The Capital One Tower was a skyscraper located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. It was the tallest building in the city.
Capital One Tower | |
---|---|
Former names | Hibernia Tower; Calcasieu Marine Tower |
General information | |
Status | Demolished |
Type | Banking; office space |
Location | Lake Charles, Louisiana |
Construction started | 1981 |
Completed | 1982 |
Opening | October 1, 1983 |
Closed | 2020 |
Demolished | September 7, 2024 |
Cost | $45 million |
Owner | Hertz Investment Group |
Management | Hertz Investment Group |
Height | |
Antenna spire | 375 ft (114.3 meters) |
Roof | 314 ft (95.7 meters) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 22 |
Lifts/elevators | 8 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Lloyd Jones Brewer Associates |
Structural engineer | Miner-Dederick; F. Miller and Sons |
References | |
http://www.hertzgroup.com/hertz-properties/capital-one-tower/ |
The building was designed by Lloyd Jones Brewer Associates of Houston and was constructed by Miner-Dederick of Houston and F. Miller and Sons of Lake Charles. Construction began in March 1981 with groundbreaking in January 1982. The building was opened in 1983 and stood 22 stories and 375 feet tall with 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2) of space. The tower was part of a four-acre lot that included an attaching parking garage.[1] The cost was estimated at $45 million.
Capital One Tower was one of the dominant features of the skyline of downtown Lake Charles. The building was originally called the CM Tower, for Calcasieu Marine National Bank, then renamed the Hibernia tower after Hibernia purchased Calcasieu Marine. It was then changed to Capital One Tower after Capital One Bank acquired Hibernia National Bank in 2005.
Badly damaged by Hurricane Laura in August 2020, the tower stood empty until it was demolished in September 2024.
Floor navigation
editTwo escalators in the atrium (one up and one down) served as access between floor 1 (ground floor) and floor 2 near the bank area.
Eight passenger elevators provided access to the upper floors and were grouped in two banks of four with each bank having two cars facing each other linked by a hall. The West bank served floors 2, 15-21 and the East most two cars also served floor 1. Access to the elevators from floor 1 was just West inside the North entrance behind the security desk. The East bank of elevators served floors 2–14.
A freight elevator provided access to all floors.
Two stairways provided access to all floors and are located behind each elevator bank.
A walkway bridge connected floor 2 of the tower to floor 3 of the parking garage. Two passenger elevators and two stairways in the parking garage served floors 1-5 of the garage.
Hurricane damage
editThe building sustained heavy damage to its atrium and several upper floors during Hurricane Rita, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in 2005. In 2007, the facility underwent major repairs and security upgrades such as the addition of ballistic protection of the exterior glass walls. The reconstruction of the lower floors and the renovations of the atrium, tower facade, and major tenant spaces were designed and project-managed by Vincent-Shows Architects of Sulphur.
The tower was significantly damaged again in 2020 by Category 4 Hurricane Laura. The building lost the majority of its windows, and the side of the building facing south was destroyed.[2] The building remained vacant and in 2023, the city gave the new owners a deadline of November 2024 to either repair or demolish the structure.[3] It was ultimately decided to demolish the Capital One Tower.
Demolition
editIn early 2024, it was announced that the demolition of the building would occur later in the year. At the time of the announcement, the mayor said it would be targeted for demolition by "late August or early September" 2024. Mayor Nic Hunter said of the demolition that "It's time to move on".[4] The building was imploded on September 7, 2024.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Capital One Tower". Archived from the original on 2010-03-30. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ Discher, Emma. "Watch: Hurricane Laura blows windows out of 22-story tower in Lake Charles; 'like swiss cheese'". The Advocate. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
- ^ Moreau, Jade (December 6, 2023). "City council makes strides in future of former Capital One Tower". KPLC. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Amanda (May 14, 2024). "'It's time to move on': Former Capital One Tower to be torn down, mayor says". KPLC. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Yoshonis, Scott (September 7, 2024). "Capital One Tower, the tallest building in Lake Charles, is demolished". KLFY. Retrieved September 7, 2024.