One Atlantic Center
Encyclopedia
One Atlantic Center, also known as IBM Tower, is a skyscraper
located in Midtown Atlanta
. It is the third-tallest in Atlanta, reaching a height of 820 feet (249.9 m) with 50 stories of office
space. It was completed in 1987 and remained the tallest building in Atlanta until 1992, when it was surpassed by the Bank of America Plaza
, which was also built in Midtown. It was also the tallest building in the southeastern U.S. at the time of completion, surpassing the Southeast Financial Center in Miami.
The building was commissioned by Prentiss Properties as a southeastern headquarters for IBM
, a company responsible for many notable skyscrapers of the 1980s. Aside from introducing Atlanta to the postmodern architectural idiom of the 80s, this tower is notable for essentially creating what is now the Midtown commercial district. Located at the then-remote corner of 14th and West Peachtree Streets over a mile from Downtown
, this building nevertheless opened nearly fully occupied and thus attracted developers to Midtown in droves.
The building's exterior consists of Spanish pink granite
with a copper pyramidal top and gold peak. The design includes gothic
flourishes, most noticeably below the copper top of the building. At night the peak and ridges along the top are illuminated brightly, creating a glowing effect.
It was joined in 2001 by the much shorter Atlantic Center Plaza
building, which bears similar postmodern design and was constructed across the street as the second phase of the Atlantic Center development. Atlantic Center Plaza's design and architecture are so similar, it has affectionately become known in Atlanta as the "Mini Me" building, named after the comical dwarfish clone of Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movies. Phase III sits on the drawing boards as the developers await a tenant.
One Atlantic Center was designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects. As associate architect, Heery International
, Inc. produced the contract documents.
Both Atlantic Center Towers were constructed by HCBeck, now known as The Beck Group
.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
located in Midtown Atlanta
Midtown Atlanta
Midtown is the second largest financial district in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, situated between the commercial and financial districts of Downtown and SoNo to the south and the affluent residential and commercial district of Buckhead to the north...
. It is the third-tallest in Atlanta, reaching a height of 820 feet (249.9 m) with 50 stories of office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
space. It was completed in 1987 and remained the tallest building in Atlanta until 1992, when it was surpassed by the Bank of America Plaza
Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta)
Bank of America Plaza is a skyscraper located in the SoNo district of Atlanta, Georgia. At the tower is the 53rd-tallest building in the world. When it first opened, it was the 9th tallest building in the world, and 6th tallest building in the United States...
, which was also built in Midtown. It was also the tallest building in the southeastern U.S. at the time of completion, surpassing the Southeast Financial Center in Miami.
The building was commissioned by Prentiss Properties as a southeastern headquarters for IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, a company responsible for many notable skyscrapers of the 1980s. Aside from introducing Atlanta to the postmodern architectural idiom of the 80s, this tower is notable for essentially creating what is now the Midtown commercial district. Located at the then-remote corner of 14th and West Peachtree Streets over a mile from Downtown
Downtown Atlanta
Downtown Atlanta is the first and largest of the three financial districts in the city of Atlanta. Downtown Atlanta is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters, city, county, state and federal government facilities, sporting facilities, and is the central tourist attraction of the city...
, this building nevertheless opened nearly fully occupied and thus attracted developers to Midtown in droves.
The building's exterior consists of Spanish pink granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
with a copper pyramidal top and gold peak. The design includes gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
flourishes, most noticeably below the copper top of the building. At night the peak and ridges along the top are illuminated brightly, creating a glowing effect.
It was joined in 2001 by the much shorter Atlantic Center Plaza
Atlantic Center Plaza
Atlantic Center Plaza is a 24-floor office highrise located at 1180 West Peachtree Street in Atlanta Georgia, across the street from the One Atlantic Center...
building, which bears similar postmodern design and was constructed across the street as the second phase of the Atlantic Center development. Atlantic Center Plaza's design and architecture are so similar, it has affectionately become known in Atlanta as the "Mini Me" building, named after the comical dwarfish clone of Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movies. Phase III sits on the drawing boards as the developers await a tenant.
One Atlantic Center was designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects. As associate architect, Heery International
Heery International
Heery International, Inc. is an architectural firm that was founded in 1952 by George T. Heery and his father C. Wilmer Heery, Jr., and is currently headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia...
, Inc. produced the contract documents.
Both Atlantic Center Towers were constructed by HCBeck, now known as The Beck Group
The Beck Group
The Beck GroupType:PrivateFounded:State of Texas Headquarters:Dallas, TexasMotto:Better Buildings, Better Built!Key people:Managing Directors:Henry C...
.
Major Tenants
- Alston & BirdAlston & BirdAlston & Bird LLP, commonly abbreviated , is the largest law firm in Atlanta and the forty-third largest in the United States.-History:...
- Carlton Fields
- Bryan CaveBryan CaveBryan Cave LLP is an international law firm with twenty-one offices worldwide, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.- Overview :The international law firm Bryan Cave LLP dates back to 1873 in St. Louis. Founded in 1873 in St. Louis as King, Phillips and Stewart, the firm became Stewart, Bryan,...
- Holland & KnightHolland & KnightHolland & Knight is an international law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers in 17 U.S. offices. Other offices around the world are located in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Beijing, China, and Mexico City, Mexico. Holland & Knight provides representation in litigation, business, real estate and governmental law.-...
- DLA Piper RudnickDLA PiperDLA Piper is a global law firm with 76 offices across 30 countries and more than 4,200 lawyers. As of May 2011, it was the largest law firm in the world by number of attorneys. The firm's global revenues were $1.92 billion in 2009-2010. The firm is composed of two partnerships, DLA Piper...
- Credit SuisseCredit SuisseThe Credit Suisse Group AG is a Swiss multinational financial services company headquartered in Zurich, with more than 250 branches in Switzerland and operations in more than 50 countries.-History:...
External links
- One Atlantic Center official website
- One Atlantic Center at Hines Interests Limited PartnershipHines Interests Limited PartnershipHines Interests Limited Partnership is privately held international commercial real estate concern with its headquarters located in the Williams Tower in Uptown Houston, Texas...