BP Tower
Encyclopedia
200 Public Square is the third-tallest skyscraper
in Cleveland, Ohio
. The building, located on Public Square
in Downtown Cleveland
reaches 45 stories and 658 ft (201 m) and holds 1.2 million square feet (111,000 m²) of office space. The building is the Cleveland headquarters of Huntington Bancshares
.
In November 1981, Standard Oil of Ohio
(Sohio) strengthened its commitment to Cleveland by announcing plans for a new skyscraper to be built on Public Square. Initially, it was supposed to surpass the Terminal Tower
in height, but city officials rejected this idea, insisting that the Terminal Tower should remain the city's tallest building. The BP Building was designed by Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum
, and the postmodern
structure is angled in order be parallel to both Euclid and Superior avenues. Demolition began in 1982 with the implosion
of two former Cleveland landmarks, the Burnham and Root
Cuyahoga Building (1892
) and the 16-story George B. Post
Williamson Building (1900
). The structure was completed in 1985
and was officially opened in 1987 as the BP
America Tower when British Petroleum purchased the remaining 45% of Sohio and merged its North American holdings to form BP America, Inc., headquartered in the new building.
Claes Oldenburg
's Free Stamp
sculpture was originally commissioned by Alton Whitehouse and other Sohio executives to stand in front of the tower, but BP officials did not appreciate it, and donated the sculpture to the City of Cleveland. After some modifications, the city installed it in Willard Park, adjacent to Cleveland City Hall.
Prior to the construction of the Key Tower
, the BP Building was the second most prominent skyscraper in the city, often photographed next to the adjacent Terminal Tower as a twin emblem of Cleveland. It contains 36 elevators, 10 escalators, 3 fountains, 1 waterfall, 1,500 plants, and several works of art.
When BP purchased Chicago-based Amoco
in 1998, the company announced that it would be moving its headquarters from Cleveland to Chicago. The building was purchased by the Chicago-based Equity Office Properties Trust
in 1996 for $144 million, which in turn sold it to Harbor Group International in June 2005 for $141.25 million. Harbor Group partnered with Electra Real Estate (TASE: ELTR) to purchase the building. The building was subsequently renamed 200 Public Square. Most Clevelanders and the Harbor Group still recognize it as the BP Tower, although many still refer to it as the Sohio Building.
In June 2011, Huntington Bank placed its corporate logo at the top of the building. The bank moved its regional headquarters to the tower from the Huntington Bank Building
that September. Harbor Group International put the building up for sale in June 2011.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The building, located on Public Square
Public Square
Public Square is the central plaza in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It takes up four city blocks; Superior Avenue and Ontario Street cross through it. Cleveland's three tallest buildings, Key Tower, 200 Public Square and the Terminal Tower, face the square...
in Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of the City of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Reinvestment in the area in the mid-1990s spurred a rebirth that continues to this day, with over $2 billion in residential and commercial developments slated for the area over the next few years...
reaches 45 stories and 658 ft (201 m) and holds 1.2 million square feet (111,000 m²) of office space. The building is the Cleveland headquarters of Huntington Bancshares
Huntington Bancshares
Huntington Bancshares, Inc., is a US$53 billion Midwestern bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It is the 24th largest American bank. As of October 22, 2008, it was listed on the S&P 500...
.
In November 1981, Standard Oil of Ohio
Standard Oil of Ohio
Standard Oil of Ohio or Sohio was an American oil company that was acquired by British Petroleum, now called BP.It was one of the successor companies to Standard Oil after the antitrust breakup in 1911. Standard Oil of Ohio was the original Standard Oil company founded by John D. Rockefeller. It...
(Sohio) strengthened its commitment to Cleveland by announcing plans for a new skyscraper to be built on Public Square. Initially, it was supposed to surpass the Terminal Tower
Terminal Tower
The Terminal Tower is a landmark skyscraper located on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It was built during the skyscraper boom of the 1920s and 1930s, and was the second-tallest building in the world when it was completed. The Terminal Tower stood as the tallest building in North America...
in height, but city officials rejected this idea, insisting that the Terminal Tower should remain the city's tallest building. The BP Building was designed by Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum
Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum
HOK is a global architecture, interiors, engineering, planning and consulting firm. HOK is the largest U.S.-based architecture-engineering firm and the "No. 1 role model for sustainable and high-performance design." HOK also is the second-largest interior design firm...
