View source for Southeast Financial Center

{{short description|Real estate development in Miami, Florida}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox building
| name               = Southeast Financial Center
| former_names       = Southeast Financial Center (1984-1992, 2011-)<br />First Union Financial Center (1992-2003)<br />Wachovia Financial Center (2003-2011)
| status              = Complete
| image              = Southeast Financial Center, June 2016.jpg 
| image_size         = 200px
| caption            = 
| location           = [[Biscayne Boulevard|200 South Biscayne Boulevard]], [[Miami]], [[Florida]]
| coordinates        = {{coord|25.772255|-80.187677|region:US-FL|display=inline,title}}
| start_date         = December 12, 1981
| completion_date    = October 23, 1984
| architect          = [[Skidmore, Owings & Merrill]]<br />Edward Charles Bassett<br />Spillis, Candela and Partners, Inc.
| owner              =[[Amancio Ortega]] 
| cost               = 
| floor_area         = {{convert|111,483|m2|sqft|abbr=on|disp=flip}}
| top_floor          = 
| floor_count        = 55
| references         = <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/122292 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422130802/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/122292 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 22, 2016 |title=Emporis building ID 122292 |work=[[Emporis]]}}</ref><ref>{{skyscraperpage|5966}}</ref><ref>{{structurae|}}</ref>
| building_type      = Commercial offices
| roof               = {{convert|233|m|abbr=on}}
| elevator_count     = 
| structural_engineer= Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
| main_contractor    = 
| developer          = Gerald D. Hines Interests<br />Southeast Bank Corporation<br />Corporate Property Investors
| management         = [[JLL (company)|JLL]] 
}}

'''Southeast Financial Center'''<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/blog/2011/02/wachovia-financial-center-gets-new-name.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110224012520/http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/blog/2011/02/wachovia-financial-center-gets-new-name.html| archive-date = 2011-02-24| title = Wachovia Financial Center gets new name {{!}} South Florida Business Journal}} </ref> is a two-acre development in [[Miami]], [[Florida]], [[United States]]. It consists of a {{convert|765|ft|m|0}} tall office [[skyscraper]] and its 15-story parking garage. It was previously known as the '''Southeast Financial Center''' (1984–1992), the '''First Union Financial Center''' (1992–2003) and the '''Wachovia Financial Center''' (2003–2011). In 2011, it retook its old name of Southeast Financial Center as [[Wachovia]] merged with [[Wells Fargo]] and moved to the nearby [[Wells Fargo Center (Miami)|Wells Fargo Center]].

When topped-off in August 1983, it was the tallest building south of [[New York City]] and east of the [[Mississippi River]], taking away the same title from the [[Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel]], in [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]].<ref name=Topped-Off>"Southeast Financial Center is Topped Off" Ocala Star-Banner - August 12, 1983</ref> It remained the tallest building in the southeastern U.S. until 1987, when it was surpassed by [[One Atlantic Center]] in Atlanta and the tallest in Florida until October 1, 2003, when it was surpassed by the [[Four Seasons Hotel Miami|Four Seasons Hotel and Tower]], also in Miami. It remains the tallest office tower in Florida and the fourth [[List of tallest buildings in Miami|tallest building in Miami]].

==Structure==
Southeast Financial Center was constructed in three years with more than 500 construction workers. Approximately 6,650 tons of structural steel, 80,000 cubic yards of [[concrete]] and 7000 cubic tons of reinforcing [[steel]] bars went into its construction. The complex sits on a series of [[reinforced concrete]] grade beams tied to 150 concrete [[Deep foundation|caissons]] as much as ten feet in diameter and to a depth of 80 feet. A steel space-frame canopy with glass skylights covers the outdoor plaza between the tower and low-rise building.

The tower has a composite structure. The exterior columns and beams are concrete encased steel wide flanges surrounded by reinforcing bars. The composite exterior frame was formed using hydraulic steel forms, or "flying forms," jacked into place with a "kangaroo" crane, that was located in the core and manually clamped into place. Wide flange beams topped by a metal deck and concrete form the interior floor framing. The core is A braced steel frame, designed to laterally resist wind loads. The construction of one typical floor was completed every five days.

The low-rise banking hall and parking building is a concrete-framed structure. Each floor consists of nearly an acre of continuously poured concrete. When the concrete had sufficiently hardened, compressed air was used to blow the forms fiberglass forms from under the completed floor. It was then rolled out to the exterior where it was raised by crane into position for the next floor.

The building was recognized as Miami's first and only office building to be certified for the LEED Gold award in January 2010.

==History==
The center was developed by a partnership consisting of [[Gerald D. Hines Interests]], Southeast Bank and [[Corporate Property Investors]] for $180 million. It was originally built as the headquarters for [[Southeast Banking Corporation|Southeast Bank]], which originally occupied 50 percent of the complex's space. It remained Southeast Bank's headquarters there until it was liquidated in 1991.

