Bank of America Tower

The Bank of America Tower is a Postmodernist skyscraper designed by Murphy/Jahn Architects, with Helmut Jahn as lead architect, and built between 1987 and 1990 in Jacksonville, FL.

Bank of America Tower is not the only name you might know this building by though. It is common for companies to want to attach their names to iconic buildings when they move in, or for the general public to come up with nicknames, and this one is no exception. The building has changed names several times over the years, and is also known as:

• Barnett Center between 1990 and 1997.
• Nationsbank Tower between 1997 and 1999.

Its precise street address is 50 North Laura Street, Jacksonville, FL. You can also find it on the map here.

The parking of the Bank of America Tower is on a seven-level building adjacent to the tower.

The building underwent a major restoration in 2025. The architect commissioned to undertake this restoration was RGD Consulting Engineers.

Murphy/Jahn Architects, with Helmut Jahn as the lead architect, was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design.

That being said, architecture is a complex discipline involving many professionals from different fields, without whom this building would have not been possible. We will surely be leaving out a lot of names here, but here is a list of the people we do know also played their part in making the Bank of America Tower a reality:

• McDevitt & Street Company as the Main Contractor
• Enclos Corp. in charge of Facade Consultancy
• Paragon Group as the Main Developer

The Bank of America Tower can be categorized as a Postmodernist building.

The Bank of America Tower was completed in 1990. By 1990 the Postmodernism movement was experiencing a transition. Critics argued that Postmodernism, initially a rebellious and innovative style, had become formulaic and commercialized, and so the trend started moving away from blending historical styles, irony, and playful ornamentation, and begun to give way to emerging architectural trends concerned with more present matters such as technology, ecology or sustainability.

The Bank of America Tower uses a frame structure made of reinforced concrete columns and beams.

A frame structure uses a combination of beams and columns to sustain the building's weight. The walls in this case are non-load bearing, which allows for more flexibility when distributing the interior spaces.

The facade uses a non-load bearing curtain wall system. This means the curtain wall modules are anchored to the building's structural frame, typically by being attached to the edge of the floor slabs. The curtain wall system connects to the slabs using brackets, anchors, and mullions, which transfer the loads imposed by wind and temperature changes, to the building's primary structural elements.

This setup allows the curtain wall to accommodate differential movement between the facade and the structural frame, such as thermal expansion, floor deflection, or sway from wind forces. This system's integration with the slab edges also allows for continuous insulation and weatherproofing layers.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a curtain wall that combines fjord blue granite with blue-tinted glass. The granite is used differently on different sides of the building, but generally speaking, it is reserved for spandrels. Using granite adds a sense of solidity and timelessness, while the reflective glass creates a sleek, modern look that allows the building to interact dynamically with the surrounding skyline.

The tower is topped with eight triangular panels, four of which are illuminated at night.

Other materials found at the Bank of America Tower include, Bardiglio marble, used in the lobby, and Ivory Coast mahogany, found in lobby details.