The Tower at Mutual Plaza
The Tower at Mutual Plaza is a 252k-square foot, 14-story skyscraper located in Durham, North Carolina. Built in 1968, the building was previously called the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company Building and Legacy Tower. It was designed by M.A. Ham Associates and Welton Becket and Associates.[1] From 1968 to 1987 this building was Durham's tallest.[2]
The Tower at Mutual Plaza | |
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General information | |
Type | office |
Location | 411 West Chapel Hill Street Durham, North Carolina, USA |
Completed | 1968 |
Owner | Turnbridge Equities |
Height | |
Top floor | 14 |
Design and construction | |
Architect | M.A. Ham Associates Welton Becket and Associates |
Developer | New South Ventures |
History
North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, later called NC Mutual, built the building to serve as its headquarters, replacing the Mechanics and Farmers Bank Building.[3] The words "NC Mutual Life" are shown at the top on all four sides.[4] The company sold the building in 2006 to Greenfire Real Estate Holdings, which is led by Michael Lemanski, for $10.5 million.[5] After the sale, Greenfire redeveloped the building and changed the name to Legacy Tower.[6] Lemanski led a diverse group of mostly local investors which bought the building in 2017. In 2017, Lemanski led another $11 million renovation of the property through his firm New South Ventures.[5]
NC Mutual has reduced the amount of space it uses from six stories to one, making 60,000 square feet available for other companies. At one time renovation plans included removing the NC Mutual signs. Now those will stay on two sides of the building.[4] The building's name also changed to The Tower at Mutual Plaza.[7]
In October 2020, Turnbridge Equities bought the building for $37.2 million in a foreclosure auction from 411 West Street Chapel Hill LLC.[8]
References
- "Legacy Tower". Emporis. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- "300 W Morgan Street - Durham Centre". Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- "North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company Building". Durham Museum of History. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- Eanes, Zachary (2018-05-07). "This Durham landmark is changing, but its name won't be going away entirely". The Herald-Sun. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- Eanes, Zachary (2017-05-05). "Big changes coming to Durham's NC Mutual building". The Herald-Sun. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- "Legacy Tower (NC Mutual Life) preps for renovations". Bull City Rising. 2007-04-16. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- "Quick Hits: NC Mutual Life Building". Building Bull City. 2018-04-26. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
- Sanchez-Guerra, Aaron (2020-10-14). "Once the tallest in Durham, the historic NC Mutual Life tower sells for $37.2 million". The Herald-Sun. Retrieved 2020-10-20.