William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower

Infobox Skyscraper
building_name = William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower


caption =
year_highest =
year_end =
plural =
location = 312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
Nashville, Tennessee
USA
coordinates =
status =
groundbreaking =
constructed = 1970
est-completion =
opening =
demolished =
destroyed =
use = Office
antenna_spire =
roof = 452 ft (138 m)
top_floor =
floor_count = 31
elevator_count =
cost =
floor_area =
architect = Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill LLP
engineer =
contractor =
developer =
owner = State of Tennessee
management =

The William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower (also known as the Tennessee Tower) is skyscraper in downtown Nashville, Tennessee that houses Tennessee government offices. The tower was built for the National Life and Accident Insurance Company and served as its National Life Center until the State of Tennessee acquired it on January 3, 1994. Over 1000 state employees who had been assigned to numerous locations now work in the building. [ [http://www.state.tn.us/generalserv/psm/tennesse.htm Tennessee Department of General Services ] ]

The building is named in honor of William R. Snodgrass, a career public servant who served as Tennessee's Comptroller of the Treasury from 1955 till 1999.

The tower was struck by lightning on August 31, 2003, which caused a firepump to turn on the sprinkler system. This caused flooding and extensive damage to the elevator shafts. [Moriarty, Megan, cite news|url=http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/news.php?viewStory=26227|title=Workers set to return today to damaged Tennessee Tower|publisher=The City Paper|accessdate=2007-12-16|date=2002-09-03]

Prior to being purchased by the state, the building was used to display messages by turning on lights in the windows on the front of the building. After being dormant for 10 years a new message - "Peace" was displayed on December 17, 2007. [Fender, Jessica, cite news|url=http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071218/NEWS0201/712180339/-1/RSS05
title=A tradition resumes ... State building beams 'Peace'|publisher=The Tennessean|accessdate=2007-12-18|date=2007-12-18]

ee also

*List of tallest buildings in Nashville
*William R. Snodgrass

External links

* [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=williamcoronelsnodgrasstennesseetower-nashville-tn-usa Emporis Listing]

References