| AT&T Building | |
View of the AT&T Building | |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Location | 333 Commerce Street, Nashville, Tennessee |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Status | Complete |
| Groundbreaking | 1991 |
| Constructed | 1994 |
| Use | Offices |
| Height | |
| Antenna/Spire | 617.1 ft (188.1 m) (1) |
| Roof | 452.1 ft (137.8 m) (1) |
| Floor count | 31 (2) |
| Floor area | 690,297 sq ft (64,131 m²) office area (3) >1,000,000 sq ft (90,000 m²) total area (2) |
| Companies | |
| Architect | Earl Swensson Associates (2) |
| Structural Engineer | I. C. Thomasson Associates (2) |
| Contractor | Brasfield & Gorrie Ray Bell Construction (2,4) |
| Developer | The Mathews Company (5) |
| Owner | Pitney Bowes (1994-2006) Cerebus Capital Management (2006-Present) (6) |
| References: 1[1], 2[2], 3[3], 4[4], 5[5], 6[6] | |
The AT&T Building (also known as the Batman Building, formerly the South Central Bell Building and BellSouth Building) is a 617 ft (188 m), 31-story skyscraper build in 1994 and located in Nashville, Tennessee. The structure is designed as an office tower capable of housing 2,000 workers and as of 2007 is occupied by two companies. It is currently the tallest building in the state of Tennessee.
Contents |
Architecture and design
The building sits on 2.7 acres (1.1 ha) of land on Commerce St between 3rd and 4th Avenues North. It features an atrium and a nine-story underground parking garage with 1,300 vehicle capacity.[2][3] The decorative bridge of the structure was designed to resemble a telephone receiver sitting in its cradle,[7] and the addition of the spires gives an appearance similar to that of the Melbourne Central Tower in Melbourne, Australia. Also atop the building, situated just below the bridge structure, is a communications dish covered by the tri-star design from the Tennessee state flag.[8] Its distinctive design and dark coloration have earned it the nickname "Batman Building", due to its resemblance to the mask of superhero character Batman.[9] Richard Miller, the president of architectural firm Earl Swensson Associates, said of the design process "...at the time we did that they [South Central Bell] wanted a signature piece of architecture. What happens inside the building drives the way the outside looks."[10]
Occupation
AT&T, previously BellSouth Telecommunications[11] and before that South Central Bell,[12] has operated its Tennessee headquarters out of the building since it was opened in 1994. Prior to 2006, it was the sole occupant of the building, and now occupies approximately 500,000 sq ft (46,500 m²) of office space.[13] AT&T holds a 23.5 year lease which ends January 2020.[3] The other tenant, Nissan North America, has operated a temporary headquarters in the remainder of office area, twelve floors, since June 19, 2006. The company will relocate to a permanent location in Franklin, Tennessee in summer 2008.[14][15] Local television station WTVF Channel 5, while not utilizing office space, operates two live video cameras atop the western spire, which were established in 1995 and 1996.[9][16] These cameras are used to provide scenic views of Nashville and to assist in covering news events.
Ownership
After completion in 1994, the AT&T Building was purchased by Prefco XIV L.P., a limited partnership of the Pitney Bowes Real Estate Financing Corp for US$100.8 million. The building was bought in July 2006 by Cerebus Capital Management, a New York City investment firm, and placed back on the market for resale.[3]
See also
References
- ^ "BellSouth Building", SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ a b Enterprise Electric, LLC: Portfolio. EnterpriseLLC.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ a b c d Fox, David A. "This Land is Their Land...: Prefco XIV L.P.", BusinessTN.com, November 2004. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ Dolloff, J Holly. "Brasfield & Gorrie puts its stamp on Nashville projects", Nashville Business Journal, 2006-04-14. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ The Mathews Company Timeline. TheMathewsCompany.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ "Nashville Skyscraper Up For Sale", NewsChannel5.com, 2006-12-18. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ BellSouth Building. GlassSteelandStone.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ BellSouth Building. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ a b "'Batman Building' Gets A New Name", NewsChannel5.com, 2007-09-25. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ Lewis, Bill. "Taking part in shaping a vibrant Nashville", The Tennessean, 2003-12-28. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ ATT.com (2006-03-05). "AT&T, BellSouth to Merge". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ "POLL: What should Nashvillians call the BellSouth Building?", NewsChannel5.com, 2007-09-25. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ Lawson, Richard. "BellSouth Tower to open space", The Tennessean, 2004-07-23. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ (2006-08-09). "SHIFT_ 2.0: Embracing Change at Nissan North America, Inc.". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ "Nissan HQ construction continues as BellSouth Tower up for sale...", Monterey Herald via Weatherblogg.com, 2006-11-26. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ History Of Firsts At NewsChannel 5. NewsChannel5.com (2007-02-12). Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
