Miami Tower

Ground level perspective.

Built for CenTrust Bank in 1987, the 47-story building ranks in the top twenty tallest skyscrapers in Miami and in Florida at a height of 625 feet (191 m) and is known for its elaborate night-time illuminations and its dramatic three glass tiers. Designed by the Pei Cobb Freed & Partners architectural firm, the tower consists of two separate structures: A 10-story parking garage owned by the city and the 47-story office tower built upon the air rights of the garage. Preliminary planning for the tower began in February 1980; construction on the garage began by November. The garage was completed in February 1983 and the tower began construction a year later. In August 1984, while the tower was under construction, a 5-alarm fire began on the ninth floor; construction was subsequently delayed for several weeks. On December 15, 1985, the tower was lit for the first time in Miami Dolphins aqua and snowflakes.

By mid-1986, the tower's exterior was complete and the grand opening for the complex was set for early fall that same year. Due to the uneven settling of the tower's foundation to one side by several inches, and the resulting misalignment of the tower's elevator rails, the grand opening for the complex was delayed until February 1987. The complete complex featured the world's only elevated metro station in a skyscraper (Knight Center station). It also gained notoriety for its luxurious interiors, including a skylobby on the 11th floor covered in marble and gold and a 10,000 sq ft (930 m²) outdoor terrace. Also its indoor gym features mahogany cabinets. The tower is connected to the James L. Knight Center by a pedestrian walkway and on the first floor is a retail spine covered with green marble. The tower contains 1.16 million square feet (108,000 m²) with 503,000 sq ft (46,700 m²) of office space and a 535,000 sq ft (49,700 m²), 1,500 space parking garage.

The tower can be seen in the "Streetwise" episode of Miami Vice which aired on December 5, 1986.

The building appears during the end credits of the 1986 film Flight Of The Navigator in an aerial shot of Miami. The top floors can clearly be seen still under construction.

The roof of the building was the set of Gloria Estefan's 1994 video for "Turn The Beat Around". The building is also one of many featured on the backdrop of the stage on The Tonight Show.

On January 1, 2010, the building was renamed the Miami Tower.[2]

The tower's three tiers allow it to have multiple color schemes in tribute to certain holidays and seasons. In 2012, a $1.5 million LED system was installed on the tower to allow for more elaborate displays with a much quicker transition time.[3] Below are some examples of the various colors used:

• 
  Tower lit white on most nights of the year
• 
  Tower lit red and green for Christmas Season 2010
• 
  Tower lit blue and decorated with snowflake lights for Christmas Seasons before 2010
• 
  Tower lit pink for National Breast cancer awareness month
• 
  Tower lit red and purple for Valentine's Day 2008
• 
  Tower lit green for Saint Patrick's Day
• 
  Tower lit green and pink for Easter
• 
  Tower lit yellow on several nights of the year
• 
  Tower lit as American flag for American Independence Day, President's Day & Veterans Day
• 
  Tower lit as American flag on 4th of July, showing fireworks in foreground
• 
  Tower lit red for National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims 9/25/2008
• 
  Tower lit as Italian flag for Columbus Day
• 
  Tower lit purple for Halloween
• 
  Tower lit for Thanksgiving Day

The Miami Tower is referenced in several video games and TV shows. It was featured in the opening sequence of the 1980s TV show Miami Vice, even being referred to as the "'Miami Vice' Tower" when it was sold.[4] It is also depicted in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in the downtown area and in DRIV3R with its name is changed to "The Tower At International Place". The tower appears repeatedly in multiple scenes throughout the movie Miami Vice as well as in the Miami Vice television series and also in a scene in the 2006 version of Casino Royale

• In the FOX television series Fringe, this building is referred to as the "Boston Federal Building".

• List of tallest buildings in Miami

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bank of America Tower (Miami).

• The Miami Tower website
• The Miami Tower on Emporis.com
• Bank of America Tower entry on the Pei, Cobb, & Freed website.