The Pyramids are three pyramid-shaped office buildings that are part of a 200-acre commercial development in College Park, Indianapolis, Indiana. The structures occupy 45 acres of land situated next to a 25-acre lake. They were constructed between 1967 and 1972 for the College Life Insurance Company by New Millenium Construction using a design by architect Kevin Roche. They are noted for their abstract quality of the opacity of the concrete walls which face the nearby highway and the reflectivity of the glass curtain walls that face the landscaped grounds.
History
In the 1960s the College Life Insurance Company was rapidly expanding and sought to accommodate its growing staff while providing for anticipated expansion. It decided on a plan by Kevin Roche consisting of nine identical office towers each eleven stories tall and each containing 120,000 square feet. This would permit it to build towers as it needed additional office space without leaving buildings idle or underused. Only the initial three towers were constructed and take the form of pyramids. In the late 1990s the site was re-landscaped and further construction of towers appears unlikely. These first three pyramids were completed in 1972. Plans called for six more, to create a three-by-three array. But plans changed. One reason given is the coming of computerization played a role as College Life increasingly stored records on computer, the company needed less space to store documents, and therefore didn’t need more pyramids. But what probably played the largest role in only three being built was that College Life merged with another insurance company and moved its headquarters out of state.
They are now owned by KennMar a Speedway, Indiana realty investment company, which rents space to various businesses in the Indianapolis area. The Pyramids are currently going through a renovation. They are also noted as being among Roche's best works and contributed to his being awarded the Pritzker Prize. In 2021, a six-person panel of American Institute of Architects Indianapolis members identified The Pyramids among the ten most "architecturally significant" buildings completed in the city sinceWorld War II.
Structure
Each tower is made up of two walls of reinforced concrete from which project the unobstructed office floors. Those concrete walls provide the support for the floors as well as serving as L-shaped service cores. The other two walls are covered in blue exterior glass and each building is connected to the others via underground and above-ground passages. Each pyramid has three cable passenger elevators. The buildings have been described as "abstract" and "sculptural" based on their use of opaque concrete walls facing the nearby highway and reflective blue glass facing the interior lake of the complex.
In order to log your find, please post a photo or if shy, a paper with your caching name at the posted coordinates.
If you are there during business hours, take a look at the lobby and the original light fixtures, elevator floor indicators, lobby flooring and the Egyptian themed decor in the seating area.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
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