Bank of America Corporate Center
Encyclopedia
The Bank of America Corporate Center is an 871 ft (265 m) skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

 in Uptown
Charlotte center city
Charlotte center city is the central area of Charlotte, North Carolina. The headquarters for the Fortune 500 companies Bank of America and Duke Energy are located here, as well as the headquarters for East Coast operations for Wells Fargo.Museums, sporting venues, shops, hotels, restaurants, and...

 Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...

, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

. When completed in 1992, it became and still is the tallest building
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...

 in North Carolina as well as the tallest building between Philadelphia and Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

; it is 60 stories
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...

 high. It is the 90th tallest building in the world. Designed by Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 César Pelli
César Pelli
César Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects listed Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects...

 and HKS Architects, it is the 26th tallest building in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and is the most widely known building in the Charlotte skyline
Skyline
A skyline is the overall or partial view of a city's tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers in front of the sky in the background. It can also be described as the artificial horizon that a city's overall structure creates. Skylines serve as a kind of fingerprint of a city, as...

.

Sometimes locally referred to as the Taj McColl after then North Carolina National Bank (NCNB) chairman Hugh McColl
Hugh McColl
Hugh L. McColl Jr. is a fourth-generation banker and the former Chairman and CEO of Bank of America. McColl was a driving force behind consolidating a series of progressively larger, mostly Southern banks, thrifts and financial institutions into a super-regional banking force, "the first...

 who was responsible for the tower's construction, on a clear day the tower is visible to the naked eye from 35 miles (56.3 km) away.

Announcement

On Wednesday, December 10, 1986, NCNB announced that it would be constructing what would become the Corporate Center. Jointly developed with Charter Properties, the project was initially announced as a 50 story tower to be constructed with a 350 room hotel and what would become the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
The North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It opened in 1992 and is named in honor of the people of the state of North Carolina and the Blumenthal Foundation established by I.D. Blumenthal who founded RSC Brands, the largest private donor to the...

. The initial design for the 50 story tower was created by Charlotte based Odell Associates. Its design featured a circular tower complete with a Greek cross lying flat on top to pay homage to the intersection of Trade and Tryon
Trade and Tryon
The intersection of Trade and Tryon streets is the crossroads of Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina; it marks the city center and divides the city's first four wards. Locally referred to as simply The Square, this originated as the crossroads for a pair of native American trails. From this location,...

.

Additionally, its construction resulted in the demolition of an entire city block bound by North Tryon, East Trade, North College and East 5th Streets. The most notable buildings lost in its construction were the Belk
Belk
Belk is a department store chain founded in 1888 in Monroe, North Carolina, today part of the Charlotte metropolitan area. After the founding of the first Belk store, the company grew in size and influence throughout the South via the chain in the USA, with its stores primarily located in the...

 department store, constructed in 1908, along East Trade and the Efird's department store, constructed in 1922, on North Tryon.

Design competition

On Monday, July 20, 1987, NCNB announced Lincoln Property as a general partner for the project. With the development team set, the process of hiring an architect of the project commenced in August 1987.

The architectural firms that competed for the job included:
  • I.M. Pei of New York City
    New York City
    New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

  • Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
    Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
    Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP is an American architectural and engineering firm that was formed in Chicago in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings; in 1939 they were joined by John O. Merrill. They opened their first branch in New York City, New York in 1937. SOM is one of the largest...

     of Los Angeles
    Los Ángeles
    Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

  • Cesar Pelli & Associates
    César Pelli
    César Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects listed Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects...

     of New Haven, Connecticut
    New Haven, Connecticut
    New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...

  • HKS Architects
    HKS, Inc.
    HKS, Inc. is an international architecture firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas . It was founded in 1939 by Harwood K. Smith, a native of Chicago and graduate of Texas A&M University....

     of Dallas
  • John Burgee Architects
    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...

     of New York City
    New York City
    New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

  • WZMH Group of Dallas
  • Kohn Pederson Fox Associates
    Kohn Pedersen Fox
    Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates , an architectural firm responsible for several world-renowned buildings, provides architectural, interior and urban design as well as programming and master planning services for clients in both the public and private sectors...

     of New York City
    New York City
    New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...



