The NBEO National Center of Clinical Testing in Optometry (NCCTO

The NBEO National Center of Clinical Testing in Optometry (NCCTO)
How to Access the NCCTO in the BB&T Building
200 South College Street, Suite 2020
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
1.800.969.3926, Extension 2
Sections
1) Location Within Uptown Charlotte …………….……………………………….….…..
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2) Parking in the BB&T Building …..………………………………………….…….….….
2
3) BB&T Building Elevators ………..……………………………………………….…...…
3
4) The Multiple Entrances to the BB&T Building ………………………………….…...
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a) For Candidates Who Park in the BB&T Building Parking Garage ……..….…
4
b) For Candidates Who Walk in through the Front Doors ………………………..
5
c) For Candidates Who Walk to the NCCTO through the Overstreet Mall ……..
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™ The Third-Floor Overstreet Mall-Level Elevator Lobby ……..…….
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1) Location Within Uptown Charlotte
The BB&T Building (below) is near the center of uptown Charlotte at 200 South College Street,
between 3rd and 4th Streets. As shown below (left), the BB&T Building has two sections, a high-rise
office tower segment and a rounded parking garage. The address is shown on the building (below,
right), near the South College
Street parking entrance.
As you make your way around
uptown Charlotte, it is useful to
know that the city is laid out in a
grid. Typically, numbered streets
run east-west and streets that run
north-south have proper names.
You can determine, from any direction, where you are standing in relation to the “middle of uptown”
intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets. The numbered part of any address is designated relative to the
000 starting point of address numbers at Trade and Tryon Streets.
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This important Trade/Tryon intersection, named Independence Square (below, right and left), is easily
identified by the 4 upper-body statues, one at each corner of the intersection.
Technically, the street grid is aligned at a
45-degree angle relative to the compass.
“North" and “south” streets officially go
northeast and southwest and “east” and
“west” routes truly run southeast and
northwest though they are named as north
or south of Trade Street, and east or west of Tryon Street. Whether north/ south or east/west, building
address numbers increase as they move away from the central Independence Square. South College Street is one-way, heading from the rounded garage toward the main tower of the
BB&T Building. The center of town can be found 2.5 blocks away, half a block to the right of the BB&T
(as pictured on Page 1), then 1 block to the left, then 1 block to the right.
Though hotel reception desks generally provide local maps for guests who request them, click HERE and
HERE for useful uptown Charlotte maps for consultation as you make your travel plans.
2) Parking in the BB&T Building
“Early bird” parking is available for $10 (for parkers who enter the parking garage before 8:30 a.m.).
The maximum, regular parking fee is $20 per day (below, left).
One entrance to the BB&T parking garage (below, right, in red box) is on the one-way South College
Street, just after passing through the South College Street/East 3rd Street intersection. The garage
entrance involves a left turn just beyond the traffic signal at that intersection.
South College Street entrance to garage (in red box)
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A second entrance to the BB&T parking garage is accessed from East 4th Street, a one-way street
that borders the BB&T Building and is perpendicular to South College Street. This garage entrance
involves veering off to the left, into the garage tunnel (pictured below, left, in red oval). When the large
bowling alley pin, the AT&T sign, and the Firehouse Subs sign are in sight on East 4th Street before
crossing South College Street, be prepared to swing left into this parking tunnel.
A third garage entrance is also accessed from East 4th Street, just after crossing South College Street,
and again requires a left turn into the garage opening (pictured below, right, in red oval).
Tunnel entrance to garage, from East 4th Street
Another entrance to garage, from East 4th Street
3) BB&T Building Elevators
The NCCTO is on the 20th floor of the BB&T Building. This building contains three distinct sets of
elevators for public use, which include the following:
•
1 set (4 elevators) of parking garage elevators service the parking garage ONLY. These
elevators do NOT take passengers to the NCCTO. These elevators can be accessed directly
from the garage on Floors 2 and 4-11 and in special ways on Floor 1 (street level) and Floor 3
(Overstreet Mall level).
o
o
The Floor 1 parking garage elevator bank (below, left) is adjacent to the Security Station
a short distance from the front BB&T Building lobby at South College Street level.
