Jamie Dimon was the ‘master architect’ of JPMorgan’s new $3 billion skyscraper, the bank’s real estate head says

Architect Norman Foster, who is behind Apple’s California headquarters and the Hearst Tower in Manhattan, said the project could surpass his previous work.

“In terms of entertainment, entertainment and lifestyle, I would say every level of this tower pushes those boundaries beyond anything we’ve done before,” he said. The Wall Street Journal Friday.

But David Arena, the bank’s head of real estate, said Dimon served as the building’s “principal architect.” Magazine.

Other JPMorgan executives were closely involved in the design process, Dimon said Magazine.

Doug Pitno, co-head of commercial and investment banking, was given the task of inspecting the ground floor and lobby. Mary Erdos, head of asset and wealth management, and Marian Lake, head of consumers, planned the office floors and client spaces. Erdos joined former president Daniel Pinto for a look at the executive floor.

The 60-story building at 270 Park Avenue also includes 19 restaurants, as well as cafes, a company store, a gym and Morgan’s English Pub. Magazine I mentioned.

Some executives feared that the headquarters’ upper atrium would look more like a mall than an office building. So Damon asked Rick Caruso, a billionaire Los Angeles developer of upscale malls, for advice on how to make the space filled with retail and restaurants look more professional, he said. Magazine.

For nearly 20 years, Dimon has been CEO of the country’s largest bank. He recently emphasized the importance of personal work during an expletive-laced speech to employees. His answer to workers hesitant about working in offices? Build one they can’t refuse.

The building, which spans a city block and plans to accommodate 10,000 employees at full capacity, opened in late August, and designer Foster + Partners announced on September 10 that construction was complete.

But it won’t be completed until next year. Dimon and other executives don’t expect their upstairs offices to be ready until Christmas. The magazine reported. The trading floor, which has not yet opened, has rows of wooden desks still covered with blue duct tape, Friday’s report said.

With more employees flocking to the building next year, the $3 billion investment reflects Dimon’s broader bet on the future of office life, built on the conviction that true culture and creativity only flourish when people work side by side.