Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta)

Bank of America Plaza
The Bank of America plaza as viewed from the Westin Peachtree Plaza. Tower square is also visible to the left of the building.
location relative to Midtown Atlanta Show map of Atlanta Midtown Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta) (the United States) Show map of the United States
Former names	NationsBank Plaza C&S Plaza
General information
Type	Commercial offices
Location	600 Peachtree Street NE Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Coordinates	33.7708°N 84.3861°W / 33.7708; -84.3861
Construction started	1991
Completed	1992
Cost	US$150 million
Owner	CP Group and HPS Investment Partners LLC
Management	CP Group
Height
Architectural	311.8 m (1,023 ft)
Roof	284.4 m (933 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	55
Floor area	1,312,980 sq ft (121,980 m^2)
Lifts/elevators	24
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Kevin Roche, John Dinkeloo and Associates
Structural engineer	CBM Engineers Inc.
Main contractor	Beers Construction
Website
www.atlantadowntown.com/go/bank-of-america-plaza
References
[1][2][3][4][5]

Bank of America Plaza (colloquially called the pencil building^[6]) is a supertall skyscraper between Midtown Atlanta and Downtown Atlanta. At 311.8 m (1,023 ft), as of February 2024^[update] the tower is the 23rd tallest building in the United States,^[7] the tallest building in the Southeastern region of the United States,^[8] and the tallest building in any U.S. state capital, overtaking the 250 m (820 ft), 50-story One Atlantic Center in height, which held the record as Georgia's tallest building. It has 55 stories of office space and was completed in 1992, when it was called NationsBank Plaza.^[9] Originally intended to be the headquarters for Citizens & Southern National Bank (which merged with Sovran Bank during construction), it became NationsBank's property following its formation in the 1991 hostile takeover of C&S/Sovran by NCNB.^[10]

Architectural details

The building was developed by Cousins Properties and designed by the architectural firm Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates LLC.^[11] Designed in the Postmodern style reminiscent of Art Deco, it was built in only 14 months, one of the fastest construction schedules for any 1,000 ft (300 m) building. The Plaza's imposing presence is heightened by the dark color of its exterior. It soars into the sky with vertical lines that reinforce its height while also creating an abundance of revenue-generating corner offices. It is located on over 3.7 acres (1.5 ha) on Peachtree Street.

There is a 90 ft (27 m) obelisk-like spire at the top of the building echoing the shape of the building as a whole. Most of the spire is covered in 23 karat (96 percent) gold leaf. The open-lattice steel pyramid underneath the obelisk glows yellow-orange at night due to lighting. At its most basic, this is a modern interpretation of the Art Deco theme seen in the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. The inhabited part of the building actually ends abruptly with a flat roof. On top of this is built a pyramid of girders, which are gilded and blaze at night, with the same type of yellow-orange high-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting used in older-style street lights. Its design has been characterized as similar to the Messeturm in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

The skyscraper, built at a 45-degree angle to the city's street grid, is set back off its eastern and western street boundaries, Peachtree Street and West Peachtree Street, by over 50 yards (45 m). This setback is filled, variously, by driveways, parking garage entrances, potted plants, granite staircases, and sloping lawns. The building directly abuts the sidewalk on North Avenue, its northern boundary, with access to this street through a parking garage entrance and stairs leading from the building's main lobby.

Some urban planners decry the building as a Corbusian "tower in a park", as it actively disengages itself from the urban environment surrounding it, entirely omitting sidewalk-facing retail space. Critics argue that the building encourages its tenants to access it primarily by car and to remain inside the complex during the day. However it is across the street from the MARTA-rail North Avenue station.

