Parque Central Complex
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Coordinates: 10°29′55″N 66°54′03″W / 10.4985°N 66.9009°W
The Parque Central Complex towers consist of twin 56-story towers. The buildings are located in Caracas, Venezuela. The towers are the tallest buildings in the country, with a height of 225 m (738 ft).
President Rafael Caldera promoted the construction of the tallest building in Latin America and the Italo-venezuelan entrepreneuring. Delfino built the skyscraper complex mainly with his "Constructora Delpre".
The east tower was completed in 1979 and the west tower in 1984. The towers take their name from the green refuge in the heart of Caracas' urban jungle, but are still in the midst of a vast complex of office buildings and amenities. The view from inside offers panoramic access to the city and the surrounding mountains[1]. However, in April 2003, both towers were surpassed in height (by only 5m) by Mexico City's Torre Mayor, and thus are no longer the tallest buildings in Latin America, but still they remain the tallest in South America.
On February 14, 1982, high rise firefighting and rescue advocate, Dan Goodwin, at the invitation of the Venezuelan television company, Venevisión, scaled the outside of the Parque Central Complex.
On October 17, 2004, a fire broke out in the east tower. At least ten floors were damaged in the incident. The fire started on the 34th floor and flames reached the 44th floor of the building. These floors housed key government offices. At the time an inquest was being held on the activities of these offices. It sustained critical damage as efforts were hampered due to poor water pressure and lack of fire fighting equipment. Military helicopters tried pouring water from above to quench the flames. It was also feared that the steel structure could be damaged severely enough to collapse.
Currently (as of May 2009[update]), the east tower is still undergoing major repairs due to the damage caused by the fire. Reopening is expected to take place during the second semester of 2009.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Parque Central Torre Officinas Este :: , Caracas, Distrito Federal, Venezuela :: Glass Steel and Stone
[edit] External links
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