Robert B. Atwood Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Robert B. Atwood Building |
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| Alternative names | Bank of America Center |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 550 W 7th Ave, Anchorage, Alaska |
| Coordinates | 61°12′55″N 149°53′34″W / 61.215278°N 149.892778°W |
| Construction started | 1983 |
| Completed | 1983 |
| Opening | March 17, 1983 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 265 ft (81 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 374,186 sq ft (34,763.0 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Harold Wirum & Associates |
The Robert B. Atwood Building is a tall office building in Downtown Anchorage, Alaska. It's located at 550 West 7th Avenue. This building is home to many government offices for the State of Alaska.
With 20 stories and standing 81 meters (265 feet) tall, it's the second-tallest building in Alaska. It used to be called the Bank of America Center. The Atwood Building, along with the slightly taller Conoco-Phillips Building, helps create the famous skyline of Anchorage.
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What's Inside the Building?
The Robert B. Atwood Building has a nice outdoor area called a plaza on its east side. The building also has a basement level used for parking cars. Inside, you'll find nine elevators to help people get to all the different floors.
There are also special rooms for meetings that use teleconferencing (like video calls). You can find vending machines and break rooms, plus a central mail room for everyone in the building.
Parking for the Building
In 2008, the State of Alaska built a new parking garage right across the street from the Robert B. Atwood Building. This garage is named the Linny Pacillo Parking Garage. It's named after Carolyn 'Linny' Pacillo. She was known for protesting strict parking rules in the 1990s. Linny and her sister, Susan, would wear tutus and put money in parking meters for others. People called them the "Parking Fairies." Linny Pacillo passed away in 2006.
Studying Earthquakes in the Building
Since 2003, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has used the Atwood Building for important research. They put special tools called accelerometers inside the building. These tools measure how much the building shakes during earthquakes.
The Atwood Building was chosen because of the special type of soil it sits on. This soil, called the "Bootlegger Cove Formation," can act strangely during earthquakes. Alaska also has a history of big earthquakes, like the Good Friday earthquake in 1964.
The goal of this research is to learn more about how earthquakes affect tall buildings. This helps engineers design safer buildings for the future. The USGS even shared a video showing how the Atwood Building moved during a large earthquake in January 2016.
Building's History
The Atwood Building was designed by an architect group called Harold Wirum & Associates. It officially opened on March 17, 1983. Even though it was planned to open later, a man named Fred McCallister helped get it ready for St. Patrick's Day. The top floor even hosted a celebration that night!
The building changed owners a few times because of financial issues. In 1997, the State of Alaska bought the building for $27 million.
Who is Robert Atwood?
The building has had a few different names over the years. It was first named the Hunt Building after its original owner. Then it became the Enserch Center, and later the Bank of America Center.
Most recently, it was named after Robert Bruce Atwood. He was a very important person in Alaska's history. Robert Atwood worked hard to help Alaska become a state. He was also the editor and publisher of the Anchorage Times newspaper.
