You’re looking for the tallest building around, with a step-like, pyramidal roof and two spires poking into the sky-just lift your eyes up and you can't miss it standing far above everything else!
Welcome to the mighty Salesforce Tower, where modern glass and old city dreams come together to form Indianapolis’s tallest skyscraper! Just imagine it-back in the late 1970s, a man named Frank E. McKinney, Jr., head of American Fletcher National Bank, started hatching a plan to build a tower that would put his company-and Indiana-on the map. One by one, smaller buildings along Ohio Street and Pennsylvania Street were ushered out of the way, making space for what would soon soar sky-high. Picture bulldozers rumbling and city blocks transforming:.
Construction kicked into gear in 1987 with big dreams and even bigger blueprints. The design, by KlingStubbins and built with hometown pride by Huber Hunt & Nichols, was nothing short of epic-a step-pyramidal cap, inspired by the Indiana War Memorial just three blocks north, connects the city’s skyline with its past and the distant echo of ancient mausoleums. Up it rose, floor by floor, until the crane finally set the final plume of glass at an eye-popping 811 feet. From here, you’re standing in the shadow of nearly 50 stories of offices, shops, and stories.
This tower has undergone more transformations than a superhero! First, it was envisioned as American Fletcher Tower, then as Bank One Tower once Indy’s favorite bank merged with Ohio’s Banc One. The merger fever didn’t stop there-Bank One became part of JPMorgan Chase, and the tower’s name changed again to Chase Tower. By the time people got used to the new name, the tech giant Salesforce swooped in like a digital knight, turning thousands of square feet into its regional fortress and rebranding the top of the city as Salesforce Tower. Who knows, maybe the next name will be the “Cloud Palace” one day-just kidding (mostly).
But here’s a quirky secret: those twin spires at the top aren’t both for business. Only one is a true antenna, pulsing messages and calls through the Indiana sky. The other? Well, it’s just for show-a handsome decoration to keep the tower looking symmetrical, like a superhero who only really needs one shoe but wears two just in case. Besides, when you’re this tall, you get to choose your fashion.
The structure was always meant to be more than just an office block. The roof was purposely built with radio equipment in mind, so the building owners could rake in a little extra on the side. Speaking of the roof, if you’re a fan of the local sports teams, you might have noticed enormous “Go Pacers” or “Go Colts” banners appear on big game days-a skyscraper-sized cheer visible from miles around, as if the tower itself is rooting for the home team and taunting rivals. During windy nights you might even imagine the banners fluttering, rippling out victory whispers toward the city below:.
Now, you might be asking: “Can I get a bird’s-eye view from the top?” There’s no official observation deck-no high-flying brunches, sorry-but you can take a peek of Monument Circle and downtown life from the second and seventh floors, in common areas on the Circle side. Fancy a closer look? You can still pop by the security desk for a visitor’s pass, though most skyward journeys here are reserved for those on a mission-or those lucky enough to work with Salesforce!
So as you gaze up, think of this building as a monument not just to industry and ambition, but to generations of dreamers and teams, banners and banks, and every bit of city spirit that keeps Indianapolis reaching higher with every year. Now, keep your feet on the ground-it’s a long way down from up there!
