Southeast Financial Center

Southeast Financial Center
Company type	Commercial office complex
Industry	Real estate, Office space
Founded	October 23, 1984; 42 years ago in Miami, Florida, United States
Headquarters	Miami, United States
Area served	Miami, Florida
Products	Office space, Retail space, Parking facilities
Owner	Amancio Ortega

Southeast Financial Center is a commercial office complex spanning two acres in Miami, Florida, consisting of a prominent high-rise tower and an adjacent 15-level parking structure. The property has experienced multiple renamings: originally Southeast Financial Center (1984–1992), then First Union Financial Center (1992–2003), followed by Wachovia Financial Center (2003–2011). After Wachovia merged with Wells Fargo and relocated to the nearby Wells Fargo Center in 2011, the building reverted to its initial designation.

Upon reaching its full height in August 1983, it was recognized as the tallest building south of New York City and east of the Mississippi River, surpassing Atlanta’s Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel. It remained the tallest structure in the southeastern United States until 1987, when Atlanta’s One Atlantic Center claimed that distinction. It held the title of Florida’s tallest office tower until 2003, when overtaken by Miami’s Four Seasons Hotel and Tower. Today, it continues as Florida’s tallest office building and ranks fourth in height within Miami.

Structure

The construction of Southeast Financial Center took three years and involved a workforce exceeding 500 individuals. The project utilized roughly 6,650 tons of structural steel, 80,000 cubic yards of concrete, and 7,000 tons of reinforcing steel bars. The foundation comprises reinforced concrete grade beams anchored to 150 concrete caissons, each measuring up to ten feet in diameter and extending 80 feet deep. An outdoor plaza situated between the tower and the low-rise building was originally sheltered by a steel space-frame canopy fitted with glass skylights.

The tower's structural system is composite, featuring exterior steel columns and beams encased in concrete with surrounding reinforcing bars. Hydraulic "flying forms" were employed to create the composite exterior frame, which were elevated into place by a "kangaroo" crane located at the core. Interior floors are supported by wide flange beams topped with metal decking and concrete slabs. The core itself consists of a braced steel frame engineered to withstand lateral wind forces. Construction progressed at a pace of one typical floor every five days.

The adjoining low-rise banking hall and parking facility is constructed with a concrete frame, involving nearly one acre of continuous concrete pouring per floor. Hardened fiberglass forms were removed using compressed air and repositioned for subsequent levels.

In January 2010, this building became Miami’s inaugural office tower to achieve LEED Gold certification.

History

Developed through a partnership among Gerald D. Hines Interests, Southeast Bank, and Corporate Property Investors at a cost of $180 million, Southeast Financial Center initially functioned as the headquarters for Southeast Bank, which occupied half of the available space until its liquidation in 1991.

The complex features a 55-story office tower containing 53 floors dedicated to office use alongside a 15-story parking annex. Retail spaces occupy the ground floors of both buildings; the tower’s second floor contains the main lobby, while its 55th floor was home to the Miami City Club. The parking annex includes twelve levels accommodating 1,150 vehicles, a banking hall on its second floor, and the Downtown Athletic Club on the fifteenth floor. A landscaped plaza connects these structures via an enclosed walkway on the second level. Between 2020 and 2021, the steel-and-glass canopy that once covered this plaza was removed. Southeast Bank’s executive offices were located on the 38th floor. Construction commenced on December 12, 1981, with an official opening on October 23, 1984.

The design was led by Edward Charles Bassett from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with Spillis Candela & Partners serving as Associate Architect. The center offers approximately 1,145,311 square feet (106,000 m²) of office space. Typical floors cover around 22,000 square feet (2,044 m²) featuring nine-foot floor-to-ceiling windows (tinted except on the top level). The entire complex encompasses over 2.2 million square feet (204,000 m²). Setbacks begin at the 43rd floor; standard floors include nine corner offices while upper stories have sixteen. The tower is equipped with 43 elevators and features computerized emergency controls supported by four backup generators.

Visible from distances reaching Ft. Lauderdale and halfway toward Bimini, the building’s roof appeared in the movie Drop Zone as well as several episodes of Miami Vice.

In December 2016, Amancio Ortega—the founder of Zara—purchased Southeast Financial Center from J.P. Morgan Asset Management for more than $500 million in one of South Florida’s largest real estate deals.

Southeast Financial Center

Structure

History

Tenants

See also