The Stark Tower Complex was built as a world-class financial and business facility to complement the Midtown Manhattan business district. The building was completed as a gleaming beacon of
modern architecture after four years of excavation and construction. It is located in the vicinity of Manhattan's
Columbus Circle approximately 10 blocks north of the
Baxter Building, headquarters of the superhero team the
Fantastic Four. While initially intending to use the top three floors of the Main Tower as his state-of-the-art bachelor pad, Stark gives them over to the Avengers as their base of operations after their former base,
Avengers Mansion, is destroyed. Longtime Mansion caretaker
Edwin Jarvis is asked to resume his duties in the new location. Later, when the
Sentry joins the Avengers, his long-hidden Watchtower appears, integrating itself atop the Main Tower and the building's existing architecture. Serving as both Sentry's headquarters and as the private residences of Robert Reynolds and his wife Lindy, the 20-story watchtower is operated and maintained by CLOC (Centrally Located Organic Computer), a near-sentient computer of Sentry's own design. The lower levels of the Main Tower, along with both the South and North Buildings, are largely occupied with Stark's subsidiaries and non-profit organizations. After the passing of the
Superhuman Registration Act (SRA), Iron Man is tapped to head the task force charged with enforcing the Act. Subsequently, Stark Tower becomes the base of operations of the task force. The controversy surrounding the SRA breaks the Avengers team apart, forcing Tony Stark to form a new team, the
Mighty Avengers. They continue to occupy the Main Tower's higher levels. When the Tower becomes the headquarters of the SRA task force, it is assigned a squad of
Cape-Killer guards with the call sign "Force Unit 9". In
World War Hulk, a violent battle between the
Hulk and Iron Man nearly destroys Stark Tower. The tower is rebuilt by Stark under his
S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, making it S.H.I.E.L.D. property. Stark Tower becomes the setting for a multi-issue conflict between humans and a murderous
Skrull hunting them for sport. During
Secret Invasion, many non-powered New York citizens, including
Daily Bugle reporter
Ben Urich, end up at Stark Tower. Urich retakes control of the security shutters and the Skrull is tricked into throwing itself out a high window, dying on impact. When
Norman Osborn takes over S.H.I.E.L.D. and renames it
H.A.M.M.E.R., he also takes ownership of the tower. After Osborn is removed from power following the
Siege of Asgard, the tower is returned to Stark. Following Sentry's death, his watchtower disappears from the rooftop and is replaced by
Heimdall's observatory as sign of solidarity between Earth and
Asgard. In
Fear Itself, the
Thing becomes Angir, the Breaker of Souls, after acquiring an Asgardian hammer and destroys the Tower. A new tower is later built on the site of the original. When the Avengers fall under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s authority, S.H.I.E.L.D. takes over the Stark Tower and makes it their Golgotha station. During the
Secret Wars storyline, Stark Tower is destroyed by the Children of Tomorrow during the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610. Following an eight-month
ellipsis, Tony Stark, who is suffering financial difficulties at the time, is forced to sell the rebuilt Stark Tower to a Chinese company called Qeng Enterprises. Stark and the Avengers relocate to another Stark Tower near Time Square. == Reception ==