Miami Tower

Miami Tower

Miami Tower in Downtown Miami
Location within Miami
Former names CenTrust Tower
NationsBank Tower
Bank of America Tower at International Place
General information
Type Commercial office
Location 100 Southeast 2nd Street
Miami, Florida
Coordinates 25°46′19″N 80°11′28″W / 25.7720°N 80.1912°W / 25.7720; -80.1912Coordinates: 25°46′19″N 80°11′28″W / 25.7720°N 80.1912°W / 25.7720; -80.1912
Construction started 1983
Completed 1987
Opening 1987
Owner LaSalle Investment Management
Management Jones Lang LaSalle
Height
Roof 625 ft (191 m)
Top floor 47
Technical details
Floor count 47
Floor area 1,160,000 sq ft (108,000 m2)
Lifts/elevators 19
Design and construction
Architect Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
Developer Centrust Savings Bank
Structural engineer Crouse-Honderich
Main contractor The George Hyman Construction Co.
Website
Miami Tower

The Miami Tower is a 47-story, landmark office skyscraper in Miami, Florida, United States. It is located in central Downtown. It is currently the 8th tallest building in Miami and Florida. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter placed it on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places as the Bank of America Tower.[1]

History

Built for CenTrust Savings & Loan in 1987, the 47-story building ranks in the top ten tallest skyscrapers in Miami and in Florida at a height of 625 feet (191 m) and is known for its elaborate night-time illuminations and its dramatic three glass tiers. Designed by the Pei Cobb Freed & Partners architectural firm, the tower consists of two separate structures: A 10-story parking garage owned by the city and the 47-story office tower built upon the air rights of the garage. Preliminary planning for the tower began in February 1980; construction on the garage began by November. The garage was completed in February 1983 and the tower began construction a year later. On August 1984, while the tower was under construction, a 5-alarm fire began on the ninth floor; construction was subsequently delayed for several weeks. On December 15, 1985, the tower was lit for the first time in Miami Dolphins aqua and snowflakes.

By mid-1986, the tower's exterior was complete and the grand opening for the complex was set for early fall that same year. Due to the uneven settling of the tower's foundation to one side by several inches, and the resulting un-alignment of the tower's elevator rails, the grand opening for the complex was delayed until February 1987. The complete complex featured the world's only elevated metro station in a skyscraper (Knight Center station). It also gained notoriety for its luxurious interiors, including a skylobby on the 11th floor covered in marble and gold and a 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) outdoor terrace. Also its indoor gym features mahogany cabinets. The tower is connected to the James L. Knight Center by a pedestrian walkway and on the first floor is a retail spine covered with green marble. The tower contains 1,160,000 sq ft (108,000 m2) with 503,000 sq ft (46,700 m2) of office space and a 535,000 sq ft (49,700 m2), 1,500 space parking garage.

The building appears during the end credits of the 1986 movie Flight Of The Navigator in an aerial shot of Miami. The very top floors can clearly be seen still under construction.

The roof of the building was the set of Gloria Estefan's 1994 video for "Turn The Beat Around". The building is also one of many featured on the backdrop of the stage on The Tonight Show.

On January 1, 2010, the building was renamed the Miami Tower.[2]

Many colors of the tower

The tower's three tiers allow it to have multiple color schemes in tribute to certain holidays and seasons. In 2012 a 1.5 million dollar LED system was installed on the tower to allow for more elaborate displays with a much quicker transition time.[3] Below are some examples of the various colors used:

In Popular Culture

The Miami Tower is referenced in several video games and TV shows. It was featured in the opening sequence of the 1980s TV show Miami Vice, even being referred to as the "'Miami Vice' Tower" when it was sold.[4] It is also depicted in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in the downtown area and in DRIV3R with its name is changed to "The Tower At International Place". The tower appears repeatedly in multiple scenes throughout the movie Miami Vice as well as in the Miami Vice television series and also in a scene in the 2006 version of Casino Royale

See also

References

  1. ↑ Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places
  2. ↑ http://www.plumtv.com/blogs/miami-insider/bank-of-america-tower-renamed-miami-towers
  3. ↑ http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/21/3014802/miami-tower-changes-colors-instantly.html
  4. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/blog/2010/11/lasalle-to-buy-miami-vice-tower.html

External links

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