William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower
The William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower (also known as the Tennessee Tower) is a skyscraper in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, that houses Tennessee government offices. The tower was built for the National Life and Accident Insurance Company and served as its National Life Center until the State of Tennessee acquired it on January 3, 1994. More than 1,000 state employees who had been assigned to numerous locations now work in the building.[2]
| William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower | |
|---|---|
 | |
| |
| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Architectural style | International Style |
| Location | 312 Rosa L. Parks Ave. Nashville, Tennessee United States |
| Coordinates | 36.1639°N 86.7849°W |
| Completed | 1970 |
| Owner | State of Tennessee |
| Height | |
| Roof | 452 feet (138 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 31 |
| Floor area | 831,394 sq ft (77,239.0 m2)[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill |
Although surpassed by the Fifth Third Center as the tallest building in Nashville, its roof remains the highest point in the city because the tower is on a hill.[3]
The building is named in honor of William R. Snodgrass, a career public servant who served as Tennessee's Comptroller of the Treasury from 1955 to 1999.
The tower was struck by lightning on August 31, 2003, which caused a firepump to turn on the sprinkler system. This caused flooding and extensive damage to the elevator shafts.[4]
Prior to being purchased by the state, the building was used to display messages by turning on lights in the windows on the front of the building. After being dormant for 10 years a new message – "Peace" – was displayed on December 17, 2007.[5]
References
- "William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower". Skyscraper Center. CTBUH. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- "Tennessee Department of General Services". State of Tennessee. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009.
- Haggard, Amanda (November 3, 2016). "Anton Kanevsky Jumped to His Death From a 31-Story Downtown Building. Why?". Nashville Scene. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- Moriarty, Megan (September 3, 2002). "Workers set to return today to damaged Tennessee Tower". The City Paper. Retrieved December 16, 2007.
- Fender, Jessica (December 18, 2007). "A tradition resumes ... State building beams 'Peace'". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 18, 2007.
External links
Media related to William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Life & Casualty Tower |
Tallest Building in Nashville 1970—1986 138m |
Succeeded by Fifth Third Center |