republic Bank Corporation was a bank that failed in 1988, during the savings and loan crisis. The company first opened as the Guaranty Bank and Trust Company...
, NCNB Center
North Carolina National Bank
North Carolina National Bank was a bank based in Charlotte, North Carolina, prior to 1960 called American Commercial Bank. It was one of the top banking institutions.-History:...
, and NationsBank Center
NationsBank
NationsBank was one of the largest banking corporations in the United States, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1998, it acquired BankAmerica to become Bank of America.-Corporate history:...
the building was completed in October 1983 and designed by award winning architect Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and later , as a trustee, he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the first Pritzker Architecture...
and partner John Burgee
John Burgee
__notoc__John Burgee is an American architect noted for his contributions to Postmodern architecture. He was a partner of Philip Johnson from 1967 to 1991, creating together the partnership firm Johnson/Burgee Architects. Their landmark collaborations together included Pennzoil Place in Houston...
and is reminiscent of the Dutch Gothic architecture of canal houses in The Netherlands. It has three segmented tower setbacks, each with " a steeply pitched gabled roofline that is topped off with spires". The tower was developed by Hines Interests
Gerald D. Hines
Gerald D. Hines is the founder and chairman of Hines, a privately held real estate firm with its U.S. headquarters located in Houston, Texas, and its European headquarters located in London....
and is owned by a joint venture of M-M Properties and an affiliate of the General Electric Pension Trust.
The banking center is housed in a separate building, due to construction problems, and has a three storey lobby. The building contains an art gallery in the lobby and plans to host curated exhibitions such as art shows.
Background
At 56 stories the Bank of America Center is the 51st tallest building in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is the seventh tallest
Tallest buildings in Texas
This list of tallest buildings in Texas ranks skyscrapers in the U.S. state of Texas by height. The tallest structure in the state, excluding radio towers, is the JPMorgan Chase Tower, which rises and was completed in 1982. The second-tallest building in Texas is the Wells Fargo Plaza, which...
building in Texas.
The northeast corner of the structure houses a building within a building. On the site is the main Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
building and when relocation of the telegraph cables proved infeasible new structure was built over the site and the existing structure was incorporated into the new building intact.
On June 9, 2001, the building was the site of a tragic accident that took place during Tropical Storm Allison
Tropical Storm Allison
Tropical Storm Allison was a tropical storm that devastated southeast Texas in June of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season. The first storm of the season, Allison lasted an unusually long period of time for a June storm, remaining tropical or subtropical for 15 days...
. Building security warned individuals that the below grade parking levels were in danger of flooding and instructed persons working late in the building to move vehicles to upper levels of the garage. Kristie Tautenhahn, an employee of the law firm Mayer, Brown & Platt, went to move her vehicle parked on sub-level 3 at 10:30 UTC (05:30 CDT) which by that time was completely submerged. She drowned in an elevator car when it filled with water as it descended to the lower floor of the garage.
Tenants
- KPMGKPMGKPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
has its Houston office in Suite 3100. - Mayer BrownMayer BrownMayer Brown is an international law firm head-quartered in Chicago which specializes in commercial transactions and litigation. The firm employs more than 1,600 lawyers, including approximately 875 in the Americas, 425 in Europe and 300 in Asia....
has its Houston office in Suite 3400.
External links
- Official Site - Bank of America Center
- The Bank of America Center at Glass Steel and Stone