Robert B. Atwood Building, State office skyscraper in Downtown Anchorage, United States.
The Robert B. Atwood Building is a 20-story high-rise located at 550 West 7th Avenue in downtown Anchorage that functions as a state office tower. It contains multiple government departments and administrative spaces, along with basement parking and internal support services for daily operations.
The building opened on March 17, 1983, as the Hunt Building, developed by the NB Hunt Trust Estate and designed by Harold Wirum & Associates. It became the Enserch Center in September 1985, later the Bank of America Center, and was sold to the State of Alaska in 1997 for $27 million. It is named after Robert Bruce Atwood, an Alaska statehood activist and editor and publisher of the Anchorage Times.
The tower's name honours Robert Bruce Atwood, an Alaska statehood activist and editor and publisher of the Anchorage Times. Across the street stands the Linny Pacillo Parking Garage, completed in 2008 and named for Carolyn "Linny" Pacillo, who with her sister Susan wore tutus and fed downtown parking meters in 1990s protests against strict enforcement; the pair were called the Parking Fairies. Pacillo died in 2006.
The building stands at 550 West 7th Avenue in downtown Anchorage, with a landscaped plaza on its east side. Its single-story basement serves as a parking level, and nine elevators connect the 20 floors. A separate State of Alaska garage, the Linny Pacillo Parking Garage, opened in 2008 across the street.
The building is equipped with sensors installed by the United States Geological Survey to monitor earthquake movements and their effects on the soil beneath. This scientific setup makes it an important observation point for geological research in the region.
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