On Friday, September 25, 1987, the Cesar Pelli
César Pelli
César Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects listed Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects...

 design was announced by NCNB Chairman Hugh McColl
Hugh McColl
Hugh L. McColl Jr. is a fourth-generation banker and the former Chairman and CEO of Bank of America. McColl was a driving force behind consolidating a series of progressively larger, mostly Southern banks, thrifts and financial institutions into a super-regional banking force, "the first...

 as being selected for the project. Additionally at the press conference it was revealed that the tower would be between 55-60 stories tall, sheathed in granite and be officially named the NCNB Corporate Center.

After winning the contract, its design was unveiled eight months later to the public on Tuesday, June 14, 1988. The final design was the 60 floor tower seen today. It features a 30 feet (9.1 m) granite base along North Tryon Street followed by a facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....

 of rosy beige granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...

 and silver glass rising complete with curved sides. The tower gradually tapers through a series of six setbacks at the 13th, 44th and 53rd floors on the corners and at the 47th, 56th and 60th floors on the face as it reaches the tip of its crown 871 feet (265.5 m) above Tryon Street
Tryon Street
Tryon Street is a major north-south street of Charlotte, North Carolina. It traverses through the center of Uptown Charlotte and is the address for some of the city's tallest buildings like the Bank of America Corporate Center and Hearst Tower. U.S...

.

Construction

On Tuesday, January 3, 1989, demolition commenced on the block where the tower would eventually rise. The demolition work would take just over seven months to complete before excavation could commence. Site preparation would continue from August through November. During the excavation for the foundation, contractors found threads and flakes of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

 embedded within pieces of granite removed from the site. The discovery was not unexpected as Charlotte was the center of America's first gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...

 during the 1830s.

On November 19, 1989, the initial concrete pour was completed signaling the beginning of actual construction.
The mat foundation consists of a thick slab
Slab
-Physical materials:* Slab , a length of metal* Concrete slab, a flat plate used in construction* A piece of stone or concrete used to pave sidewalks or road surfaces* Slab : That portion of a tectonic plate that is subducting...

 containing 3500 cubic yards (2,675.9 m³) of concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...

 and 150 tons of reinforcing steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

 at the center of the tower. The foundation reaches 38 feet (11.6 m) below Tryon Street at its deepest point with the tower being supported by 36 concrete and steel piers. These piers are able to withstand the 150,000 pounds of pressure per square foot placed upon them by the 300 million pound structure.

After only a couple of months, construction was temporarily halted after Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...

 slammed Charlotte with 90 mi/h winds causing some damage on-site on Friday, September 22, 1989.

By November 1990, the tower had reached its 30th floor and as a result had risen to being the 5th tallest within Charlotte. On Wednesday, March 20, 1991, the tower officially became both Charlotte's and North Carolina's tallest when it reached a height of 589 feet (179.5 m) at its 47th floor to surpass the 588 feet (179.2 m) tall One First Union Center. The tower was officially topped-out on Wednesday, October 2, 1991 with the final concrete pour completed. From this point, the 95 feet (29 m) tall crown was installed with its completion coming in December bringing the tower to its final 871 feet (265.5 m) height.

By January 1992, the tower had since been renamed the NationsBank Corporate Center to reflect the banks name change from NCNB in summer 1991. On May 1, the first tenants moved into the tower with its inaugural crown lighting taking place on May 9.

Completed in July 1992, its official dedication ceremony took place on Saturday, October 17, 1992. The celebrations that day included live entertainment, rappellers from Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...

's 16th Military Police Brigade rappelling the height of the tower and a fireworks show.

