Albuquerque Plaza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Albuquerque Plaza |
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Albuquerque Plaza (left) and Hyatt Regency Albuquerque (right), seen from Civic Plaza
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| Alternative names | U.S. Eagle Plaza Bank of Albuquerque Tower (former) |
| Record height | |
| Preceded by | Compass Bank Building |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 201 Third Street NW Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Coordinates | 35°05′08″N 106°39′01″W / 35.08568°N 106.65035°W |
| Completed | 1990 |
| Owner | Allegiance Realty Corporation |
| Management | Allegiance Realty Corporation |
| Height | |
| Roof | 107 m (351 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 22 |
| Floor area | 357,000 sq ft (33,200 m2) 19,318 sq ft (1,794.7 m2) (retail) |
| Lifts/elevators | 8 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum |
| Structural engineer | Brockette Davis Drake |
| Main contractor | HCB Contractors |
Albuquerque Plaza, also known as U.S. Eagle Plaza, is a tall building in Downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. It stands 107 m (351 ft) (about 351 feet) high. This makes it the tallest building in New Mexico.
It is part of a two-tower complex. The other tower is the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque hotel. Both towers have similar looks and pyramid-shaped roofs. They stand out in the Albuquerque skyline. The complex was designed by Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum and finished in 1990.
Contents
History of Albuquerque Plaza
How the Towers Were Built
The Albuquerque Plaza project was started by BetaWest Properties. This company was part of US West. They wanted to build a new office tower. It would replace an older building from 1953. That old building had New Mexico's first escalator.
At the same time, the city of Albuquerque was making its convention center bigger. The city asked BetaWest to add a fancy hotel to their plans. This would help bring more visitors to the city. The city even helped BetaWest with loans and tax breaks.
Building the Complex
The plan included a 22-story office tower and a 20-story hotel tower. They would be connected at the bottom. Construction began in early 1988. The old Mountain Bell building was torn down first. The whole complex was finished in the summer of 1990. It cost about $100 million to build.
Changes in Ownership
In the 1990s, US West started selling some of its properties. Both towers of Albuquerque Plaza were sold in 1995. They were bought by a company from Fort Worth, Texas.
Later, in 2005, the office tower was sold again. A local investment group bought it. The hotel tower was sold to a different owner. But in 2013, the same company that owned the office tower bought the hotel tower too. This brought both towers back under one owner.
Architecture and Design
Building Features
Albuquerque Plaza is 107 m (351 ft) tall. It has 22 stories. This makes it the tallest building in New Mexico. The office tower has a square shape with angled parts. It holds a lot of office space.
The first two floors are shared with the Hyatt Regency hotel. The first floor has shops and places to eat. The second floor has large rooms for meetings and events. The buildings are made of strong reinforced concrete. They have pink granite stone for decoration. Both towers have unique pyramid roofs. These roofs hide the building's machinery.
The "Sidewalk Society" Sculpture
At the main entrance of the building, there is a cool sculpture. It's called "Sidewalk Society." It was made by an artist named Glenna Goodacre. The sculpture shows nine life-sized people. They are doing different things on the street corner. It was added to the building in 1991.
Who Uses the Building
Main Businesses and Offices
When Albuquerque Plaza first opened, US West was the main company there. They used many floors for their offices. Other floors were used by law firms. Later, big banks like Bank of America also had offices there. The General Services Administration (GSA) also has offices in the building.
From 1998 to 2015, the building was home to the main office of Bank of Albuquerque. Today, about 25 different companies have offices in the building. Around 800 people work there.
Building Names and Signs
The tower's sign has changed over the years. From 1991 to 1998, it had a Bank of America logo. Then, in 1998, it changed to the Bank of Albuquerque logo. This was because a new bank took over. In 2015, the sign changed again. Now, it shows the U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union name.
Helping the Environment
Albuquerque Plaza is not just tall; it's also very eco-friendly. It's one of New Mexico's most sustainable buildings. It uses a special system called thermal energy storage. This system helps the building use less electricity from the main power grid. It also helps cut down on carbon pollution.
This system saves a lot of energy. It cools the building at night when electricity is cheaper. Then, it uses that stored cool air during the day. This has saved the building over $1.2 million on electric bills for more than 20 years. In 2002, the building won an award. It was named "Office Building of the Year" partly because of its energy saving efforts.
See also
In Spanish: Albuquerque Plaza para niños
