Parque Central Complex - The Twin Towers

The Twin Towers

The Twin Towers of Central Park or Central Park Towers are a pair of 225 m tall skyscrapers. Since the construction of the west tower in 1979, until the construction of Torre Gran Costanera in Santiago (topped out in 2012), the 61 storey skyscrapers had been the tallest in South America. The east tower wasn't completed until 1983. Until 2003, they were also the tallest in Latin America until surpassed - by less than 1 m - by Torre Mayor in Mexico City.

They were designed by the Venezuelan architect Daniel Fernández Shaw. Construction was carried out by the Centro Simón Bolívar, State Authority for the company's urban development Caracas. In mid-2006 the Central Park Station on Line 4 Metro de Caracas opened nearby. Currently, the complex hosts 12 state agencies. The estimated working population of each tower is 7,500.

The towers take their name from the green refuge in the heart of Caracas' urban jungle, but are still in the midst of a vast complex of office buildings and amenities. The view from inside offers panoramic access to the city and the surrounding mountains.

On February 14, 1982, high rise firefighting and rescue advocate, Dan Goodwin, at the invitation of the Venezuelan television company, Venevisión, scaled the outside of the Parque Central Complex.

Just before midnight, October 14, 2004, a fire broke out in the East Tower, which housed government offices. The fire affected regions from the 34th floor to the 50th floor. The tower sustained major damage because firefighting efforts were hampered by non-working automatic sprinkler and standpipe systems. It was feared that the concrete-and-steel structure could be damaged severely enough to collapse, and internal firefighting efforts were pulled in the interest of safety. Two steel decks partially collapsed, and deflection in some steel beams was later found to be severe. The fire burned itself out in the early morning of October 16.