The Floor 3 parking garage elevator bank (below, right) opens into the Overstreet Mall,
right across the Mall hallway from McDonald’s restaurant.
First-floor parking garage elevator bank;
the red arrow points to the Security office
Third-floor parking garage elevator bank; the gray
sign in the red oval denotes PARKING ELEVATORS
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•
2 identical sets of high-rise elevators (6 elevators per set, 12 high-rise elevators total) service
the office floors ONLY (NOT parking garage floors) of the BB&T. One set services the lower
floors of the BB&T Building and is marked 1-13 (or 2-13, on the first floor) and will not be of use to
NCCTO candidates. The other set ascends to the higher floors and is designated 14-22.
NCCTO candidates will use the 14-22 group of high-rise elevators. These elevators can be
accessed on Floor 1 and Floor 3, either of which will take candidates to the NCCTO on Floor 20
during the work week. (On Saturdays, only the Floor 1 set will take candidates to the
NCCTO; see special Saturday section HERE).
o
o
On Floor 1, the carpeted high-rise elevator bank (below, left) at South College Street
level goes to the upper floors, 14-22.
On Floor 3, the tiled high-rise elevator bank (below, right) on the Overstreet Mall level
accesses the upper floors, 14-22.
First-floor access to high-rise elevators to
upper floors; note the carpet on Floor 1
Third-floor access to high-rise elevators to
upper floors; note the tile on Floor 3
Though the 1 garage elevator bank and the 2 high-rise elevator banks (1-13 and 14-22) are located
very close to each other within the BB&T Building, their functions and destinations are totally separate
and are not interchangeable.
Candidates must NEVER attempt to access the NCCTO through use of the building stairwells!
Entry doors to the floors are kept locked to foot traffic at all times except during emergencies!
4) The Multiple Entrances to the BB&T Building
a) For Candidates Who Park in the BB&T Building parking garage:
Candidates ultimately will head for a high-rise elevator to the NCCTO on Floor 20 after entering the
BB&T Building through one of the following BB&T Building’s parking garage entrances:
If you come in through the East 4th Street tunnel garage entrance and
choose the center entry lane, you may enter the BB&T Building through the
Floor 1 door (left) assuming a parking spot is available on Floor 1. The
Security Station is just beyond this glass entry door. This is an excellent
parking choice for Saturday candidates, who unlike weekday candidates,
must check in with Security prior to ascending to the 20th floor NCCTO.
Each parking garage entrance to the BB&T Building has its own unique
appearance (paint color or “rainbow tile” wall). Candidates should note the
garage floor number and entryway appearance for easy return to their vehicles following their CSEs.
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If you park on Floor 2 or Floors 4-11, you will enter the BB&T Building through a different-colored
parking garage deck elevator bank (as shown below). Take one of the 4 parking garage elevators to
Floor 1 or Floor 3 and find the nearby high-rise elevator to the NCCTO on Floor 20. (Saturday
candidates MUST go to Floor 1 ONLY and take the high-rise elevator from there.)
Candidates who park on Floor 3 of the BB&T parking garage will enter the building through 1 of the 2
third-floor parking deck’s “rainbow doors.” Enter the doors (below left); turn right; pass Merle Norman;
and immediately turn left at the high-rise elevators. OR, enter the doors (below, right); turn left; pass
McDonald’s on your right (ignore the parking elevators on the left); and turn right at the high-rise
elevators. Use the elevator bank marked Floors 14 – 22; the NCCTO is on the 20th floor.
b) For Candidates Who Walk in through the Front Doors:
To enter the BB&T Building from the front of the building at street level, you will find the entrance doors
in the middle of the South College Street block on which the building sits. Two pairs of front doors can
be found roughly in the middle of the building at street level; their general location can be seen in the
picture of the BB&T Building (below, left; doors are within the red oval). These front doors (below,
middle) are located between the concrete beams (below, right, within the red box). The door buzzer
(visible in the green circle below, right) is used during Saturday Security check-in.
