80 Story NationsBank Tower

[Commoner]

Yes, you read that correctly. Doug Smith profiled Wagner Murray Architects today. I'd love to see the 200+ page book profiling the firm's projects (both built and unbuilt) sold in some mainstream Charlotte retailers. Even if you don't know the firm, you certainly know some of their projects: The Green, Seventh Street Station, parts of BofA Stadium and, coming soon, the Bechtler museum (modern art).

One proposal that would be fun to see: the firm's proposal for an 80-story HQ tower. Hopefully, the book will be available outside of the Wagner Murray office so we can all pick up a copy.

http://www.charlotte.com/business/columnis...ory/445265.html

[atlrvr]

It was never a real proposal but here is the rendering.

[Justadude]

The illuminated elevator shafts would have been cool to see at night.

On the whole, though, I think I'm happier with the relatively conservative design of BoA. As the city's centerpiece, I think it's more proportionally appropriate than an 80-story tower.

[monsoon]

Yeah. That building looks like something slapped together by play schoolers playing with wooden blocks. It amazes me a real architecture firm came up with something like that.

Speaking of Doug Smith he gets a thumbs down on this blog http://observerobserver.blogspot.com/

DOWNS, 2007

1. Development Coverage -- Doug Smith may be a native to Charlotte and a nice guy, but his coverage of real estate development borders on the obsequious. His weekly feature "The Next Big Thing" provides nothing of value for readers except a regurgitated version of the developer's press release and a self-serving comment from said developer about how great their project will be for Charlotte. .......

[tozmervo]

Yeah. That building looks like something slapped together by play schoolers playing with wooden blocks. It amazes me a real architecture firm came up with something like that.

[elvigy]

That's just hideous. Thank god it never got built. It looks like some weird building out of This Island Earth (an old scifi B movie).

[dxartist]

ugh....(shuddering) ugly, ugly, ugly. It is said that simple designs are often the most elegant. However, this one doesn't fall in that category.

[cityboi]

believe it or not there is nothing wrong with how the shapes of the building are stacked. However architects could have done a better job and used more imagination with it. The design is too plain which is why it looks like a play skool creation.

[Xss]

Oh, gezz, thank God it was only an old canceled proposal. For a moment I thought that hideous ugliness was officially proposed for downtown Charlotte!

[rockhilljames]

I doubt the finished project would have looked like that, the rendering almost looks more like a massing diagram than anything else.

But yeah, it's hideous.

[RiverwoodCLT]

Looks like it was NEw York City which requires a set back as you go up.

[Spartan]

Looks like someone vomited up the 80s. I think Charlotte is definitely better off without that one.

[swampfox43]

^LOL! I couldn't have said it better Spartan. Very glad that never came to fruition.

I wish someone could dig up the proposed "Space Needle" rendering for Charlotte back in the 80's. I could almost draw it I remember it so vividly. It was quite odd looking and I still think that something of that sort could work in this city. The closest thing to any observation only tower (outside a theme park) I can think of on the east coast is in Gatlinburg.

[monsoon]

Yeah I remember that space needle proposal and we had discussed it here before, but I've never been able to find a rendering of if that was shown all those years ago.

For those of you who don't know about it, there was a proposal to build a very tall observation tower in Charlotte. Something on the lines of the CN tower in Toronto (in scope, not look). There was a presentation made to the city council who approved it assuming the city did not have to pay for construction. Financing was supposed to come from Charlotteans purchasing shares in the company that would put it up. At that point the hoopla died down and the project quietly disappeared.

[cityboi]

Yeah I remember that space needle proposal and we had discussed it here before, but I've never been able to find a rendering of if that was shown all those years ago.

For those of you who don't know about it, there was a proposal to build a very tall observation tower in Charlotte. Something on the lines of the CN tower in Toronto (in scope, not look). There was a presentation made to the city council who approved it assuming the city did not have to pay for construction. Financing was supposed to come from Charlotteans purchasing shares in the company that would put it up. At that point the hoopla died down and the project quietly disappeared.

[monsoon]

....If they did it, they should put a Hard Rock Cafe at the base of the needle. ....

[atlrvr]

I don't have a rendering of the Charlotte tower, but it was fairly similar to another tower that Burt Gellman later proposed as a Ground Zero memorial in NYC. The NY tower is 2,000' feet, which I think is about 50% taller than what he proposed for the Charlotte site.

This is the NY tower that was proposed.

[Justadude]

I don't see a project like this being feasible on its own... but if it were bundled into another project like an aquarium or entertainment complex....

[cltheel.sdl]

No offense to good ole Burt, but that is one ugly tower. How about some glass and steel in exchange for the concrete? And maybe some more interesting architectural features as well?

[Batou]

Since we are on the subject, why not also mention Four First Union.

According to http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=41unio...harlotte-nc-usa it was going to be 84 floors.

[monsoon]

^There is actually an entire topic here at UrbanPlanet on that First Union proposal as, unlike the other towers, it almost happened. BTW, the emporis link you posted only shows one of the two designs for the tower. (both very different from each other) It was the second design the bank was going to build, not the concept that is posted on emporus.

The tower was so close to happening that WSOC TV, channel 9, reported it as fact the tower had been announced and would be built.

[HopHead]

^There is actually an entire topic here at UrbanPlanet on that First Union proposal as, unlike the other towers, it almost happened. BTW, the emporis link you posted only shows one of the two designs for the tower. (both very different from each other) It was the second design the bank was going to build, not the concept that is posted on emporus.

The tower was so close to happening that WSOC TV, channel 9, reported it as fact the tower had been announced and would be built.

[Spartan]

The second one definitely looks better. But from the looks of it that wouldn't have been any better from a ground level stand point.

[monsoon]

I actually like the 2nd one (never was a fan of the one posted on Emporus). Was it to be the same height? Did the tower get cancelled at the last second b/c of the Wachovia merger?

[The Fringe]

Anyone know off hand who authored these designs?