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

'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.

References

External links

{{Tampa skyscrapers Skyscraper office buildings in Tampa, Florida Landmarks in Tampa, Florida 1988 establishments in Florida Office buildings completed in 1988

History

Recognition

Neighboring structures

See also

References

External links