The Summit at Danbury

The Summit at Danbury, formerly known as the Matrix Corporate Center and before that as the Union Carbide Corporate Center, is an architecturally unique building in Danbury, Connecticut.[2] It was constructed in 1982 as the headquarters of the Union Carbide chemical company, it is known for its unusual style and floorplan layout.

The Summit at Danbury
Former namesMatrix Corporate Center, Union Carbide Corporate Center[1]
General information
TypeCorporate Offices, Conference & Banquet Center
LocationDanbury, CT
Coordinates41.38196°N 73.53020°W / 41.38196; -73.53020
Current tenantsIncludes Department of Defense, General Motors, Attorney General, United Parcel Service, Chase Bank, Bank of America, US Bank, Scana Energy, Mastrack, Odyssey Logistics & Technology
Construction started1980
Completed1982
OwnerSummit Development, LLC
Technical details
Floor area2,100,000 square feet (200,000 m2)[2]
Design and construction
ArchitectKevin Roche[3]
Other designersEmanuel Pisetzner[4]
Website
thesummitatdanbury.com

History

In 1976, Union Carbide announced that it intended to relocate from New York City to a location in Connecticut.[5] After beginning construction in 1980,[6] Union Carbide moved its approximately 3,000 staff members to the facility in 1983.

Following several corporate realignments,[7] space was rented out to several different companies after a 1986 leaseback arrangement transferred ownership to a Florida concern. This resulted in the facility being renamed the Corporate Center in 1992.[2][8] Following the purchase of Union Carbide by The Dow Chemical Company in 2001, the Union Carbide staff was further reduced and more space sublet to other companies. In 2007 the building was sold to Grubb & Ellis for $80 million,[9] less than half its original construction cost of $190 million. In 2009, the building was resold to Matrix Reality Group for $72.4 million.[10] Matrix Realty Group, Inc., the new owner of the building, carried out several renovations,[11] such as new granite in the Main Reception area and in other parts of the building, and renamed it the Matrix Corporate Center.[12]

In 2018, Matrix was sold to Summit Development, a real estate developer based in Southport, Connecticut for $18 million. The complex was renamed to reflect the new ownership, and is being renovated to include luxury apartments in multiple wings. The existing office space is being renovated as well, and now includes new restaurants and an expanded gym/health center.[13]

Architecture

The layout of the building is unique in that the entire building rests on 5,000 pillars driven into the ground at heights of 5 to 40 feet (1.5 to 12.2 m), to avoid having to clear the land of obstacles.[2] The structure as a whole consists of 15 interconnected buildings around a central core.[14]

Additionally, the outer walls of the building face into the forest while the interior walls face a completely enclosed 2,500-space parking garage.[2] The building was designed with several pods for the then divisions of Union Carbide that would occupy the facility. Further, it was set up so that each office was very close, sometimes only 10 feet (3 m), from its related parking spot and that employees would not need to exit the building to perform any functions.

In the center of the complex are several conference rooms, libraries, a cafeteria, and other support services. Each room in the 2.1 million-square-foot (195,000 m²) complex, 1.3 million (117,000 m²) of which is office space,[15] has separate temperature controls and natural light through a series of translucent windows. The building sits on a 646-acre (261 ha) campus which has been subdivided over the years and now also hosts jogging trails and condominiums.

  • 1991 aerial image (Union Carbide HQ at the time)
  • Current Photograph of The Summit at Danbury
gollark: What do you mean "automatically dispose"?
gollark: I just stick the MIT license in so people can use it, assuming I actually remember to.
gollark: My projects are mostly MIT-licensed, and *that* doesn't have that clause.
gollark: I should release some of my private keys so I can crowdsource signing decisions.
gollark: I suppose I'll just have to limit it to a non-legally-binding clause saying "those who use this for bad purposes are to be considered BEES".

References
  1. Dzikowski, Don (1997-01-20). "Prestone Expands Headquarters". Fairfield County Business Journal. EBSCO. 36 (3): 1–5. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  2. Charles, Eleanor (2001-06-10). "Commercial Property/Connecticut; For Old Union Carbide Headquarters, a Time of Flux". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  3. Wiseman, Carter (2000). Twentieth-century American architecture: the building and their makers. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 324. ISBN 0-393-32054-5.
  4. Saxon, Wolfgang (1995-11-24). "Emanuel Pisetzner, 69, Engineer Relied On by Leading Architects". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  5. Sterne, Mickael (1976-03-20). "Union Carbide, 3,500 on Staff, to Quit City". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  6. Madden, Richard L. (1980-02-27). "Booming Danbury to Add Union Carbide to Tax Rolls; A Growing Danbury to Be Home of Union Carbide Sole Hat Company Prospers Danbury AT A GLANCE Geography Population Employment Fire and Police Income Housing Taxes Government Schools". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  7. Hiltzik, Michael A. (1986-04-08). "Union Carbide Plans to Sell Off $1 Billion More of Assets". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  8. Dunlap, David L. (2008-03-02). "The Office as Architectural Touchstone". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  9. Chuvala, Bob (2007-07-02). "Shine and flip awaits Union Carbide HQ". Fairfield County Business Journal. Fairfield County Business. 46 (27). Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  10. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2014-05-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. http://nerej.com/43722
  12. http://m.newstimes.com/local/article/Reviving-a-corporate-jewel-387802.php#photo-116496
  13. https://www.ctinsider.com/business/newstimes/article/Leasing-thaws-for-sprawling-Danbury-office-14921587.php?src=nthpcp&_ga=2.96775263.1500859300.1576803863-1153230100.1574744606#photo-18785324 Leasing thaws for sprawling Danbury office — with apartments sprouting next
  14. http://nerej.com/41711
  15. Chuvala, Bob (2006-07-02). "Corporate Center owners study options, including selling the Danbury property". Union Carbide. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
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