The Southeast Financial Center comprises two buildings: the 55-story office tower and the 15-story parking annex. The tower has 53 stories of office space. The first floor is dedicated for retail, the second floor is the lobby and the 55th floor was home to the luxurious Miami City Club. The parking annex has 12 floors of parking space for 1,150 cars. The first floor is dedicated for retail, the second floor is a banking hall and the 15th floor has the Downtown Athletic Club. A landscaped plaza lies between the office tower and the parking annex. An enclosed walkway connects the second story of the tower with the second story of the annex. The courtyard is partially protected from the elements by a steel and glass space frame canopy spanning the plaza and attached to the tower and annex. The glass space frame canopy was removed between 2020 and 2021.  Southeast Bank's executive offices were located on the 38th floor. Ground was broken on the complex on December 12, 1981 and the official dedication and opening for the complex was held on October 23, 1984.

The Southeast Financial Center was designed by Edward Charles Bassett of [[Skidmore, Owings and Merrill]]. The Associate Architect was Spillis Candela & Partners. It has 1,145,311&nbsp;ft<sup>2</sup> (106,000 m<sup>2</sup>) of office space. A typical floor has about 22,000&nbsp;ft<sup>2</sup> (2,043.87 m<sup>2</sup>) of office space. Each floor has 9&nbsp;ft x 9&nbsp;ft (2.7 m x 2.7 m) floor to ceiling windows. (All of the building's windows are tinted except for the top floor, resulting in strikingly bright and clear views from there.)  The total complex has over 2.2 million ft<sup>2</sup> (204,000 m<sup>2</sup>). The distinctive setbacks begin at the 43rd floor. Each typical floor plate has 9 corner offices and the top twelve floors have as many as 16. There are 43 [[elevator]]s in the office tower.  An emergency control station provides computerized monitoring for the entire complex, and four generators for backup power.

The Southeast Financial Center can be seen as far away as [[Ft. Lauderdale]] and halfway toward [[Bimini]].  Night space shuttle launches from Cape Canaveral 200 miles to the north were plainly visible from the higher floors.  The roof of the building was featured in the [[Wesley Snipes]] motion picture ''[[Drop Zone (film)|Drop Zone]],'' where an eccentric [[base jumper]] named Swoop parachutes down to the street from a suspended window cleaning trolley. The building also appeared in several episodes of the 1980s TV show ''[[Miami Vice]]'' and at the end of each episode's opening credits.

[[Zara (retailer)|Zara]] founder [[Amancio Ortega]] purchased the building from [[J.P. Morgan Asset Management]] in December 2016. The purchase price was reportedly over $500 million, making it one of the largest real estate transactions in South Florida history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.law360.com/articles/869148/|title=Spanish Billionaire Buys Miami Office Tower For $500M - Law360|website=www.law360.com|access-date=2016-12-07}}</ref>

==Tenants==
* [[Arnstein & Lehr]]
* [[Bryan Cave]]
* [[Citadel LLC]]
* [[Citadel Securities]]
* [[Cushman & Wakefield]]
* [[DLA Piper]]
* [[Goldman Sachs]]
* [[K&L Gates]]
* [[Merrill Lynch]]
* [[Morgan, Lewis & Bockius]]
* [[Shutts & Bowen]]
* [[Squire Patton Boggs]]
* [[Stroock & Stroock & Lavan]]
* [[Wells Fargo]]
* [[White & Case]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Wachovia tower closeup front.jpg|Closeup frontal view 
File:Wachovia Financial Center parking annex.JPG|14 story parking annex
File:Wachovia Financial Center from the south.jpg|Bottom of the building from the south with a [[Metromover]] vehicle passing by
Image:Wachovia_Financial_Center_flat.jpg|Angle showing bevelled side
File:Unique roof architecture of the Wachovia Financial Center.jpg|Roof over the plaza between the tower and the parking garage
File:Southeast Financial Center.jpg|As seen from the park in 2012
File:200 South Biscayne Blvd, Wachovia Financial Center sign.jpg|200 Biscayne Boulevard sign located at the main entrance
File:Southeast Financial Center northwest view.jpg|Northwest view
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[List of tallest buildings in Miami]]
* [[Downtown Miami]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in Florida]]
*[[List of tallest buildings in the United States]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.hines.com/property/detail.aspx?id=370  Southeast Financial  website] at Hines Interests Limited Partnership

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box
| before=[[One Biscayne Tower]]
| title=[[List of tallest buildings in Miami|Tallest Building in Miami]]
| years=1984–2003<br /><small>233m</small>
| after=[[Four Seasons Hotel Miami]]
}}
{{succession box
| before=[[One Tampa City Center]]
| title=Tallest Building in Florida
| years=1984–2003<br /><small>233m</small>
| after=[[Four Seasons Hotel Miami]]
}}
{{S-end}}

{{Skidmore, Owings & Merrill}}
{{Miami skyscrapers}}

[[Category:Office buildings completed in 1984]]
[[Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Miami]]
[[Category:Bank buildings in Florida]]
[[Category:Skidmore, Owings & Merrill buildings]]
[[Category:1984 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:Central Business District (Miami)]]