BankWest Tower
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The BankWest Tower is the second tallest skyscraper in Perth, Western Australia. Until the Central Park Tower was completed it was the tallest building in the city. The roof is 214 meters (702 feet) above the ground and the tip of the antenna is 247 meters (810 feet) is above the ground.
The 50 storey tower was built as the headquarters of the R & I Bank and the Bond Corporation, with Alan Bond the principal supporter of the project.[1] Construction began in 1981 and was completed in 1988. The building officially opened in October 1989 and was known as the "Bond Tower". After the collapse of the Bond Corporation, the "Bond" words were removed from the tower, and it became known as the "R & I Tower". When the R & I Bank was renamed to "BankWest", the tower took on the bank's new name.
The tower has a cross section in the shape of a right triangle, with a series of bay windows on the hypotenuse. This maximises the number of corner offices.
The building rises above the former Palace Hotel which was built at the end of the 19th century during the days of the West Australian Gold Rush. The facades and stair core of the hotel were retained and restored to accommodate the former R & I banking chamber.
On the 51st floor of the skyscraper is a private apartment which is accessible only via a private lift on the floor below.[1]
It was announced in 2006 that the flagship occupant, BankWest, would not renew its occupancy lease, and would instead move to a new tower proposed for Raine Square.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Keenan, Rebecca. "Multiplex holds key to $134m BankWest deal", The West Australian, West Australian Newspapers Ltd, 2006-12-28, p. 46. (in English)
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