Bank of America Corporate Center

North Carolina's tallest skyscraper, topped by a crown of aluminium rods.

The tower has 60 floors and is covered in rosy beige granite and silver glass, with a crown of rods on top that is lit at night. On a clear day you can see it with the naked eye from 35 miles (56 km) away. Locals sometimes call it the Taj McColl, after Hugh McColl, the bank's chief executive who pushed for its construction.

Choosing the design

In December 1986 North Carolina National Bank announced a tower of around 50 stories. In 1987 seven architecture firms competed, including I. M. Pei and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. César Pelli's design was chosen in September 1987, and the final plan was shown to the public in June 1988. The tower starts with a 30-foot granite base and then narrows through six setbacks as it rises to its crown. The construction cleared a whole city block, including Belk and Efird's department stores.

Building the tower

Demolition began in January 1989. When workers dug the foundation they found flakes and threads of gold in the granite, which was not a total surprise because Charlotte was the centre of America's first gold rush in the 1830s. The tower rests on a thick slab of concrete, 38 feet below the street at its deepest point, and 36 piers hold up its weight of about 300 million pounds. Hurricane Hugo stopped work briefly in September 1989. The first tenants moved in on May 1, 1992, and the crown lighting began on May 9.

Art and neighbours

The lobby holds three paintings called frescoes by the North Carolina artist Ben Long and a team of nine artists. Each is 18 by 23 feet, and together they are the largest secular fresco in the United States, finished in about four months in 1992. The tower is linked to the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, with three theatres, and to Founders Hall, a vaulted atrium with a fountain, shops and restaurants.

On the globe

The model shows the tall tower crowned with aluminium rods. Look for the spiky crown.