Bank of America Plaza

The Bank of America Plaza is a Modern Style skyscraper designed by JPJ Architects, and built between 1983 and 1985, for a reported $146 million dollars, in Dallas, TX.

Bank of America Plaza 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:

• InterFirst Bank Plaza between 1985 and 1986.
• First Republic Bank Plaza between 1986 and 1988.
• NationsBank Plaza between 1991 and 1998.

Its precise street address is 901 Main Street, Dallas, TX. You can also find it on the map here.

The Bank of America Plaza tower was the only completed structure from a plan called "Dallas Main Center", which included another twin tower, a hotel, and a parking facility. As a result of the mid-1980s financial crisis that impacted oil prices, real estate, and banking, these additional structures were never realized.

The building underwent a major restoration between 2013 and 2013.

JPJ Architects was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design. But there was also one other architect involved, as far as we know. We are talking about HLM 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 Plaza a reality:

• Le Messieur Consultants and Brockette Davis Drake, Inc. in charge of Structural Engineering
• Bramalea Limited as the Main Developer
• Alexander Liberman as the collaborating Artist

The Bank of America Plaza can be categorized as a Modern Style building.

By their own nature, the Modern and International Styles can still look current, even in contemporary buildings. So that's not to say the Bank of America Plaza appeared old or outdated when it was completed, but JPJ Architects certainly did not take many risks when it came to choosing the design style. This made the building look more "classic" and integrated within the city's architecture.

The Bank of America Plaza uses a frame structure made of concrete and steel columns and concrete and steel slabs.

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 blue-tinted glass complemented by gray accent bands marking the position of each slab.

At night, the building's profile and its setbacks are highlighted by LED tubes (originally argon tubes). The original tubes were emerald green, a color that is usually emulated by the new LED lightning but can also change on special occasions.