The Rivergate Tower, also known as the Sykes building or the Beer Can Building,
is a skyscraper in
Tampa
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough C ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
. With 31 floors, it is the seventh tallest building in Tampa. Rivergate Tower's principal tenant is
Sykes Enterprises, a publicly-traded company that operates technical help and customer support centers internationally.
History
The building was constructed in 1988 at a cost of $150 million as headquarters for NCNB, a predecessor to
Nations Bank
NationsBank was one of the largest banking corporations in the United States, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company named NationsBank was formed through the merger of several other banks in 1991, and prior to that had been through mu ...
. Parking is provided in a two-story sub-level structure with a total of 731 spaces. The building was constructed from 1986 to 1988. Architect
Harry Wolf based its measurements on the
Fibonacci sequence,
[Steve Rajtar, ''A Guide to Historic Tampa, Florida'', History Press, 2007] in which each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers, leaving each tile in the floor and each window pane is bigger than the ones next to it. The building is faced in French and Texas
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...
, making it one of the tallest limestone structures in the world.
The distinctive cylindrical shape was meant to symbolize a lighthouse on the Tampa skyline.
The building was purchased by In-Rel Properties at a foreclosure sale in 2011 for $22 million.
Recognition
Harry Wolf's design for Rivergate Tower was given the 1993 National Honor Award from the
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to s ...
.
On April 18, 2012, the
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to s ...
's Florida Chapter placed the Rivergate Tower on its list of ''Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places''.
Neighboring structures
An adjacent cube-shaped building houses the
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts along with a bank and a cafe. Just to the north of the tower is
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park is an public park located along the Hillsborough river in downtown Tampa, Florida that opened in its current configuration in 2010. It is adjacent to the Tampa Riverwalk, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa ...
, and just to the west is the
Tampa Riverwalk on the
Hillsborough River.
See also
*
List of tallest buildings in Tampa
Image:Tampa_Skyline.jpg, 350px, Skyline of Tampa (Use cursor to identify buildings)
poly 2403 537 2441 500 2488 483 2516 455 2566 439 2597 410 2649 390 2682 358 2803 315 2949 342 2956 362 3068 383 3074 406 3202 431 3204 447 3332 473 3350 484 34 ...
*
Downtown Tampa
Downtown Tampa is the central business district of Tampa, Florida, United States, and the chief financial district of the Tampa Bay Area.
It is second only to Westshore regarding employment in the area. Companies with a major presence downtown ...
References
External links
{{Tampa skyscrapers
Skyscraper office buildings in Tampa, Florida
Landmarks in Tampa, Florida
1988 establishments in Florida
Office buildings completed in 1988