Capital One Tower (Lake Charles)
Encyclopedia
The Capital One Tower is located in Lake Charles
, Louisiana
and is the second tallest building in the city.
The building was designed by Lloyd Jones Brewer Associates of Houston and 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 1984 and stands 22 stories and 310' tall with 400000 square feet (37,161.2 m²) of space. The cost was estimated at $31 million.
Capital One Tower is 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
merged with Cacasieu Marine. It was then changed to Capital One
Tower after Capital One Bank acquired Hibernia National Bank
in 2005.
The building sustained damage to its atrium
and several upper floors during Hurricane Rita
.
Eight passenger elevators provide access to the upper floors and are grouped in two banks of four with each bank having two cars facing each other linked by a hall. The West bank serves floors 2, 15-21 and the East most two cars also serve floor 1. Access to the elevators from floor 1 is just West inside the North entrance behind the security desk. The East bank of elevators serve floors 2-14.
A freight elevator provides access to all floors.
Two stairways provide access to all floors and are located behind each elevator bank.
A walkway bridge connects floor 2 of the tower to floor 3 of the parking garage. Two passenger elevators and two stairways in the parking garage serve floors 1-5 of the garage.
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and is the second tallest building in the city.
The building was designed by Lloyd Jones Brewer Associates of Houston and constructed by Miner-Dederick of Houston and F. Miller and Sons of Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
. Construction began in March 1981 with groundbreaking in January 1982. The building was opened in 1984 and stands 22 stories and 310' tall with 400000 square feet (37,161.2 m²) of space. The cost was estimated at $31 million.
Capital One Tower is one of the dominant features of the skyline
Skyline
A skyline is the overall or partial view of a city's tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers in front of the sky in the background. It can also be described as the artificial horizon that a city's overall structure creates. Skylines serve as a kind of fingerprint of a city, as...
of downtown Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
. The building was originally called the CM Tower, for Calcasieu Marine National Bank, then renamed the Hibernia
Hibernia National Bank
Hibernia National Bank, founded in 1870, was a personal banking and commercial lending institution headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the largest and oldest bank headquartered in the state, and also had locations in Texas, Mississippi, and Arkansas.-History:Founded by Irish immigrants...
tower after Hibernia
Hibernia National Bank
Hibernia National Bank, founded in 1870, was a personal banking and commercial lending institution headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the largest and oldest bank headquartered in the state, and also had locations in Texas, Mississippi, and Arkansas.-History:Founded by Irish immigrants...
merged with Cacasieu Marine. It was then changed to Capital One
Capital One
Capital One Financial Corp. is a U.S.-based bank holding company specializing in credit cards, home loans, auto loans, banking and savings products...
Tower after Capital One Bank acquired Hibernia National Bank
Hibernia National Bank
Hibernia National Bank, founded in 1870, was a personal banking and commercial lending institution headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the largest and oldest bank headquartered in the state, and also had locations in Texas, Mississippi, and Arkansas.-History:Founded by Irish immigrants...
in 2005.
The building sustained damage to its atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
and several upper floors during Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
.
Floor Navigation
Two escalators in the atrium (one up and one down) serve as access between floor 1 (ground floor) and floor 2 near the bank area.Eight passenger elevators provide access to the upper floors and are grouped in two banks of four with each bank having two cars facing each other linked by a hall. The West bank serves floors 2, 15-21 and the East most two cars also serve floor 1. Access to the elevators from floor 1 is just West inside the North entrance behind the security desk. The East bank of elevators serve floors 2-14.
A freight elevator provides access to all floors.
Two stairways provide access to all floors and are located behind each elevator bank.
A walkway bridge connects floor 2 of the tower to floor 3 of the parking garage. Two passenger elevators and two stairways in the parking garage serve floors 1-5 of the garage.