Tycon Center

Last updated

Tycon Center is a development at 8000 Towers Crescent Drive in Vienna, VA, built and initially owned by developers James T. Lewis, Roy Mitchell and Don Moore, known as Tycon Development [1] The complex is also known as Tycon Towers 1 and consists of a postmodern 17-story brick clad building designed by John Burgee Architects with Philip Johnson.

Contents

History

The original intent was to build three towers, curved in plan, with curved parking structures behind each one. The developer selected the firm John Burgee Architects with Philip Johnson after seeing their name in a Fortune magazine list of famous architects. [1] [2] Lewis thought that the site's location at the intersection of several highways and its prominent elevation deserved an important architect and he was familiar with some of Johnson's other projects, including Pennzoil Place, PPG Place, and 550 Madison Avenue. [1]

Only the first building of the three proposed was completed as part of the original project. [3]

Construction of the project was completed in 1986. [4] Developer James T. Lewis was forced to sell the property after his business was badly affected during the economic downturn of the early 1990s and the failed efforts to develop PortAmerica (which was later developed as National Harbor, opening its initial phase in 2008). [5] The complex is also known as Tycon Towers 1 and consists of a postmodern 17-story brick clad building designed by John Burgee Architects with Philip Johnson.

Design

The office building is 17 stories, [6] brick on precast panels trimmed with limestone sills, lintels and keystones. The granite clad lobby has a 3-story space. The top level includes a barrel vault skylight across the building's width. The building was designed to attract top tier tenants and includes high end finishes such as doors with only levered handles and no knobs. [1]

Tycon Towers used 4,500 tons of steel [4] and 1.25 million bricks. Of those bricks, 700,000 were special shapes used primarily in building the massive columns.

At the time of its construction it was the only skyscraper in the vicinity and towered over neighboring buildings. Johnson intended the building to be a monument and prominent against its surroundings and accessible only by car. [3] Plans for another two buildings in the complex were inconsistent with Fairfax's master plan for more transit-oriented, pedestrian friendly development. [3]

The building became known locally as "The Shopping Bag" because of its distinctive shape. [2] It has three levels of underground basements totaling 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2). [6]

Project team

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Burgee</span> American architect

John Burgee is an American architect noted for his contributions to Postmodern architecture. He was a partner of Philip Johnson from 1967 to 1991, creating together the partnership firm Johnson/Burgee Architects. Their landmark collaborations included Pennzoil Place in Houston and the AT&T World Headquarters in New York. Burgee eased Johnson out of the firm in 1991, and when it subsequently went bankrupt, Burgee's design career was essentially over. Burgee is retired, and resides in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Johnson</span> American architect (1906–2005)

Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an American architect who designed modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the postmodern 550 Madison Avenue in New York City, designed for AT&T; 190 South La Salle Street in Chicago; the Sculpture Garden of New York City's Museum of Modern Art; and the Pre-Columbian Pavilion at Dumbarton Oaks. His January 2005 obituary in The New York Times described his works as being "widely considered among the architectural masterpieces of the 20th century".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonemasonry</span> Creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone

Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar, to wall or cover formed structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Atlantic Center</span> Skyscraper in Atlanta, Georgia

One Atlantic Center, also known as IBM Tower, is a skyscraper located in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. It is the third tallest building in Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comerica Bank Tower</span> Headquarters of Comerica bank and skyscraper in Dallas, Texas

Comerica Bank Tower is a 60-story postmodern skyscraper located at 1717 Main Street in the Main Street District in downtown Dallas, Texas. Standing at a structural height of 787 feet (240 m), it is the third tallest skyscraper in the city of Dallas. It is also the sixth tallest building in Texas and the 61st tallest building in the United States. The building was designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee, and was completed in 1987. The structure has 1,500,000 square feet (100,000 m2) of office space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams Tower</span> Skyscraper in Houston, Texas