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Once you enter the building at street level, you will see the
two first-floor carpeted banks of high-rise elevators in the
small BB&T lobby (left). Choose an elevator in the group
marked 14-22 and take it to the 20th Floor to reach the
NCCTO within the BB&T Building. Students who stay at the
Crowne Plaza have no useful access to the Overstreet Mall
and therefore, almost surely will enter the BB&T Building at
street level since they most likely will walk a straight path to
the BB&T Building or take the hotel shuttle to the front door.
c) For Candidates Who Walk to the NCCTO through the Overstreet Mall:
When the BB&T Building is entered on the Overstreet Mall level,
you will have accessed the building on the third floor. When
approaching the BB&T Building via the indoor Overstreet Mall
from the northernmost lodging facilities such as the Dunhill Hotel,
Holiday
Inn, or
Hyatt
House,
you
nearly will
have
reached
your
destination when you see the small rectangular
wall BB&T sign on your right (shown above)
that indicates you are entering the BB&T
Building on Floor 3. Shortly thereafter, you will
pass the Merle Norman shop on your left
(shown to the right, in green box) on your way
to the high-rise elevators.
OR, if you are heading for the NCCTO via the Overstreet Mall from the southernmost lodgings, such as
the Residence Inn, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Charlotte Center City, or the Marriott
Courtyard, your indoor route will bring you
from the covered BB&T garage and the
southernmost set of the previously described
“rainbow doors” (below). Once you pass
through these
double glass
doors, you will
have entered the
BB&T Building on
the third-floor
Overstreet Mall
level. Follow the
hallway to the left, pass McDonald’s on your
right (shown, right, in green oval). Pass
parking garage elevators on the left (blue
arrow) and continue straight forward to the
high-rise elevators (red arrow) down the hall,
on the right.
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In summary, candidates on the third-floor Overstreet Mall will approach the BB&T Building’s high-rise
elevators:
¾ from the northernmost hotels, via the indoor Mall hallways, after passing Merle Norman; OR
¾ from the southernmost hotels, after entering the southernmost set of “rainbow doors” and
passing McDonald’s; OR
¾ after parking on the Floor 3 BB&T garage and then entering the Mall through either set of
“rainbow doors” (one close to Merle Norman, the other closer to McDonald’s); OR
¾ from the nearby third-floor parking garage elevator bank, after parking on Floors 1-2 or 4-11.
Exit your parking elevator; exit the parking garage elevator bank; turn left as you look straight
across the hall at McDonald’s (pictured on Page 6, bottom right); and proceed to the high-rise
elevators just up the Overstreet Mall hallway, on the right.
All candidates who approach the BB&T’s third-floor high-rise elevators will pass either Merle Norman
or McDonald’s and come out at the Overstreet Mall elevator lobby.
™ The Third-Floor Overstreet Mall-Level Elevator Lobby
All candidates on the third-floor
Overstreet Mall level of the BB&T
Building will arrive at the three
carved-stone murals (left) as they
enter the BB&T third-floor lobby
with its two sets of tiled high-rise
elevator banks (right). An elevator
in the group of 6 elevators
designated 14-22 (right, in green
circle) will take candidates to the NCCTO on the 20th Floor.
From this Overstreet Mall Floor 3 high-rise elevator lobby (top,
right), a look ONE WAY (shown to the right, middle) gives a
view toward the high-rise elevators (red arrow), Merle
Norman shop (blue arrow), and the northernmost “rainbow
door” coming in from the third-floor parking deck (green
arrow). This is the path from which candidates will come from
the northernmost hotels (Dunhill Hotel, Holiday Inn, or Hyatt
House) if they choose to take the indoor Overstreet Mall.
A look the OTHER WAY (bottom, right) again gives a view
toward the high-rise elevators (red arrow), the parking
garage elevators (blue arrow), and McDonald’s (green
arrow). The southernmost “rainbow door” coming in from the
third-floor parking deck and the Just Fresh atrium is located at
the far end of this hallway, slightly to the right side. This is also
the pathway from which candidates will come from the
southernmost hotels (Residence Inn, Hampton Inn, Hilton
Garden Inn, Hilton Charlotte Center City, or the Marriott
Courtyard) should they walk to the NCCTO through the indoor
Overstreet Mall.
Candidates who are “lost” and cannot find their
way to the NCCTO should simply call the testing
center for assistance at 1.800.969.3926, Extension
2! A staff member will help direct you to the
NCCTO.
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