Bank Of America Corporate Center
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Bank of America Corporate Center is an 871 ft (265 m)
skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...
in Uptown Charlotte,
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
. Designed by
Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
César Pelli and HKS Architects, and best known as the headquarters of the namesake
Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in ...
, it has been the tallest building in North Carolina since its 1992 construction, the 51st-tallest building in the United States, and the 174th-tallest building in the world. Sometimes locally referred to as the "Taj McColl" after former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl, who was responsible for the tower's construction, on a clear day the tower is visible to the naked eye from away.


Amenities


Ben Long Frescoes

Located in the Corporate Center's lobby are three
fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
es that measure each and are the largest secular fresco in the United States. Created by North Carolinian artist Ben Long and a team of nine artists, the frescoes were completed in approximately four months in 1992. The three frescoes are a triptych, three related works, which was inspired by
Shingon is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō- ...
. The first panel ''Making/Building'', on left, depiction of the construction of the Corporate Center. A row of workers holding golden spades appear at the bottom, while at the top is another worker, a leader, holds a spade as he gazes into the distance towards a figure asleep on the hill. The second panel ''Chaos/Creativity'', at center, depicts a jostling crowd of figures of various occupations, while a circle of six nude figures spin above the crowd, creating a contrast. The third panel ''Planning/Knowledge'', on right, is a portrait of a young boy, geometric shapes, a pyramid, people in the lower-left corner in a discussion, a dancing girl, and a figure sitting by a burning tree.


Blumenthal Performing Arts Center

Connected to the Corporate Center, along East 5th Street, the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center contains three performance halls: Belk Theater, Booth Playhouse, and Stage Door Theater.


Founders Hall

Connected to the Corporate Center, Founders Hall is a large vaulted atrium that features red-brown marble floors and a water fountain. Ringed around it are two levels of retail and restaurants, which are part of the Overstreet Mall, and is connected by skybridges to neighboring Bank of America Center, One South at The Plaza, and Truist Center.


History


Announcement

On Wednesday, December 10, 1986, North Carolina National Bank announced that it would construct 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. 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 The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...
lying flat on top to pay homage to the intersection of Trade and Tryon. 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, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, with nearly 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk.com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, a ...
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, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
*
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill SOM, an initialism of its original name Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, is a Chicago-based architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings. In 1939, they were joined by enginee ...
of
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
* Cesar Pelli & Associates of
New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...
* HKS Architects of
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
* John Burgee Architects of New York City * WZMH Group of Dallas *
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) is an American architectural firm based in New York City that provides architecture, interior, programming and master planning services. They engineer different projects including civic and cultural spaces, co ...
of New York City On Friday, September 25, 1987, the
Cesar Pelli Cesar or César may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt Places * Cesar, Portugal * Cesar Department, Colombia * Cesar River, in Colombia * Cesar ...
design was announced by NCNB Chairman Hugh McColl 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 granite base along North Tryon Street followed by a facade of rosy beige
granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
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 above
Tryon Street Uptown Charlotte, also called Center City, is the central business district of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The area is split into four Ward (electoral subdivision), wards by the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets, and bordere ...
.


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 is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
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 A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...
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 containing of
concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
and 150 tons of reinforcing
steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
at the center of the tower. The foundation reaches 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 placed upon them by the structure. After only a couple of months, construction was temporarily halted after Hurricane Hugo slammed Charlotte with 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 at its 47th floor to surpass the 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 tall crown was installed with its completion coming in December bringing the tower to its final height. By January 1992, the tower had since been renamed the NationsBank Corporate Center to reflect the bank's name change from NCNB to NationsBank 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 (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...
's 16th Military Police Brigade rappelling the height of the tower and a fireworks show.


Post-opening

Since its completion, the Bank of America Corporate Center has been the world headquarters for what is now Bank of America. NationsBank bought BankAmerica Corporation in 1998, changed its name to Bank of America and sold BankAmerica's headquarters at 555 California Street, then the Bank of America Center, in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. Moore & Van Allen and
Ernst & Young EY, previously known as Ernst & Young, is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services partnership, network based in London, United Kingdom. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, it is one of the Big Four accounting firms, Big F ...
are also tenants in the tower. The Bank of America Corporate Center's crown shaped
spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...
is the focal point of the building and it makes it stand out architecturally. Its spire does not reflect from the outside like the
Chrysler Building The Chrysler Building is a , Art Deco skyscraper in the East Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. Located at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, it is the tallest brick building in the world wit ...
or any others; it shines from within and instead of
stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...
there is glass illuminated by
floodlights A floodlight is a broad-beamed, gas discharge lamp#High-intensity discharge lamps, high-intensity artificial light. It can provide functional area lighting for travel-ways, parking, entrances, work areas, and sporting venues to enable visibil ...
, 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 The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
who were NFC champions in the 2003–2004 NFL season. In 2017 it was announced LEDs had been installed in the spire. 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 and LEED certified 40 story office retail complex located adjacent to the Bank of America Corporate Center.


FAA controversy

On May 15, 1989, a ruling by the
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
stated that the tower's height would potentially jeopardize some flights taking off and landing at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. The ruling came even though Charlotte's dominant airline,
USAir US Airways was a major airline in the United States. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon became a commercial passenger airline. In 1953, it was renamed Allegheny Airlines an ...
, and airport officials had determined that the tower was not a hazard. 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 tower. With the influence of both U.S. representative Alex McMillan and Senator Ernest Hollings, 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.


See also

* List of Skyscrapers * World's tallest structures * List of tallest buildings by U.S. state *
List of tallest buildings in Charlotte File:Skyline of Charlotte 2016.jpg, 350px, Skyline of Charlotte (Use cursor to identify buildings) poly 2920 668 2940 252 3044 104 3140 292 3172 428 3204 1380 3160 1384 3145 668 Bank of America Corporate Center poly 360 594 630 594 628 1266 600 ...
*
List of tallest buildings in North Carolina This list of tallest buildings in North Carolina ranks skyscrapers in the United States of America, U.S. state of North Carolina by height. The tallest building in North Carolina is the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, which contain ...


References


External links

* * on Emporis.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bank Of America Corporate Center Office buildings completed in 1992 Bank of America buildings Skyscraper office buildings in Charlotte, North Carolina César Pelli buildings Bank buildings in North Carolina 1992 establishments in North Carolina Skyscrapers in Charlotte, North Carolina Uptown Charlotte Bank company headquarters in the United States