PROPERTY PROFILE
One Shell Square, located at 701 Poydras Street in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, is a 51-story, 697 feet (212 m)-tall skyscraper designed in the international style by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. It is the tallest building in both the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana. The building is primarily used for leaseable office space, with some retail space on the ground level. The design of the building is very similar to Houston's One Shell Plaza, also built by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. The property is owned and managed by Hertz Investment Group. Occupancy is 95%.
One Shell Square was built using a double
tube system, with a steel core and a concrete perimeter and opened for
business in 1972. The exterior of the building is clad in Italian
travertine (limestone) and bronze glass. There has been concern over the
years regarding the limestone's integrity during severe weather such as
tropical systems. Fortunately, these fears did not play out during
Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and the building weathered the storm
with minimal damage, such as blown out windows and rain damage. The
building reopened to tenants in December 2005.
When completed in 1972, One Shell Square was the tallest building in the Southeastern United States, surpassing the Wachovia Bank of Georgia building in Atlanta. It held the title until 1976, when the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta surpassed it. It was the first southern skyscraper to surpass the 200 meter mark.
