BellSouth Building (Nashville)

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The BellSouth Building, Nashville

The BellSouth Building (also known as BellSouth Tower and formerly the South Central Bell Building) is a 188-meter (617-foot), 33-story skyscraper at 333 Commerce Street in Nashville, Tennessee. It is the tallest building in the state of Tennessee.

Though the building still shows the logo for the defunct BellSouth, it is the regional headquarters of AT&T Southeast (BellSouth's successor), and currently serves as the temporary headquarters for Nissan North America, while its new offices are being constructed in Franklin, Tennessee. The architects who designed it were Earl Swensson Associates. It was completed in 1994. Locals affectionately refer to the building as the "Batman Building" or the "Bat Tower" because it has a resemblance to the mask worn by Batman.

Originally the plan for the building was to not have any spires, but only the decorative bridge. This look would have made the top of the skyscraper look more like a receiver of a telephone in its cradle. The building's current styling is similar to the Melbourne Central Tower in Melbourne, Australia.

Richard Miller, of Earl Swensson Associates said, "The BellSouth Tower, at the time we did that they wanted a signature piece of architecture. What happens inside the building drives the way the outside looks." --The Tennessean, December 23, 2003.

In the end, the BellSouth Building has become a landmark for the city of Nashville, reinforcing a modern image for the city.

Atop the western spire are two video cameras operated by WTVF Channel 5. Together known as "Skycam", they have provided breathtaking views of the city and live news events for the station since 1995.

The building is expected to soon carry the AT&T name now that its merger with BellSouth is complete.^{[citation needed]}