The Williams Tower is a 64-story, 1.4 million square feet (130,000 m2) class A postmodern office tower located in the Uptown District of Houston, Texas. The building was designed by New York–based John Burgee Architects with Philip Johnson in association with Houston-based Morris-Aubry Architects. Construction began in August 1981, and the building was opened in 1983. The tower is among Houston's most visible buildings as the 4th-tallest in Texas, and the 44th-tallest in the United States. The Williams Tower is the tallest building in Houston outside of Downtown Houston, and is the tallest skyscraper in the United States outside of a city's central business district. It has been referred to as the "Empire State Building of the south".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siding (construction)</span> Exterior cladding on building walls

Siding or wall cladding is the protective material attached to the exterior side of a wall of a house or other building. Along with the roof, it forms the first line of defense against the elements, most importantly sun, rain/snow, heat and cold, thus creating a stable, more comfortable environment on the interior side. The siding material and style also can enhance or detract from the building's beauty. There is a wide and expanding variety of materials to side with, both natural and artificial, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. Masonry walls as such do not require siding, but any wall can be sided. Walls that are internally framed, whether with wood, or steel I-beams, however, must always be sided.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Postmodern architecture</span> Architectural style that emerged in the late 1950s

Postmodern architecture is a style or movement which emerged in the late 1950s as a reaction against the austerity, formality, and lack of variety of modern architecture, particularly in the international style advocated by Philip Johnson and Henry-Russell Hitchcock. The movement was introduced by the architect and urban planner Denise Scott Brown and architectural theorist Robert Venturi in their 1972 book Learning from Las Vegas. The style flourished from the 1980s through the 1990s, particularly in the work of Scott Brown & Venturi, Philip Johnson, Charles Moore and Michael Graves. In the late 1990s, it divided into a multitude of new tendencies, including high-tech architecture, neo-futurism, new classical architecture, and deconstructivism. However, some buildings built after this period are still considered postmodern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One International Place</span> 1 International Place is a circumference of a large number.

One International Place is a Postmodern skyscraper in the Financial District of Boston, Massachusetts. Built in 1987, and designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects – whose principals are Philip Johnson and John Burgee – it is tied with Bulfinch Crossing: One Congress as Boston's 8th-tallest building, standing 600 feet tall and housing 46 floors. The building is very prominent in the city's skyline, particularly when viewed from Boston Harbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two International Place</span> Office/Retail in Massachusetts, United States

Two International Place is a Postmodern skyscraper in the Financial District of Boston, Massachusetts. The site is located on a site formerly known as Fort Hill. It is located blocks from the North End, the waterfront, South Station, Downtown Crossing, and the Federal Courthouse. The building was designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects – whose principals are Philip Johnson and John Burgee – and completed in 1992. It is Boston's thirteenth-tallest building, standing 538 feet tall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park</span>

The Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park, formerly the Williams Waterwall and the Transco Waterwall, is a multi-story sculptural fountain that sits opposite the south face of Williams Tower in the Uptown District of Houston. The fountain and its surrounding park were built as an architectural amenity to the adjacent tower. Both the fountain and tower were designed by John Burgee Architects with Philip Johnson. Originally privately owned in common with the office tower, the waterwall and the surrounding land were purchased by the Uptown Houston Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, a non-profit local government corporation, in 2008 to ensure the long-term preservation of the waterwall and park. The fountain currently operates between 10 am and 9 pm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lipstick Building</span> Office building in Manhattan, New York

The Lipstick Building, also known as 885 Third Avenue and 53rd at Third, is a 453-foot-tall (138 m) office building at Third Avenue between 53rd Street and 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It was completed in 1986 and has 34 floors. The building was designed by John Burgee and Philip Johnson for Hines Interests and was developer Gerald D. Hines's first project in New York City. The building's nickname is derived from its shape and color, which resembles a tube of lipstick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">550 Madison Avenue</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