Developers have rumored that the land under the surrounding driveways and lawns may be redeveloped into low- and mid-rise mixed-use buildings with street-fronting uses as the area urbanizes and the value of land in Midtown Atlanta increases. In 2014, new sidewalks, pavers, ADA ramps, pedestrian light-poles, improved tree wells, new bike racks and landscaping were planned. These neighborhood improvements were completed by 2016 at a cost of $1.04 million.^[12]

Upon its completion Bank of America Plaza was the tallest building in the United States outside New York City and Chicago, and the 8th-tallest building in the U.S. overall.^{[citation needed]}

Renovations and sustainable building initiative

In 2014, a $30 million renovation to the lobby, health club, and conference facility was completed^[13] It has also achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. The building and property management were awarded Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce E3 Liquid Assets, a recognition in water sustainability.^[14] Midtown Atlanta's Midtown Alliance also recognized it as an EcoDistrict Green Luminary for its significant commitment to sustainability practices.^[15]

Beginning in 2016, $15 million will be invested over the next few years to significantly modernize the common areas including the lobby, west wing and some deferred maintenance.^{[citation needed]}

Building ownership

BentleyForbes acquired the building from Cousins Properties in 2006 for $436 million, a record price at $348 per square foot. In 2012, LNR and lenders acquired the property via foreclosure.^[16]

In 2013, CWCapital took over the asset management, sponsoring and representing the building's bond holders from LNR and hired real estate services company Cushman & Wakefield and property manager Onyx Equities.^[13]

In 2016, a fund managed by San Francisco-based Shorenstein Properties acquired the building. CBRE Group was hired to head leasing efforts.^[17]

The largest tenant in the building is Troutman Pepper, a law firm.^{[citation needed]}

In 2022, CP Group, the second-largest landlord in Atlanta, and HPS Investment Partners acquired the iconic building in a joint venture for an undisclosed price.

In popular culture

The building appears as the headquarters of Westgroup Energy in the AMC period drama Halt and Catch Fire. This elegant tower frequently appears in cityscapes on the Netflix series The Resident.

Gallery

• 
  Street-level sign
• 
  View of the building from the Westin Peachtree Plaza
• 
  View from the west
• 
• 
  View of the tower at dusk
• 
  View of the building's pinnacle at night
• 
  View of the building while approaching from Peachtree Street
• 
  The building as viewed from Emory University Hospital Midtown.

See also

• List of tallest buildings in the United States
• List of tallest buildings by U.S. state
• List of tallest buildings in Atlanta
• Downtown Atlanta
• Midtown Atlanta

References

1. "Bank of America Plaza". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
2. "Emporis building ID 121137". Emporis. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015.
3. Bank of America Plaza at Glass Steel and Stone (archived)
4. "Bank of America Plaza". SkyscraperPage.
5. Bank of America Plaza at Structurae
6. Parker, Tyler (October 11, 2024). "Pencil Building: The iconic building that towers Atlanta's skyline". Technique.
7. Fernandez, Bob (January 21, 2014). "Tallest between Manhattan and Chicago? An Atlanta peach". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
8. "Bank of America Plaza Atlanta". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
9. Trubey, J. Scott (February 8, 2012). "Bank of America Plaza becomes Atlanta's priciest repo". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on April 12, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
10. Hayes, Thomas (July 22, 1991). "Big Merger Of Banks Called Set". The New York Times. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
11. "Bank of America Plaza". Cousins Properties Incorporated. Archived from the original on July 8, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
12. "Construction to Kick Off for Peachtree Street SONO Project in 2014". Midtown Alliance. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
13. Sams, Douglas (January 17, 2014). "BofA Plaza launches new strategy". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
14. "2014 E3 Awards". Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
15. "Midtown Alliance Recognizes 19 Businesses, Buildings as 2014 EcoDistrict 'Luminaries'". Midtown Alliance. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
16. Trubey, J. Scott (February 8, 2012). "Bank of America Plaza becomes Atlanta's priciest repo". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
17. Sams, Douglas (January 7, 2016). "Shorenstein Properties buys Bank of America Plaza". American City Business Journals.

External links

• Official building website
• "Bank of America Plaza". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
• "Emporis building ID 121137". Emporis. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015.
• "Bank of America Plaza". SkyscraperPage.

Records
Preceded by U.S. Bank Tower (Los Angeles)	Tallest building in America outside of New York and Chicago 1992–2016	Succeeded by Wilshire Grand Center