| Equitable Building | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of Equitable Building | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Office |
| Location | 100 Peachtree Street NW,Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°45′24″N84°23′19″W / 33.756774°N 84.388577°W /33.756774; -84.388577 |
| Construction started | 1966 |
| Completed | 1968 |
| Owner | Capmark Bank (100 Peachtree Street Atlanta LLC) |
| Height | |
| Roof | 453 ft (138 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 32 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Skidmore, Owings and Merrill |
TheEquitable Life Assurance Building is a 32-story, 453 foot (138 m) talloffice building inAtlanta, Georgia. It is located at 100Peachtree Street in theFairlie-Poplarneighborhood indowntown Atlanta. A typical example of anInternational-style skyscraper, the building was designed byChicago-basedarchitectural firmSkidmore, Owings and Merrill, and was constructed in 1968 on the site of the formerPiedmont Hotel. The building's "EQUITABLE" signage was an easily recognizable piece of the downtown Atlanta skyline, while the tower's black finish stood in sharp contrast to the surrounding buildings.
The Equitable Building is adjacent to the historicFlatiron Building and the historicRhodes-Haverty Building. The building's site is bounded on the southwest by Luckie Street, on the northwest by Forsyth Street, on the northeast by Williams Street, and on the southeast by Peachtree Street. The public greenspace and outdoor seating ofWoodruff Park is located across Peachtree Street to the south. The building is serviced byMARTA Red and Gold line trains at thePeachtree Center station, as well as theAtlanta Streetcar at the Woodruff Park and Peachtree Center streetcar stops.
In 2017,Georgia's Own Credit Union became the building's main tenant and tooknaming rights, with the trademark "EQUITABLE" sign replaced with a digital LED display mainly displaying its logo, along with promoting civic and charitable efforts and highlighting the institution's members.[1]
The building was constructed for the Equitable Life Insurance Company in 1968, with the company maintaining ownership of the building from 1968 to 1997 when it was sold toChicago-based LaSalle Advisors for roughly $36 million. In 2007, it was purchased byEquastone 100 PeachtreeLLC for $57 million.
Due to thelate-2000s recession, the value of the building dropped by more than 25%, and the building reached a vacancy level of 50%. By April 2009, the building was inforeclosure, and was to beauctioned in May of that year. Equastone owed $52 million to Capmark Bank, and thus wasupside-down on itsmortgage.
On June 2, 2009 the building was put up for auction in Atlanta. The onlybidder, 100 Peachtree Street Atlanta LLC, an affiliate of Capmark Bank, bought the building for $29.5 million.[2] In late January 2010 there were reports thatGeorgia State University was interested in buying the building and itsparking deck[3] and in May 2011 theAtlanta Journal-Constitution reported that GSU was in negotiations to purchase the building to house itsJ. Mack Robinson College of Business.[4] No deal was ever publicly announced. On July 6, 2011, the building was purchased by Florida-based America's Capital Partners for $19 million.[5]
At approximately 11:34pm on March 27, 1968, a fire broke out on the 10th floor of the unfinished Equitable Building and quickly moved upward, destroying much of the unconstructed upper floors that were only steel beams at the time. The fire apparently spread through feeding on the wooden construction material (particularly forms into which concrete flooring would be poured) and high winds. The fire was declared "tapped out" at 6:00am the next morning. According to theAtlanta Fire Department, "debris showered down on adjacent roof tops and apparatus on the street creating a severe hazard for the operating AFD crews," although no one was seriously hurt. Damage totaled $1.6 million.[6]
On March 14, 2008, the Equitable Building sustained minor damage, mainly shattered windows, whena tornado tore through downtown Atlanta. This tornado stands as the only one to have hit the downtown area since the city's founding.[7][8]