, and the postmodern
Postmodern architecture
Postmodern architecture began as an international style the first examples of which are generally cited as being from the 1950s, but did not become a movement until the late 1970s and continues to influence present-day architecture...
structure is angled in order be parallel to both Euclid and Superior avenues. Demolition began in 1982 with the implosion
Building implosion
In the controlled demolition industry, building implosion is the strategic placing of explosive material and timing of its detonation so that a structure collapses on itself in a matter of seconds, minimizing the physical damage to its immediate surroundings...
of two former Cleveland landmarks, the Burnham and Root
Burnham and Root
Burnham and Root was the name of the company that John Wellborn Root and Daniel Hudson Burnham established as one of Chicago's most famous architectural companies of the nineteenth century....
Cuyahoga Building (1892
1892 in architecture
The year 1892 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Consecration of Heinävesi Church, the largest wooden church in Finland, designed by Josef Stenbäck and built in 1890–1891....
) and the 16-story George B. Post
George B. Post
George Browne Post was an American architect trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition.-Biography:Post was a student of Richard Morris Hunt , but unlike many architects of his generation, he had previously received a degree in civil engineering...
Williamson Building (1900
1900 in architecture
The year 1900 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* July 19 - The Paris Métro opens, with entrances designed by Hector Guimard in 1899.* Antoni Gaudí begins work on the Parc Güell, which he works on for the next fourteen years....
). The structure was completed in 1985
1985 in architecture
The year 1985 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* The Tashkent Tower in Tashkent, Uzbekistan is completed after 7 years construction....
and was officially opened in 1987 as the BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
America Tower when British Petroleum purchased the remaining 45% of Sohio and merged its North American holdings to form BP America, Inc., headquartered in the new building.
Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg is a Swedish sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically featuring very large replicas of everyday objects...
's Free Stamp
Free Stamp
Willard Park is a public park adjacent to city hall in the Downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The park, which is situated at the corners of East 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue on the historic Mall C, is the location of the public sculpture Free Stamp, and was the home of the original Cleveland Fire Fighters...
sculpture was originally commissioned by Alton Whitehouse and other Sohio executives to stand in front of the tower, but BP officials did not appreciate it, and donated the sculpture to the City of Cleveland. After some modifications, the city installed it in Willard Park, adjacent to Cleveland City Hall.
Prior to the construction of the Key Tower
Key Tower
Key Tower is a skyscraper on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio designed by architect César Pelli. It is the tallest building in both the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio, the 18th tallest building in the United States, and the 70th tallest building in the world...
, the BP Building was the second most prominent skyscraper in the city, often photographed next to the adjacent Terminal Tower as a twin emblem of Cleveland. It contains 36 elevators, 10 escalators, 3 fountains, 1 waterfall, 1,500 plants, and several works of art.
When BP purchased Chicago-based Amoco
Amoco
Amoco Corporation, originally Standard Oil Company , was a global chemical and oil company, founded in 1889 around a refinery located in Whiting, Indiana, United States....
in 1998, the company announced that it would be moving its headquarters from Cleveland to Chicago. The building was purchased by the Chicago-based Equity Office Properties Trust
Equity Office Properties Trust
Equity Office Properties Trust, formed in 1976 by Samuel Zell and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, was the largest owner of office buildings in the United States until the Blackstone Group acquired them in February 2007 for $23 billion plus the assumption of $16 billion in debt...
in 1996 for $144 million, which in turn sold it to Harbor Group International in June 2005 for $141.25 million. Harbor Group partnered with Electra Real Estate (TASE: ELTR) to purchase the building. The building was subsequently renamed 200 Public Square. Most Clevelanders and the Harbor Group still recognize it as the BP Tower, although many still refer to it as the Sohio Building.
In June 2011, Huntington Bank placed its corporate logo at the top of the building. The bank moved its regional headquarters to the tower from the Huntington Bank Building
Huntington Bank Building
The Huntington Bank Building is a high-rise office building on Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. When the building was completed in 1924, it was the second largest building in the world in terms of floor space, with more than 30 acres of floor space...
that September. Harbor Group International put the building up for sale in June 2011.