550 Madison Avenue is a postmodern skyscraper on Madison Avenue between 55th and 56th Streets in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee with associate architect Simmons Architects, the building is a 647-foot-tall (197-meter), 37-story office tower with a facade made of pink granite. It was completed in 1984 as the headquarters of AT&T Corp. and later became the American headquarters of Sony. A four-story granite annex to the west was demolished and replaced with a shorter annex in the early 2020s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Park Centre</span> Building in Detroit

Grand Park Centre, also known as the Michigan Mutual Building, is a high-rise office building in downtown Detroit, Michigan, located at 28 West Adams Avenue, at the corner of Adams Avenue West and Woodward Avenue, standing across from Grand Circus Park in the Foxtown neighbourhood. Nearby buildings and attractions are Grand Circus Park, Comerica Park, Ford Field, the Dime Building, and Campus Martius Park. The building is a part of the Michigan Mutual Liability Company Complex, with the Michigan Mutual Liability Annex. The building is located in the Foxtown neighborhood of Detroit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">500 Boylston Street</span> Office in Massachusetts, U.S.

500 Boylston Street is a 1.3-million square foot postmodern building located in the Back Bay section of Boston and part of the city's High Spine, completed in 1989. It is located next to the landmark Trinity Church, Boston. It dominates the western half of the city block bounded by Boylston, Clarendon and Berkeley streets and St. James Avenue. The building was designed by John Burgee Architects with Philip Johnson, with structural engineering by LeMessurier Consultants and MEP/FP engineering by Cosentini Associates, Inc. The construction project was managed by Bond Brothers. It cost $100 million to build. The site contains approximately 137,000 square feet (12,700 m2) of land area, with approximately 500 feet (150 m) of frontage on Boylston Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry M. Jackson Federal Building</span> 37-story United States Federal Government skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington

The Henry M. Jackson Federal Building (JFB) is a 37-story United States Federal Government skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington. Located on the block bounded by Marion and Madison Streets and First and Second Avenues, the building was completed in 1974 and won the Honor Award of the American Institute of Architects in 1976. It received its current name after the death of U.S. Senator Henry M. Jackson in 1983. Architects for the project were Bassetti/Norton/Metler/Rekevics and John Graham & Associates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Ford (architect)</span> American architect and author (born 1952)

Alan B. Ford, FAIA, is an American architect and author best known for his work on K-12 sustainable schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Crescent (Dallas)</span> Office/hotel/retail complex

The Crescent is a postmodern office, hotel, and retail complex located at 200 Crescent Court in Uptown Dallas, Texas, United States. The 10-acre complex was designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee and was completed in 1986. The structure has 1,134,826 square feet (100,000 m2) of office space in three office towers, Hotel Crescent Court, and an upscale shopping center including department store Stanley Korshak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tensioned stone</span> Form of stonework used in construction

Tensioned stone is a high-performance composite construction material: stone held in compression with tension elements. The tension elements can be connected to the outside of the stone, but more typically tendons are threaded internally through a drilled duct.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Carton, Barbara (July 16, 1987). "TALL TALK OF THE TOWN". Washington Post. Washington DC. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  2. 1 2 8000 Towers Crescent Drive, Tysons Corner [usurped]
  3. 1 2 3 Massing, Michael (December 19, 2001). "Stalled in Paradise". American Prospect. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Archived copy" (PDF). www.cives.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ Eugene L. Meyer (February 27, 1995). "HIS PORT IN A STORM". Washington Post. Washington DC. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Glen Construction Company – Our Portfolio
  7. 1 2 3 4 untitled Archived October 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ http://www.fernandez-assoc.com/project/tycon.html - Tycon Tower
  9. ↑ - Structural Panels Support Hand-Laid Brick
  10. ↑ Mountain Enterprises – Project Profiles
  11. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-02-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ↑ Arc Water Treatment Company of Maryland – Newsletter

38°54′52″N77°13′10″W / 38.91444°N 77.21944°W / 38.91444; -77.21944

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.