Hancock Whitney Center, formerly One Shell Square, is a 51-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-ri ...
designed in the
International style by
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is an American architectural, urban planning and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings in Chicago, Illinois. In 1939, they were joined by engineer John Merrill. The fir ...
, located at 701
Poydras Street in the
Central Business District
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
of
. It is the tallest building in both the city of New Orleans and the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
, and is taller than Louisiana's tallest peak,
Driskill Mountain. The building is primarily used for leasable office space, with some retail space on the ground level. The design of the building is very similar to Houston's
One Shell Plaza and Denver's
Republic Plaza, as well as Rochester's
Five Star Bank Plaza
Five Star Bank Plaza is a high-rise building located in Rochester, New York, United States, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. It is the sixth tallest building in Rochester and was originally built as Marine Midland Plaza. Site preparation ...
, all designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Hines Interest is the developer of Hancock Whitney Center and Lincoln Property Company.
Shell Oil Company
Shell USA, Inc. (formerly Shell Oil Company, Inc.) is the United States-based wholly owned subsidiary of Shell plc, a UK-based transnational corporation " oil major" which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 18,0 ...
is the building's largest tenant. The building was renamed in 2018. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
that same year.
Construction and design
Hancock Whitney Center was built using a double tube system, with a
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistan ...
core and a concrete perimeter, and opened for business in 1972. The exterior of the building is clad in Italian travertine (limestone) and bronze glass. There has been concern over the years regarding the limestone's integrity during severe weather such as tropical systems. These fears did not play out during
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
in August 2005 and the building weathered the storm with minimal damage, such as blown out windows and rain damage. The building reopened to tenants in December 2005.
At the time of its completion in 1972, it was the tallest building in the
Southeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
, surpassing the
Wachovia Bank of Georgia Building in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
. It held the title of the Southeast's tallest building until 1976, when the
Westin Peachtree Plaza
The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta, is a skyscraper hotel on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, adjacent to the Peachtree Center complex and the former Davison's/Macy's flagship store with 1,073 rooms. At and 73 stories, a total ...
in Atlanta surpassed it. Hancock Whitney Center was the first skyscraper in the
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
to surpass the 200 meter mark.
A
heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable for use by helicopters and some other vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff areas and may also have limited facilities such as fuel or hangars. I ...
—the Hancock Whitney Center Emergency Heliport—is located on the roof of the tower.
Location
Hancock Whitney Center is bounded by Poydras Street to the south, Carondelet Street to the west, Perdido Street to the north, and St. Charles Avenue to the east.
Hancock Whitney Center has its own
ZIP code, 70139 surrounded by 70130.
Branding
In August 2017,
Hancock-Whitney Bank announced that it would relocate to One Shell Square in 2018. Although Shell is still the largest tenant by space, the building was rebranded as "Hancock Whitney Center."
See also
*
List of tallest buildings by U.S. state
*
List of tallest buildings in New Orleans
The city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, is the site of 106 completed high-rises, 45 of which stand taller than . The tallest building in the city is Hancock Whitney Center, which rises in the New Orleans Central Business District an ...
*
List of tallest buildings in Louisiana
This lists ranks Louisiana skyscrapers that stand at least 250 feet (76 m) tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates t ...
References
External links
Hancock Whitney Center official WebsiteHancock Whitney Center at
Hines Interests Limited Partnership
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 manag ...
Lincoln Property CompanyBoston.com Article
{{Tallest Buildings by U.S. state, state=autocollapse
Skyscraper office buildings in New Orleans
Shell plc buildings and structures
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill buildings
Office buildings completed in 1972
1972 establishments in Louisiana
National Register of Historic Places in New Orleans