Two Wells Fargo Center
Two Wells Fargo Center | |
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General information | |
Status | Completed |
Type | Office |
Architectural style | Modern |
Location | 325 South Tryon Street Charlotte, North Carolina, United States |
Coordinates | 35°13′29″N 80°50′41″W / 35.2247°N 80.8447°W |
Construction started | 1968 |
Completed | 1971 |
Opening | 1971 |
Height | |
Antenna spire | 433 feet (132 m)[1] |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 32 |
Floor area | 758,508 square feet (70,467.7 m2)[2] |
Other information | |
Parking | On site parking garage |
Public transit access | ![]() |
Two Wells Fargo Center is a 433-foot (132 m) high rise in Charlotte, North Carolina. Completed in 1971.[1] It is currently the 14th tallest building in Charlotte. The building consists of 32 floors, an atrium, plaza, seven-story parking garage, and is connected to neighboring buildings via skybridges, as part of the Overstreet Mall.[3]
History
The building was designed by LaBella Associates, formerly known as Pease Engineering and Architecture, with David Julian Moore was the architect on-site functioning as construction administrator.
When completed, the 32-story building was called Jefferson First Union Tower.
Since the building was built it has been one of the bank's main buildings, mostly filled with bank employees.
As the bank changed names the buildings were renamed multiple times. In January 2002 all First Union buildings were took the Wachovia name as a result of First Union purchasing Wachovia. Two First Union became Two Wachovia Center.[15] In December 2010, as a result of Wells Fargo's 2008 purchase of Wachovia, the building was renamed Two Wells Fargo Center.[16]
In January 2023 Wells Fargo announced it will be exiting One Wells Fargo Center and Two Wells Fargo Center by the end of 2023. The employees from these two buildings will be consolidated into 550 South Tryon and Three Wells Fargo Center. After consolidation is complete Wells Fargo will occupy 95% of 550 South Tryon. The bank will be renovating 21 floors of 550 South Tryon and the food court. Three Wells Fargo Center will have 14 renovated over the next two to three years.[17]
In June 2023 the 32 story tower, 12 story building, and the 3.4 acre lot were listed for sale. Real estate firm CBRE was hired to market the buildings. No specific price released nor was any information about interested in the property discussed. The sale of the property is part of a larger effort by Wells Fargo to reduce its real estate footprint in Uptown.[18] As of August 2023 CBRE is currently in the early of stages of finding potential buyers to convert the buildings to multifamily residential.[19]
In January 2024 two proposals were submitted to Charlotte Center Partners sponsored Reimagining Vintage Office Design Competition showcased how the building could be redesigned. The first proposal was by Gensler it includes converting part of the 32 story tower into a 324 unit residential tower and renovating the 12 story building to be a modern office building. The second proposal by Little Diversified Architectural Consulting would convert the entire building into a residential tower and include ground floor retail.[20]
Related buildings
The shorter building in the Two First Union complex was built in 1954 to serve as the headquarters of Union National Bank, later First Union National Bank. The original building was 9 stories; 3 stories were added in the 1960s.
The Charlotte Masonic Temple at 329 S Tryon St. was already on the corner of South Tryon and Third Street when Union National Bank built the shorter building. It was built in 1915 for $122,750. The building was designed by architect C. C. Hook to be Egyptian-Revival architecture. In 1937 a fire gutted the building and it seemed like a total loss. However, it 1938 it was restored and rededicated. In 1985, First Union bought the Masonic Temple. Then in 1987 it was demolished. The former property is now occupied by Wells Fargo Plaza. The two massive columns of the building façade are now on display on Dave Lyle Blvd. in Rock Hill, SC.[29]
In 1998 First Union began considering building a 72-story building on the plaza to house additional employees in Uptown. The plan was for the tower to occupy where the 12 story tower currently stands, the atrium, some of the parking deck, and space in the plaza on South Tryon. Even with the construction of the Three First Union Center the company still didn't think they would have enough space. The bank planned to construct a building as grand as Bank of America Corporate Center. Before cancelling the project the bank was considering New York architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox as one of the two finalists for designing the building. KPF famously designed Shanghai World Financial Center, which opened in 2008. The other finalist was Atlanta architecture firm Thompson Ventulett Stainback & Associates, which designed One Wells Fargo Center. The project was tentatively called Four First Union.[30] However, the plans for the new tower were putting on hold indefinitely in September 1999 due to the company's poor performance on the stock market.[31] In 2002 the final renderings of the building were leaked. The renderings showed 100 floors with 80 usable. If the building were built it would've been 40 floors taller than the city's current tallest building, Bank of America Corporate Center.[32][33]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Two Wells Fargo Center". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ "Two Wells Fargo Center". Emporis. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
- ^ "Johnston Memorial Presbyterian Church Timeline" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ McBane, Wendy (September 14, 1985). "Broken Valve Kills Friday The 13th Chill". The Charlotte Observer. p. Metro 1.
- ^ M.S. Van Hecke, "First Union Moving into New Tower,"The Charlotte Observer, February 6, 1988.
- ^ a b Smith, Doug (August 7, 2003). "Wachovia To Vacate Building: 12-Story Building At Two First Union Started Race For Bigger Towers 50 Years Ago". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1D.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- Charlotte Business Journal. 27 July 1998. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ Price, Mark (December 10, 2007). "Artist's `Never-Ending' Mural Is Finally Finished". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1A.
- Charlotte Business Journal. 7 August 2003. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ Rick Rothacker, "A Better Face for Wachovia at Third, Tryon", The Charlotte Observer, October 21, 2004, p. 1D.
- ^ Rick Rothacker, "Wachovia Projects to Change Uptown's Look", The Charlotte Observer, February 25, 2006, p. 1D.
- ^ Binyamin Appelbaum, "Wachovia Site Seeks Walk-Ups", The Charlotte Observer, November 16, 2005, p. 1D.
- ^ Binyamin Appelbaum, "Bank Notes: An Occasional Roundup of News in the No. 2 Bank Town, The Charlotte Observer, October 13, 2006, p. 2D.
- Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ "Bank of America Corporate Center". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
External links
Media related to Two Wells Fargo Center at Wikimedia Commons
- Emporis