Riverplace Tower

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The Riverplace Tower is a 28 floor office building on the south bank of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. At the time of its construction, it was the tallest building in Jacksonville and the defining landmark in the skyline. It remained the tallest for eight years until the Independent Life (now Modis) was built in 1974. In 2007, 40 years after its construction, Riverplace Tower was still the 5th tallest building in Jacksonville. ^[1]

Riverplace Tower

1 History
2 University Club
3 Construction details
4 Honors
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

The Auchter Company, Jacksonville’s oldest general construction contractor, built the 542,000sf "Gulf Life Tower" for the Gulf Life Insurance Company in 1966. When completed in 1967, it was the tallest precast, post-tensioned concrete structure in the world. It held that distinction until 2002, when it was surpassed by the 425-ft.-tall Paramount Apartment Tower in San Francisco.^[2]

Gulf Life Insurance Company was merged into American General Life of Houston in 1991 and the Jacksonville Gulf Life Tower was unneeded and destined to be sold. ^[3] American General wanted $30 million, but the building was 24 years old and no longer a class “A” property. Several prospective buyers looked at the building, but the property stayed on the market for more than two years. For tax reasons, American General was desperate to sell during 1993 and accepted a cash offer from Gate Petroleum for substantially less than their asking price. Shortly thereafter, Gate began a multi-million dollar renovation of the entire building and renamed it Riverplace Tower.^[4] Building occupancy was 40% when the sale closed; within two years from the completion of the renovation, it had soared to over 90% and the building was restored to its former prominence.

The banner sign at the top of the building originally displayed "Gulf Life" in 1967. After Gulf Life was acquired by American General in 1991, it was changed to "SouthTrust". When SouthTrust and Wachovia merged in 2005, the "Wachovia" signage was installed.

[edit] University Club

It's the site where Jacksonville's biggest movers and shakers of the past few decades have wined and dined with a bird's eye view of the city and made innumerable deals. ^[5] The University Club of Jacksonville was established in 1968 and occupies the 27th floor. Its dark wood and English decor lend an elegant ambiance to this exclusive private club. Membership is comprised primarily of corporate executives and owner/operators of small or growing businesses. The Club provides opportunities to develop business and social relationships, then relax with a quiet or romantic dinner, family outing, or party! The club also offers two full service athletic facilities; one co-ed and one for men only.

[edit] Construction details

The concrete grid on the outside of the building is the only support needed to hold up the structure, leaving the interior completely available for use.
The color of the concrete façade comes from White quartz sand and white cement bonded to the surface.
The structural system consists of precast concrete floorplates and a poured concrete core
Each of the exposed beams consist of fourteen precast units held together with high strength post-tensioned steel cables.
The beams cantilever 42 feet from the columns as they taper upward and inward. ^[6]

[edit] Honors

In honor of its 50th anniversary, the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute went through the arduous process of selecting the Seven precast concrete “Wonders”. Their choices were: the Department of Housing & Urban Development Headquarters in Washington, D.C.; Gulf Life Tower in Jacksonville, Fla.; Disney World Monorail in Orlando, Fla.; TransAmerica Pyramid in San Francisco, Calif.; Aurora Justice Facility and Municipal Center in Aurora, Colo.; Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay, Fla.; and the Blue Cross-Blue Shield Parking Structure in North Haven, Conn. ^[7]

According to an Architecture article in Time Magazine, "(the) Gulf Life, placed in a shoddy, chaotic part of Jacksonville, is a tonic for its area, acts as an organizing beacon. And the bold Alcoa building…makes a positive contribution to San Francisco. Both buildings thus achieve excellence." ^[8]