FAA controversy

In spite of being approved by both USAir and the airport authority as not posing a hazard, on May 15, 1989, a ruling by the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...

 stated that the tower's height would potentially jeopardize some flights taking off and landing at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. A June 12 appeal filed with the regional FAA office in Atlanta upheld the original ruling resulting in the case being appealed to Washington. Although the FAA could not force NCNB to halt construction of the tower, its "declaration of hazard to air navigation" could have potentially cost the city millions in federal airport grants as well as impeding the ability of NCNB to secure insurance for the tower upon its completion.

By December 1989, the issue was resolved when the FAA ruled that slight changes in air-traffic procedures around the building would resolve the hazard posed by the 871 feet (265.5 m) tower. With the influence of both U.S. representative Alex McMillan
Alex McMillan
John Alexander 'Alex' McMillan III is a North Carolina Republican politician who served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing North Carolina's 9th congressional district from 1985 to 1995....

 and Senator Ernest Hollings
Ernest Hollings
Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings served as a Democratic United States Senator from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005, as well as the 106th Governor of South Carolina and Lt. Governor . He served 38 years and 55 days in the Senate, which makes him the 8th-longest-serving Senator in history...

, the reversal of the original ruling was made after further review by the FAA. Since its construction, there has not been an incident involving an aircraft and the tower.

Current status

Today, the Bank of America Corporate Center serves as the world headquarters for Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...

.
The building was originally the headquarters of NationsBank
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:...

, which bought Bank of America and disposed of BankAmerica's headquarters at 555 California Street, then the Bank of America Center, in San Francisco. McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company, Inc. is a global management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management. McKinsey serves as an adviser to many businesses, governments, and institutions...

 is also a tenant in the tower.

The Bank of America Corporate Center's crown shaped spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....

 is the focal point of the building and it makes it stand out architecturally
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

. Its spire does not reflect from the outside like the Chrysler Building
Chrysler Building
The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco style skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan in the Turtle Bay area at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Standing at , it was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State...

 or any others; it shines from within and instead of stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....

 there is glass illuminated by floodlights
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...

, making it stand out from the many world skyscrapers. Bank of America began shining the top of the crown shaped spire from white to blue in honor of the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...

 who were NFC champions in the 2003-2004 NFL Season
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...

.

The Center's lobby
Lobby (room)
A lobby is a room in a building which is used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer or an entrance hall.Many office buildings, hotels and skyscrapers go to great lengths to decorate their lobbies to create the right impression....

 boasts a work of art by artist Ben Long
Ben Long
Ben Long is an American painter and the grandson of noted artist McKendree Robbins Long.-Background:Reared in a family of artists, writers, professors, and university presidents, Long was as precocious in his artistic ability as he was eager to apply it...

, one of the largest secular fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...

es in the world. The work took more than a year to complete and was painted on site using the traditional technique of fresco painting.

Connected to the tower is the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
The North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It opened in 1992 and is named in honor of the people of the state of North Carolina and the Blumenthal Foundation established by I.D. Blumenthal who founded RSC Brands, the largest private donor to the...

, which contains three performance halls and overlooks the tower from various skylights.

The official address of the Bank of America Corporate Center is 100 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202.

On July 20, 2005 Ken Lewis, then CEO and Mr. Cyprian White of the Credit Bureau of the Bank of America, announced the construction of a brand new 150 key Ritz-Carlton located inside the Bank of America Corporate Center.

In popular culture

  • The building was featured in the film Shallow Hal
    Shallow Hal
    Shallow Hal is a 2001 romantic comedy film starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, and Jason Alexander. It was directed by the Farrelly Brothers and filmed in and around Charlotte, North Carolina as well as Sterling and Princeton, Massachusetts at Wachusett Mountain.- Plot :Hal Larson is a...

    where the main character, Jack Black, was employed. The building was renamed "JPS Funds" to match the storyline.

  • The building can be seen in multiple panoramic shots of Uptown Charlotte in the film Nell
    Nell (film)
    Nell is a 1994 drama film starring Jodie Foster as a young woman who has to face other people for the first time after being raised by her mother in an isolated cabin. The film was directed by Michael Apted, and was based on Mark Handley's play Idioglossia. The original music score is composed by...

    .

See also


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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