You’re looking straight at One Financial Plaza-a tall, sleek skyscraper with vertical bands running up its sides and a modern grid of dark windows; just gaze up to see it towering above nearby buildings.
Back when polyester suits were in style and disco was king, this building burst onto the scene in 1972 as the tallest champion of Fort Lauderdale, stealing the show at 28 stories high. Back then, it was known as the Landmark Bank Building, carrying the hopes (and money) of Landmark Bank inside its walls. Over the years, the building played musical chairs with names-after Landmark Bank joined the big league via mergers, the tower soon wore banners for Union Planters Bank, then Regions. This giant even has a twin of sorts: it’s said to resemble the Chase Tower in Amarillo, Texas, almost like siblings born just a year apart. The real drama hit in 2005, when Hurricane Wilma plowed through, leaving a huge scar from the 14th to 19th floors-a little like a skyscraper’s version of a really bad hair day. But thanks to sturdy new storm-grade walls and some architectural TLC from RLC Architects, it’s back in business, a modernized icon still standing proud as Fort Lauderdale’s sixth tallest after all these years. Looking up at it, who knew a building could live such an action-packed life?
