Construction
On Tuesday, January 3, 1989, demolition commenced on the block where the tower would eventually rise. The demolition work would take just over seven months to complete before excavation could commence. Site preparation would continue from August through November. During the excavation for the foundation, contractors found threads and flakes of gold embedded within pieces of granite removed from the site. The discovery was not unexpected as Charlotte was the center of America's first gold rush during the 1830s.
On November 19, 1989, the initial concrete pour was completed signaling the beginning of actual construction. The mat foundation consists of a thick slab containing 3,500 cubic yards (2,700 m3) of concrete and 150 tons of reinforcing steel at the center of the tower. The foundation reaches 38 feet (12 m) below Tryon Street at its deepest point with the tower being supported by 36 concrete and steel piers. These piers are able to withstand the 150,000 pounds of pressure per square foot placed upon them by the 300 million pound structure.
After only a couple of months, construction was temporarily halted after Hurricane Hugo slammed Charlotte with 90 mph (140 km/h) winds causing some damage on-site on Friday, September 22, 1989.
By November 1990, the tower had reached its 30th floor and as a result had risen to being the 5th tallest within Charlotte. On Wednesday, March 20, 1991, the tower officially became both Charlotte's and North Carolina's tallest when it reached a height of 589 feet (180 m) at its 47th floor to surpass the 588-foot (179 m) tall One First Union Center. The tower was officially topped-out on Wednesday, October 2, 1991 with the final concrete pour completed. From this point, the 95-foot (29 m) tall crown was installed with its completion coming in December bringing the tower to its final 871-foot (265 m) height.
By January 1992, the tower had since been renamed the NationsBank Corporate Center to reflect the banks name change from NCNB in summer 1991. On May 1, the first tenants moved into the tower with its inaugural crown lighting taking place on May 9.
Completed in July 1992, its official dedication ceremony took place on Saturday, October 17, 1992. The celebrations that day included live entertainment, rappellers from Fort Bragg's 16th Military Police Brigade rappelling the height of the tower and a fireworks show.
Read more about this topic: Bank Of America Corporate Center
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“The construction of life is at present in the power of facts far more than convictions.”
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—Edmund Burke (1729–1797)