One Wells Fargo Center

One Wells Fargo Center
General information
Type office
Location 301 South College Street
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Coordinates 35°13′26″N 80°50′41″W / 35.223805°N 80.844616°WCoordinates: 35°13′26″N 80°50′41″W / 35.223805°N 80.844616°W
Construction started 1985
Completed 1988
Opening September 14, 1988
Owner Childress Klein Properties
Management Childress Klein Properties
Height
Roof 588 feet (179 m)
Technical details
Floor count 42
Floor area 972,427 sq ft (90,341.4 m2).
Design and construction
Architect HLM Design, JPJ Architects
Developer Childress Klein Properties
References
Emporis,[1] Childress Klein[2]

One Wells Fargo Center is a skyscraper in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the headquarters for Wells Fargo's east coast division.[1][3] At 588 feet (179 m) tall and 42 stories, it is the fourth tallest building in Charlotte. When it was opened on September 14, 1988, it was the tallest building in North Carolina. In 1992, One Wells Fargo Center was surpassed by the Bank of America Corporate Center,[1] and again in 2002 by Hearst Tower, another Bank of America building.[4] It is considered Charlotte's first postmodern high-rise.[1]

History

In July 1985, Trammell Crow Co. and Norfolk Southern Corp. announced plans for the block between College and Brevard Streets and between 2nd and 3rd Streets. First Union Center, named for its main occupant, would include an 850,000-square-foot 34-story granite and glass skyscraper[5] called Two First Union Center, which was to be Art Deco and the city's first postmodernist office tower. The project would also include a hotel, two office buildings and a park. Unlike nearby buildings with flat roofs, the JPJ Architects design used a roof where "[t]he top is rounded, a bold arch rising above the setback sections that enliven the principal facade ... this one looks like an old radio".[6] The first office tower was to start construction in December 1985 and be complete in 1987.[5]

By mid-1986, Two First Union Center had been changed to a 42-story building, to be Charlotte's tallest,[7] and by December, when NCNB and Charter Properties announced an even taller building, First Union's new headquarters was called One First Union Center.[8] The $100 million One First Union Center became the city's tallest building on August 21, 1987, with the pouring of concrete for the 41st floor.[9] When First Union employees began moving into the new building in February 1988, the name Two First Union Center referred to the bank's previous headquarters on Tryon Street.[10]

As of May 13, 1988, a foundation was in place for the planned hotel, expected to be 19 stories and 250 rooms, but Trammell Crow had not yet submitted plans to the county's building standards department. Omni Hotels was said to be interested in the site.[11] On October 18, 1990, the 22-story, 410-room Omni Charlotte held a ribbon cutting, though only eight floors of rooms were ready and fourteen stories had been completed. Omni president Bill Sheehan called it "probably our finest facility".[12] In 1996, The Yarmouth Group bought the Omni for $33 million and changed it to a Westin. In 1998, Hilton Hotels bought the hotel for about twice that much.[13]

After the First Union's purchase of Wachovia in 2001, and subsequent adoption of Wachovia's name in 2002, One First Union's name changed to One Wachovia Center.[14]

In 2007, Wachovia announced that it would be moving its headquarters to the new Wachovia Corporate Center, scheduled for completion in 2010.[15] After Wells Fargo announced its purchase of Wachovia in 2008, Duke Energy announced plans to take more space in the new building. In February 2009, Duke announced it would occupy the Duke Energy Center, formerly the Wachovia Corporate Center, as its corporate headquarters.[16]

In December 2010, the building was renamed to One Wells Fargo Center.[17] It houses the Wells Fargo East Coast Division. On June 14, 2012, Azrieli Group Ltd. of Israel announced it was buying the building for $245 million.[18]

Although Wells Fargo is the largest tenant, with 686,834 square feet, or 70 percent of the space, and the namesake of the building, it is occupied by several large North Carolina businesses and national law firms.[19][20][21] Wells Fargo Center also includes Two Wells Fargo Center, Three Wells Fargo Center, the Hilton hotel, and a 58 unit condominium complex.[2]

Starwood Capital Group of Greenwich, Connecticut and Vision Equities of Mountain Lakes, New Jersey announced plans to buy the building in February 2013. The $245 million deal closed in April.[19]

Peregrine Falcons

Since 2013, a pair of nesting Peregrine Falcons have raised young at One Wells Fargo Center. The Carolina Raptor Center sets up a 'Falcon Cam' allowing those who wish to view the nesting falcons online.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "One Wachovia Center". Emporis. Emporis Corporation. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Property Profile: One Wachovia Center". Childress Klein Properties. Archived from the original on 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  3. ↑ "Company Information". Wachovia Corporation. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  4. ↑ "Hearst Tower". Emporis. Emporis Corporation. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Katherine White, "N.C.-Held Firm Could Erect Obstacle for Downtown Project," The Charlotte Observer, October 3, 1985.
  6. ↑ Richard Maschal, "New High-Rise to Reach into History", The Charlotte Observer, July 11, 1985.
  7. ↑ Wendy McBane, "College Street Reemerges", The Charlotte Observer, June 14, 1986.
  8. ↑ M.S. Van Hecke, "$300 Million Complex Will Rise 50 Stories", The Charlotte Observer, December 11, 1986.
  9. ↑ David Perlmutt, "Hitting New Heights: First Union Gets Tall Bragging Rights", The Charlotte Observer, August 21, 1987.
  10. ↑ M.S. Van Hecke, "First Union Moving into New Tower,"The Charlotte Observer, February 6, 1988.
  11. ↑ Ron Stodghill II, "3rd St. Likely Omni Hotel Site," The Charlotte Observer, May 14, 1988.
  12. ↑ Rob Urban, "Another Set Fire Mars Hotel Opening," The Charlotte Observer, October 19, 1990.
  13. ↑ Doug Smith, "Back Uptown: Omni to Buy Radisson," The Charlotte Observer, December 9, 1998.
  14. ↑ Tannenbaum, Fred (2002-01-18). "Wachovia Renames Charlotte's First Union Buildings". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  15. ↑ "Wachovia to move top execs to new building". Charlotte Business Journal (American City Business Journals, Inc.). 2007-08-21. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  16. ↑ Downey, John (2009-02-26). "Duke moves HQs to Wachovia tower". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  17. ↑ Rothacker, Rick (2010-12-14). "Wells Fargo changing names of uptown towers". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
  18. ↑ Andrew Dunn, "Israeli group to buy One Wells Fargo in $245 million deal," The Charlotte Observer, June 15, 2012.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Boye, Will (2013-04-16). "Starwood, Vision Equities buy One Wells Fargo for $245 million". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  20. ↑ "One First Union Center". Civil Engineering Trails. American Society of Civil Engineers. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  21. ↑ "Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice Charlotte Office Detail". Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. Archived from the original on 2008-02-06. Retrieved 2008-03-09.

External links

Preceded by
Bank of America Plaza		 Tallest Building in Charlotte
1988—1992
179 m 		Succeeded by
Bank of America Corporate Center