Riverplace Tower
The Riverplace Tower is a 28-floor office building on the south bank of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. At the time of its construction, it was the tallest building in the state of Florida and was the defining landmark in Jacksonville's skyline. On April 18, 2012, the American Institute of Architects's Florida Chapter placed the building on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places as the Riverplace Tower / Formerly Gulf Life Tower.
History
The Auchter Company, Jacksonville’s oldest general construction contractor, built the 542,000 ft2 "Gulf Life Tower" for the Gulf Life Insurance Company in 1966. It was designed by the notable architect, Welton Becket and KBJ Architects. When completed in 1967, it was the tallest precast, post-tensioned concrete structure in the world. It held that distinction until 2002, when it was surpassed by the 425-ft.-tall Paramount Apartment Tower in San Francisco.
It remained Florida's tallest for five years until Miami's One Biscayne Tower was constructed in 1972.
It was Jacksonville's tallest for eight years until the Independent Life Building (now the Wells Fargo Center) was built in 1974. In 2007, 40 years after its construction, Riverplace Tower was still the 5th tallest building in Jacksonville.