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 (architecture), international style adv ...

construction in

downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, Interstate 45 ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. 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 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 101st tallest building in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and is the eighth tallest building in Texas. The northeast corner of the structure houses a building within a building. On the site is the main Western Union 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 trying to escape water that had erupted out when a cinderblock wall that separated the parking garage from the tunnel system broke.

Tenants

Mayer Brown Mayer Brown is a global white-shoe law firm, founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It has offices in 27 cities throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, with its largest offices being in Chicago, Washington, D.C., New ...

has its Houston office in Suite 3400.
."

. 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

Bibliography

* *

External links

*Official Site
TC Energy Center
* at Glass Steel and Stone {{Houston skyscrapers Office buildings completed in 1983 Skyscraper office buildings in Houston Philip Johnson buildings John Burgee buildings Bank buildings in Texas Postmodern architecture in Texas