Torre Colpatria

Torre Colpatria is a 50-story skyscraper located at the downtown area in Bogotá, Colombia. It is the second tallest building in the country and the fifth-tallest in South America. It was constructed from 1973 to 1978, opened in 1979, and has a total height of 196m. The main headquarters of Colpatria Bank are located in the building, and also a great number of other banks and financial corporations have offices in it. The building lies at the intersection of 26th street and 7th avenue, in the heart of the city's downtown.Since 1998 the Colpatria Tower was illuminated every night with thirty-six color changing Xenon lights. But, in 2012, the Dutch lighting company Philips replaced the old lights with a 120-meters-high LED system to improve the lighting of the building and project high-definition images.The building is a landmark in the country, and it dominates Bogota's skyline along with other structures such as the BD Bacatá, the World Trade Center, FONADE and Colseguros buildings.On weekends and holidays, the top floor is open to visitors, where a cafeteria and a lookout are located.Colpatria Tower was to be surpassed as the tallest building in Colombia by a new 206m tall apartment tower that was being built in the city of Cartagena, but that project came to an end after its structure was bent during a series of tremendous winds in 2007 so the city ordered it dismantled. By late 2015 and early 2016, both towers of the BD Bacatá were topped out and with 240m and 204m, they became the tallest buildings in Colombia, leaving the Colpatria Tower on third place. However, the tower has become a referent among the citizens and one of the most remarkable places in the city.