Banco de Bogotá building, Corporate office building in central Bogotá, Colombia.
The Banco de Bogotá building is a reinforced concrete and riveted steel skyscraper at Carrera Décima and Calle Catorce in downtown Bogotá. It has 25 floors and rises 89 m, with a three-storey podium plus mezzanine and an 18-storey tower. Its facade is clad in aluminium and glass, and a fourth-floor terrace above the podium holds planted patios.
The Banco de Bogotá announced the project in 1954 and bought 16 lots on Calle 14 and Carrera 12 as the old Carrera Décima was widened into a 40-metre avenue. Work began on 9 March 1956 and the building opened on 8 October 1959, remaining Bogotá's tallest until 1963.
In the lobby, the Pamplona-born sculptor Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar made a monumental abstract high relief titled El Dorado, built from overlapping curved figures. The work sits at the entrance of a building whose design came from Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, so the relief is the first thing a visitor sees of the bank's original interior.
The building is located downtown and is easily accessible from central transport hubs. Keep in mind that this is an active office building, so public access is limited to certain areas.
The building pioneered American construction methods and materials in Colombia during the 1950s. Its building techniques influenced subsequent office towers in the city and established new standards for modern construction.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,728 contributors worldwide.