Esso Tower
Encyclopedia
The Esso
Tower was one of the first buildings built in La Défense
in the 1960s. It was demolished in 1993 to be replaced by the Cœur Défense
tower.
was built earlier. The land had already been bought by Esso in 1957, even before the Public Establishment for Installation of La Défense (EPAD) existed.
Esso wanted its 1550 employees be able to work in a single comfortable and functional building. This one included one of the very first self-service restaurants, an air-conditioned room for IBM computers, an employee lounge, and even a movie theater. The building went into service in April 1965.
In 1993, the Esso tower was also the first tower of La Défense to be demolished. Today the Cœur Défense tower rises in its place, completed in 2001.
Esso
Esso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
Tower was one of the first buildings built in La Défense
La Défense
La Défense is a major business district of the Paris aire urbaine. With a population of 20,000, it is centered in an orbital motorway straddling the Hauts-de-Seine département municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux...
in the 1960s. It was demolished in 1993 to be replaced by the Cœur Défense
Cœur Défense
Cœur Défense is an office skyscraper in La Défense, the high-rise business district west of Paris, France. With 350,000 m² , it is the building with the most floor space in Europe along with the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest....
tower.
A pioneer of La Défense
This building was a pioneer from many points of view: the first office building in France, it was built in the district of La Défense in 1963, when the business district was not yet established: only the CNITCenter of New Industries and Technologies
The Center of New Industries and Technologies , located in Puteaux, France, is one of the first buildings built in La Défense in Paris, France...
was built earlier. The land had already been bought by Esso in 1957, even before the Public Establishment for Installation of La Défense (EPAD) existed.
Esso wanted its 1550 employees be able to work in a single comfortable and functional building. This one included one of the very first self-service restaurants, an air-conditioned room for IBM computers, an employee lounge, and even a movie theater. The building went into service in April 1965.
In 1993, the Esso tower was also the first tower of La Défense to be demolished. Today the Cœur Défense tower rises in its place, completed in 2001.
Characteristics
- Architects: GréberJacques GréberJacques-Henri-Auguste Gréber was a French architect specializing in landscape architecture and urban design. He was a strong proponent of the Beaux-Arts style and a contributor to the City Beautiful movement, particularly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Ottawa, Ontario.-Early life and...
, Lathrop and Douglas - 11 floors
- 30,000 m²
- central concrete structure concentrating the elevators and the wiring network — the facades are metal curtain walls.
- built on the Commune of CourbevoieCourbevoieCourbevoie is a commune located very close to the centre of Paris, France. The centre of Courbevoie is situated 2 kilometres from the outer limits of Paris and 8.2 km...
, in sector 4 of La Défense.