Bank of America Center (Houston)

Bank of America Center
Alternative names	RepublicBank Center NCNB Center NationsBank Center
General information
Type	Commercial office
Location	700 Louisiana Street Houston, Texas
Coordinates	29°45′38″N 95°22′00″W / 29.7605°N 95.3666°W / 29.7605; -95.3666Coordinates: 29°45′38″N 95°22′00″W / 29.7605°N 95.3666°W / 29.7605; -95.3666
Completed	October 1983 [1]
Height
Roof	780 feet (240 m)
Technical details
Floor count	56
Floor area	1,250,000 sq ft (116,000 m2) [1]
Elevator count	32
Design and construction
Owner	M-M Properties General Electric Pension Trust affiliate
Management	PM Realty Group
Architect	Philip Johnson John Burgee
Developer	Hines Interests
Structural engineer	CBM Engineers, Inc.

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".^[1] 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.^[2] The building contains an art gallery in the lobby and plans to host curated exhibitions such as art shows.^[3]

Background

At 56 stories the Bank of America Center is the 51st tallest building in the United States 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,^[4] 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.^[5]

Tenants

• KPMG has its Houston office in Suite 3100.^[6]
• Mayer Brown has its Houston office in Suite 3400.^[7]

Gallery

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See also

	Houston portal
	Architecture portal

• Tallest buildings in Texas

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Bank of America Center-Houston". Bank of America Center. 02 September 2009. http://www.bankofamericacenterhouston.com/building.html. Retrieved 2010-01-12. 
2. ^ Bank of America Center, Houston, TX
3. ^ An Exhibition of Works From Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’
4. ^ Grossman, Wendy. "Looking for Higher Ground." Houston Press. October 9, 2003. Retrieved on December 17, 2009.
5. ^ Bernstein, Alan. "Catastrophic flooding brings dislocation, drama, 9 deaths." Houston Chronicle. June 10, 2001. Retrieved on December 17, 2009.
6. ^ "Offices." KPMG. Retrieved on December 17, 2009.
7. ^ "Contact Information." Mayer Brown. Retrieved on December 17, 2009.

External links

• Official Site - Bank of America Center
• The Bank of America Center at Glass Steel and Stone