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333 Commerce
View of 333 Commerce
Location within Nashville
Former names	AT&T Building South Central Bell Building BellSouth Building
Alternative names	Batman Building
General information
Type	Office building
Architectural style	Postmodern
Address	333 Commerce Street Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Coordinates	36°9′45″N 86°46′37″W / 36.16250°N 86.77694°W / 36.16250; -86.77694
Construction started	1991
Topped-out	October 24, 1993
Completed	September 1994
Opened	October 1994
Cost	US$94,000,000 (equivalent to $193,233,947 in 2023)
Owner	Pitney Bowes Cerberus Capital Management MTL Leasing Cushman & Wakefield
Height
Antenna spire	617 ft (188.1 m)
Roof	452 ft (137.8 m)
Technical details
Floor count	33
Floor area	690,297 sq ft (64,131 m) office area >1,000,000 sq ft (93,000 m) total area
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Earl Swensson Associates
Developer	The Mathews Company
Structural engineer	Stanley D. Lindsey and Assoc.
Services engineer	I. C. Thomasson Assoc.
Main contractor	Brasfield & Gorrie Ray Bell Construction
Website
nashvilledowntown.com/go/atandt-building

333 Commerce St (formerly the AT&T Building, South Central Bell Building, and BellSouth Building, also colloquially known as the Batman Building) is a 617-foot (188 m), 33-story skyscraper completed in September 1994 and located in Nashville, Tennessee. The structure is designed as an office tower capable of housing 2,000 workers. It is currently the tallest building in the state of Tennessee.

Architecture and design

The building sits on 2.7 acres (11,000 m) of property on Commerce St between 3rd and 4th Avenues North, and has a footprint of 1+2⁄3 city blocks. It features a three-story winter garden atrium as its foyer and has a nine-story underground parking garage with 1,300 vehicle capacity. Its distinctive design and dark coloration have earned it the nickname "Batman Building", due to its resemblance to the cowl of superhero character Batman. Others regard the building as the Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Richard Miller, the president of architectural firm Earl Swensson Associates, said of the design process: "...at the time we did that [South Central Bell] wanted a signature piece of architecture. What happens inside the building drives the way the outside looks."

In August 2009, the French online business journal Le Journal du Net named the iconic "Batman Building", or as the article names it "La tour de Batman", one of the 12 most original office buildings in the world.

In 2011, a drawing of 333 Commerce – alongside images of iconic structures from Tennessee's three other large cities (the Memphis Pyramid, Knoxville's Sunsphere, and the Tennessee Aquarium of Chattanooga) – was incorporated into the standard design of Tennessee's state-issued driver's licenses.

Tenants

AT&T, previously BellSouth Telecommunications and before that South Central Bell, has operated its Tennessee headquarters out of the building since it was opened in 1994. Prior to 2006, it was the sole occupant of the building, and now occupies approximately 500,000 sq ft (46,000 m) of office space. AT&T held a 23.5 year lease ending in January 2020, which was renewed for an undisclosed period of time in March 2019. Nissan North America operated a temporary headquarters in the remainder of office area, twelve floors, for two years before relocating to a permanent location in Franklin, Tennessee, in mid-2008. Other notable tenants that have held space include Hankook Tire America and U.S. Bank.

Local television station WTVF Channel 5, while not utilizing office space, operates two live remotely controlled video cameras mounted on the western spire, which were established in 1995 and 1996. These cameras are used to provide scenic views of Nashville and assist in covering news events.

Ownership

After completion in 1994, 333 Commerce was purchased by Prefco XIV L.P., a limited partnership of the Pitney Bowes Real Estate Financing Corp, for US$100.8 million. Ownership of the building was transferred to Cerberus Capital Management subsidiary EntreCap Financial in July 2006 after Cerberus acquired Prefco. The building was immediately placed back on the market for resell, and in mid-2007 was sold to MTL Leasing LLC for an undisclosed sum. The building is currently owned by real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Nashville
• List of tallest buildings by U.S. state and territory

References

1. ^ Bliss, Jessica (October 22, 2014). "Super skyline: 'Batman building' celebrates 20 years". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
2. "The AT&T Building Over the Years". The Tennessean. October 21, 2014. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
3. ^ Fox, David A. (November 2004). "This Land is Their Land...: Prefco XIV L.P." BusinessTN.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
4. ^ Stinson, Jim (May 18, 2007). "Downtown landmark purchased". Nashville Business Journal. Archived from the original on May 21, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2008.
5. ^ "333 Commerce". 333 Commerce- Home. Cushman & Wakefield. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
6. ^ "Poll: What should Nashvillians call the BellSouth Building?". NewsChannel5.com. September 25, 2007. Archived from the original on August 7, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
7. "AT&T Building". Emporis. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
8. ^ "Enterprise Electric, LLC: Portfolio". EnterpriseLLC.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
9. "The Mathews Company Timeline". TheMathewsCompany.com. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
10. "Portfolio: Office". SDLAL.com. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
11. Dolloff, J. Holly (April 14, 2006). "Brasfield & Gorrie puts its stamp on Nashville projects". Nashville Business Journal. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
12. WKRN Web Staff (July 21, 2018). "9 things you didn't know about the Batman Building". WKRN. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
13. "Portfolio – Corporate – BellSouth Tennessee Headquarters". ESArch.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2008.
14. ^ "'Batman Building' Gets a New Name". NewsChannel5.com. September 25, 2007. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
15. Lewis, Bill (December 28, 2003). "Taking part in shaping a vibrant Nashville". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
16. "La tour de Batman à Nashville". Journal du Net. August 24, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
17. "Department of Safety and Homeland Security to Issue New Driver Licenses, ID Cards". Clarksville Online. March 16, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
18. "AT&T, BellSouth to Merge" (Press release). ATT.com. March 5, 2006. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
19. Lawson, Richard (July 23, 2004). "BellSouth Tower to open space". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on December 1, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
20. ^ Sichko, Adam (March 26, 2019). "100 new jobs, same logo for iconic downtown tower". Nashville Business Journal. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
21. Morton, Jim (August 9, 2006). "SHIFT_ 2.0: Embracing Change at Nissan North America, Inc". NissanNews.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2006. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
22. "Nissan HQ construction continues as BellSouth Tower up for sale..." Monterey Herald. November 26, 2006. Archived from the original on June 11, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2007 – via Weatherblogg.com.
23. "History of Firsts at NewsChannel 5". NewsChannel5.com. February 12, 2007. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
24. ^ "Nashville Skyscraper Up for Sale". NewsChannel5.com. December 18, 2006. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2007.

External links

• AT&T Building at Glass, Steel, and Stone
• AT&T Building at Emporis

• AT&T buildings
• Postmodern architecture in the United States
• Skyscraper office buildings in Nashville, Tennessee
• Office buildings completed in 1994
• 1994 establishments in Tennessee