Facts You May Not Know About Capital One Building in Lake Charles

When you think about downtown Lake Charles or drive through it, the first thing you notice is the towering Capital One Tower Building. For years, it has been the staple landmark in downtown Lake Charles along with the Lake Charles Civic Center.

Unfortunately, the tower is about to come down. After attempts to get investors to buy the building failed, and the costs to repair the tower were just too much, the decision was made that the tower would be imploded and come down to make way for something else.

As it sits currently, the damage is just stunning as category 4 hurricane Laura destroyed the entire South side of the building with a ton of damage also on the North side as well. It sits now abandoned with a ton of wooden windows.

We thought it would be cool to go back to its heyday when the building was fully functional and housed a ton of businesses and a bank.

Here are some Interesting Facts About The Old Capital One Tower Building In Lake Charles

• Construction on the building started in 1981 with completion in 1982.

• A year later, the grand opening of the building was on October 1st, 1983.

• It cost 45 million dollars to build to skyscraper.

• There are 22 floors in the building, two escalators in the atrium, and eight elevators.

• From ground to roof, the building stands 314 feet.

• The building houses 400,000 square feet of office space.

• When it was first built, it was called the CM Tower named after the old Calcasieu Marine National Bank. It was then bought by Hibernia Bank and named the Hibernia Tower until Capital One Bank acquired Hibernia Bank and the tower was then renamed the Capital One Tower in 2005.

• The tower takes up four acres which includes an attached parking garage.

• The building features an all-glass exterior finish and the building has six sides.

Coolf facts right? Well, it is all about to go away sadly. Last month, the announcement was made that the building would be torn down and a date of the implosion was released. The Capital One Tower is scheduled to be demolished on Saturday, September 7th, 2024.

The private owner of the former Capital One Tower has hired Lloyd D. Nabors Demolition to serve as the general contractor for their demolition project.

Below are a bunch of pictures of what the tower looked like on the inside before Hurricane Laura damaged the tower.