Bank of America offices may be preparing for a move

Bank of America reportedly is in talks to move out of its namesake building downtown and into a flashy new tower to be constructed a block away.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank is negotiating to become the anchor tenant in Capitol Tower, a 35-story building slated for the former site of the Houston Club building, the Houston Business Journal reported late Friday, citing anonymous sources.

The bank's longtime home, Bank of America Center, is one of downtown's most iconic buildings. The neo-Gothic tower soars 56 stories and its gabled roofline is a familiar feature on the city skyline.

Bank of America, which declined to comment Friday, leases 423,614 square feet in the building, according to Houston-based Enriched Data, a research and data firm.

Bank of America Center, 700 Louisiana, was developed by the Hines real estate firm and designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee. It opened in 1983.

Skanska USA Commercial Development is the developer of Capitol Tower.

After Skanska bought the site and the Houston Club building was demolished, the company built a garage on the southern half of the block and poured the foundation for the tower.

The property is bounded by Capitol, Rusk, Milam and Travis streets.

Skanska has said it would not begin construction on the building until it found a tenant to prelease a significant portion of the space.

Skanska could not be reached. CBRE, the real estate brokerage leasing the building, declined to comment late Friday.

The Gensler architecture firm designed Capitol Tower, a soaring glass and stone building set to include 750,000 square feet and a tunnel-level lobby visible to pedestrians on the streets above it.