“When you see the pencil building, you know you’re home.” People around Tech have most likely heard this refrain from countless students, and it really does ring true. The iconic Bank of America Plaza building absolutely towers over the skyline, and the moment you see it, you know exactly where you are. It is a landmark beloved by everyone, an ever-present reminder of Atlanta’s rapid growth and development and a beacon that lights up the night sky.
Making it to the very top is an otherworldly experience, overseeing a view unavailable from anywhere else. While the 55th floor is a pretty unbelievable place to be, behind the dizzying heights and impressive exterior lies a wealth of history, infrastructure and people that work tirelessly to make it the one-of-a-kind place that it is.
Completed in 1992 and initially called NationsBank Plaza, the Bank of America Plaza was originally intended to be the headquarters for Citizens & Southern National Bank. Designed by architecture firm Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates LLC (KRJDA), its art-deco style is reminiscent of similar icons, such as the Empire State Building, while still being unmistakably unique.
“The architecture firm Kevin Roche-John Dinkaloo Associates designed buildings all around the world, including the US Embassy in Berlin. They only designed two in Atlanta — Bank of America Plaza and Ravinia — both of which CP Group currently owns,” Ryan Howard, Regional Director of Construction for CP Group, said.
“The original concept design had a flame on the top since the building was scheduled to be delivered before the Olympics,” Howard said. The timeless exterior is accompanied by an equally impressive and recently renovated interior with floor after floor of sleek, modern offices that many different companies call home.
Standing at 1,023 ft, only 60 ft shorter than the Eiffel Tower, the Bank of America Plaza is a building on a scale that’s hard to fathom.
“With over 1.35 million square feet of premium workspace, it is the tallest building in the Southeastern United States and the 23rd tallest in the U.S.,” Howard said. “The larger the building, the more maintenance is required because there is simply more of everything — more windows, elevators, HVAC, parking and more people. Maintaining and improving the building requires careful planning to minimize the impact on the tenants and the public. The building towers over its surrounding environment, so it does not have many adjacent buildings that provide much protection from the elements, the way office towers in other cities do. Sun, wind, and rain create wear and tear on the building, which must be planned for and addressed with preventative maintenance.”
The best way of really getting a sense of how massive the Bank of America Plaza is getting a view from the very top. On the 55th floor, in a massive room full of floor-to-ceiling windows, you can truly see Atlanta from every possible angle. Georgia Tech is a little green square amongst miles upon miles of city, with Tech Tower barely visible as a tiny spec. The bustling chaos of being down on the street gives way to a clear structure of neighborhoods, districts, and a city layout that has been very evidently planned.
“As a native Atlantan, I’ve walked, driven, and taken MARTA by the building for decades. The vantage point has always been from the ground looking up. Being able to ascend the tower and look at Atlanta from the top of Bank of America Plaza changes your perspective on the City. The relationships of the different neighborhoods and submarkets become clearer. Once you have been to the top, you always look back at it from different points in the City and say, ‘I’ve been up there,’” Howard said.
The top of the Bank of America Plaza is really something to behold and makes the rest of Atlanta look tiny in comparison, but when you get past the initial shock, you find not just an icon but a building with history and a place where people get to go work every day. It is an experience that few get to have, but none will ever forget.