The Liberty Tower is a 25-story
skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
in
downtown South Bend,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. Completed in 1970, its anchor tenant is now an
Aloft Hotel
Aloft Hotels is a hotel chain based in North America, owned by Marriott International. The first hotel opened at the Trudeau International Airport in Montreal in 2008. .
History
After the demolition of the Oliver Hotel in 1967, the then-called American National Bank Building was constructed beginning in 1968 and was
topped out
In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is often parlaye ...
in 1970. Several years after its completion and grand opening in late 1970, its name was changed to the Valley National Bank Building.
Architecture
The tower was built with a
modernist
Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
design, with a concrete facade. It has a white base color, as well as gray and dark teal highlights.
Tenants and usage
The current anchor tenant is the Aloft Hotel, which occupies most of the building. The WXYZ Lounge is located on the first floor. Floors two through eight host 220
parking spaces. Before the Aloft, a
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is an American chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia. and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson, who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee that year. The chain was a division ...
operated the 185+ hotels rooms. The top floor had a private bar (the Summit Club) until it closed in 2012 due to low membership after 41 years in the building. Office space is available for rent.
Renovations
The building has gone through two major renovations; in 1993, the tower's heating and cooling systems as well as the parking garage were upgraded. In 2015, after a water leak that caused occupants to vacate, the tower underwent a $40,000,000 renovation that included the addition of the new hotel and bar.
See also
*
List of tallest buildings in Indiana
This list of tallest buildings in Indiana ranks skyscrapers in the state of Indiana, United States of America by height. The tallest building in Indiana is Salesforce Tower in Indianapolis, which contains 49 floors and is tall. The second-tallest ...
*
List of tallest buildings in South Bend
References
{{Reflist
Buildings and structures in South Bend, Indiana
Skyscrapers in Indiana