Nissen Building
Encyclopedia
The Nissen Building is a 238 ft (73m) 18-story skyscraper
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
, built in 1927. It was the tallest building in North Carolina
from 1927 to 1929, when it was succeeded by the Reynolds Building
, also in Winston-Salem. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places
March 17, 1983.With the spire
on top, its height is 102.1m.
It has a steel frame
, with buff brick and pre-cast concrete
for the exterior, along with details in granite
, marble
and limestone
.
of New York City
, known for the Battery Park Hotel
in Asheville, North Carolina
, was the architect. The building opened with a Bob-a-Link miniature golf
course in the basement. The first tenants included the Civil Service Administration
, Veterans Administration
and the Office of Flying Safety. In 1931 the street level shops included The Vogue clothing shop, the Bland Piano Company, Gladys' Lingerie Shop, the Belcher-Forlaw Shoe Company and Bobbitt's Nissen Drug. William and Ida Nissen lived on the 18th floor until 1954.
The United States Air Force
later became a major tenant.
The Nissen Building was the first air-conditioned
building in the Southeast
.
On August 19, 2002, the Winston-Salem aldermen agreed to lend $3 million to Historic Restoration Inc. (HRI) of New Orleans
, which needed $350,000 more to renovate the building at a cost estimated at the time at $26 million. The Downtown Winston-Salem Foundation provided $3.5 million and HUD
loaned $12.8 million.
In 2005, the building was in the process of being converted into 145 luxury apartments. A plan for condominiums was considered but dropped. Nissen Risk Capital LLC and HRI, using Holder Construction Co. as general contractor, began work in Summer 2004. Little Diversified Architectural Consulting and Acanthus Architecture Group provided architectural expertise. The lobby was being restored to the way it looked when the building was new, including a granite floor and brass on steel elevator doors. A pool has been added to the roof.
When the project was completed, the Nissen Building had 14000 square feet (1,300.6 m²) of commercial space and nearly 128000 square feet (11,891.6 m²) of residential space.
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 Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
, built in 1927. It was the tallest building in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
from 1927 to 1929, when it was succeeded by the Reynolds Building
Reynolds Building
The Reynolds Building is a 314ft skyscraper in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It was completed in 1929 and has 21 floors. When completed as the headquarters of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, it was the tallest building in the United States south of Baltimore, Maryland, and it won a national...
, also in Winston-Salem. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
March 17, 1983.With the spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
on top, its height is 102.1m.
It has a steel frame
Steel frame
Steel frame usually refers to a building technique with a "skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal -beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame...
, with buff brick and pre-cast concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
for the exterior, along with details in granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
.
History
W.M. Nissen and new leasee Coach Kolstad, the owner of Nissen Wagon Works, built the Nissen Building between 1926 and 1927. William Lee StoddartWilliam Lee Stoddart
William Lee Stoddart was an architect best known for urban hotels in the eastern United States. Even though he was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, the bulk of his commissions were in the South. He maintained offices in Atlanta and New York City....
of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, known for the Battery Park Hotel
Battery Park Hotel
The Battery Park Hotel is the name given to two hotels in Asheville, North Carolina. The one standing today is 14 stories tall and was built in 1924 by Edwin W. Grove, during a time of increased tourism in the North Carolina mountains. It replaced a Queen Anne style hotel which stood 125 feet tall...
in Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, was the architect. The building opened with a Bob-a-Link miniature golf
Miniature golf
Miniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
course in the basement. The first tenants included the Civil Service Administration
United States Civil Service Commission
The United States Civil Service Commission a three man commission was created by the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which was passed into law on January 16, 1883...
, Veterans Administration
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
and the Office of Flying Safety. In 1931 the street level shops included The Vogue clothing shop, the Bland Piano Company, Gladys' Lingerie Shop, the Belcher-Forlaw Shoe Company and Bobbitt's Nissen Drug. William and Ida Nissen lived on the 18th floor until 1954.
The United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
later became a major tenant.
The Nissen Building was the first air-conditioned
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
building in the Southeast
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
.
On August 19, 2002, the Winston-Salem aldermen agreed to lend $3 million to Historic Restoration Inc. (HRI) of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, which needed $350,000 more to renovate the building at a cost estimated at the time at $26 million. The Downtown Winston-Salem Foundation provided $3.5 million and HUD
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...
loaned $12.8 million.
In 2005, the building was in the process of being converted into 145 luxury apartments. A plan for condominiums was considered but dropped. Nissen Risk Capital LLC and HRI, using Holder Construction Co. as general contractor, began work in Summer 2004. Little Diversified Architectural Consulting and Acanthus Architecture Group provided architectural expertise. The lobby was being restored to the way it looked when the building was new, including a granite floor and brass on steel elevator doors. A pool has been added to the roof.
When the project was completed, the Nissen Building had 14000 square feet (1,300.6 m²) of commercial space and nearly 128000 square feet (11,891.6 m²) of residential space.