The Nissen Building was named to the National Register of Historic Places March 17, 1983,[2] with a boundary increase in 2004 to include a one-story addition built in 1969.

William Lee Stoddart of New York City, known for the Battery Park Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina, was the architect.

[2][3] In May 1999, BB&T bought what was then called the First Union Building for $2.5 million from Aon Consulting Inc., which moved about 400 employees to University Corporate Center.

Nissen Risk Capital LLC and HRI, using Holder Construction Co. as general contractor, began work in Summer 2004.

The lobby was being restored to the way it looked when the building was new, including a granite floor and brass on steel elevator doors.