The TC Energy Center is a highrise that represents one of the first significant examples of

postmodern architecture Postmodern architecture is a style or movement which emerged in the 1960s as a reaction against the austerity, formality, and lack of variety of modern architecture, particularly in the international style advocated by Philip Johnson and Henry ...

construction in downtown Houston,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. The building has been formerly known as the RepublicBank Center, the NCNB Center, the NationsBank Center, and the Bank of America Center. The building was completed in October 1983 and designed by award-winning architect Johnson/Burgee Architects, and is reminiscent of the Dutch Gothic architecture of canal houses in The Netherlands. It has three segmented tower setbacks, each with "a steeply pitched gabled roofline that is topped off with spires". The tower was developed by

Hines Interests Hines Interests Limited Partnership is a privately held company that invests in and develops real estate. The company has developed, redeveloped or acquired 1,450 properties, comprising over 485 million square feet. The company currently manage ...

and is owned by a joint venture of M-M Properties and an affiliate of the General Electric Pension Trust. The banking center is housed in a separate building, due to construction problems, and has a three-story lobby. There are 32 passenger elevators each finished with wood panels that include Birdseye Maple, Macassar Ebony, Italian Willow, Tamo, and Kevazingo. The building contains an art gallery in the lobby and plans to host curated exhibitions. The building was renamed for TC Energy in 2019, which serves as the company's US headquarters, and is the largest tenant in the building.

Background

At 56 stories the TC Energy Center is the 55th tallest building in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and is the seventh tallest building in Texas. The northeast corner of the structure houses a building within a building. On the site is the main

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company ch ...

building and when relocation of the telegraph cables proved unfeasible, a new structure was built over the site and the existing structure was incorporated into the new building intact. The stone used for the exterior is red Swedish granite, giving the building a "dark pink" appearance.

Accident

On June 9, 2001, the building was the site of an accident that took place during Tropical Storm Allison. Building security warned individuals that the below-grade parking levels were in danger of flooding and instructed persons working late in the building to move vehicles to upper levels of the garage. Kristie Tautenhahn, an employee of the law firm Mayer, Brown & Platt, went to move her vehicle parked on sub-level 3 at 10:30 UTC (05:30 CDT) which by that time was completely submerged. She drowned in an elevator car when it filled with water as it descended to the lower floor of the garage.

Tenants

* Mayer Brown has its Houston office in Suite 3400.Contact Information
." Mayer Brown. Retrieved on December 17, 2009. * TC Energy has its US Head Office in the building.

Gallery

Image:BOAC bottom.jpg Image:Building4 houston.jpg

References

External links