One of Boca Raton’s most historically and architecturally significant landmarks is the former IBM Main Complex Building, now part of the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC). Located between Yamato Road and Spanish River Boulevard, just west of I-95, the site has played an important role in Boca Raton’s development and the history of modern computer technology.
In 1966, IBM announced its purchase of 550 acres west of what is now I-95, south of Yamato Road and east of Military Trail. The following year, IBM opened a large-scale manufacturing plant to produce its System/360 Model 20 midsized computer. IBM was the first company to build an industrial site in the scrubland of the west. The original site eventually grew from 620,000 square feet to 3.6 million square feet in more than 40 buildings. The Main Complex was modeled after IBM’s research center located in La Gaude, France, by famed architects Marcel Breuer and Robert Gatje. It is a significant example of the architectural style known as “Brutalism,” and of course IBM Boca Raton is the home of the IBM PC, developed in 1980 and introduced to the world in 1981 – with global implications.
Today, the former IBM campus is part of the Boca Raton Innovation Campus, or BRiC. The Main Complex Building has reached 50 years of age, making it eligible for historic designation by the City of Boca Raton and for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The building’s architectural significance, its role in Boca Raton’s development, and its connection to the creation of the IBM PC make it an important part of both local and technology history.
For over 20 years, the Boca Raton Historical Society has met with various property owners regarding the possibility of nominating the Main Complex Building to the National Register of Historic Places, but there has been no interest in pursuing the nomination. While BRHS continues to advocate for the preservation and historic designation of this important landmark, we are a nonprofit organization without the authority to grant any designation status. If you believe the former IBM Main Complex deserves recognition and protection, we need your help in making that voice heard to the owners, the representatives of the Historic Preservation Board, and the City of Boca Raton.
