| Bank of America Plaza | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The Bank of America Plaza as viewed from theWestin Peachtree Plaza in 2024. | |
  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 |
| Record height | |
| Tallest inGeorgia since 1992[I] | |
| Preceded by | One Atlantic Center |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 600 Peachtree Street NE Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°46′15″N84°23′10″W / 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 | 1,023 ft (312 m) |
| Roof | 933 ft (284 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 55 |
| Floor area | 1,312,980 sq ft (121,980 m2) |
| Lifts/elevators | 24 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Kevin Roche,John Dinkeloo and Associates |
| Structural engineer | CBM Engineers Inc. |
| Main contractor | Beers Construction |
| Website | |
| bankofamericaplaza.com | |
| References | |
| [1][2][3][4][5] | |
Bank of America Plaza (colloquially called thepencil building[6]) is asupertallskyscraper betweenMidtown Atlanta andDowntown Atlanta, Georgia, United States. At 1,023 ft (312 m), as of February 2024[update] the tower is the23rd tallest building in the U.S,,[7] the tallest building in theSoutheastern U.S.,[8] and was the tallest building in any U.S. state capital—overtaking the 820 ft (250 m), 50-storyOne Atlantic Center in height, which held the record asGeorgia's tallest building—until August 2025 when theWaterline tower inAustin, Texas, was topped-out. 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 forCitizens & Southern National Bank (which merged withSovran Bank during construction), it becameNationsBank's property following its formation in the 1991 hostile takeover of C&S/Sovran byNCNB.[10]
The building was developed byCousins Properties and designed by thearchitectural firmKevin 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-generatingcorner offices. It is located on over 3.7 acres (1.5 ha) onPeachtree Street.
There is a 90 ft (27 m)obelisk-likespire at the top of the building echoing the shape of the building as a whole. Most of the spire is covered in 23karat (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 theArt Deco theme seen in theEmpire State Building and theChrysler Building. The inhabited part of the building actually ends abruptly with a flat roof. On top of this is built apyramid ofgirders, which are gilded and blaze at night, with the same type of yellow-orangehigh-pressure sodium (HPS)lighting used in older-stylestreet lights. Its design has been characterized as similar to theMesseturm inFrankfurt 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 onNorth Avenue, its northern boundary, with access to this street through a parking garage entrance and stairs leading from the building's main lobby.
The skyscraper is across the street from theNorth Avenue station of theMARTA rail system.
Developers have rumored that the land under the surrounding driveways and lawns may be redeveloped into low- and mid-risemixed-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]
In 2014, a $30 million renovation to the lobby, health club, and conference facility was completed[13] It has also achievedLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. The building and property management were awardedMetro 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]
BentleyForbes acquired the building fromCousins 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 companyCushman & Wakefield and property manager Onyx Equities.[13]
In 2016, a fund managed by San Francisco-basedShorenstein Properties acquired the building.CBRE Group was hired to head leasing efforts.[17]
The largest tenant in the building isTroutman Pepper, a law firm.[citation needed]
In 2022, CP Group, the second-largest landlord in Atlanta, and HPS Investment Partners acquired the building in a joint venture for an undisclosed price.
The building appears as the headquarters of Westgroup Energy in the AMC period dramaHalt and Catch Fire.This elegant tower frequently appears in cityscapes on the Netflix series The Resident.
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| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Tallest building in America outside of New York and Chicago 1992–2016 | Succeeded by |
