Sumdac Tower

It's big, it's bold, it's sassy.

Sumdac Tower(orPowell Tower,depending on who's running the show), a skyscraper in downtownDetroit,is the home ofIsaac Sumdacand his daughterSari.It also appears to be the center ofSumdac Systems,Professor Sumdac's corporation. The tower is massive, armed with impressive security features and staffed by both humans and robots. It also happens to be shaped like a giantSparkplugspark plug. Rooms within the tower include main reception, staffed by theReception Bot,Professor Sumdac's penthouse office and private laboratory, and the Sumdac's living quarters. When under attack, it engages an automaticforce fieldto protect those inside the building.

Unfortunately, thereiswasevilin that tower... evil which does not sleep.

Fiction

Transformers Animated

The tower was designed by noted architect George R. Apple.The AllSpark AlmanacSumdac had Megatron's head installed in his laboratory. He also kept Megatron's severed hand there, which he used as a chair.Transform and Roll OutAprotoformmysteriously appeared in Sumdac's lab one day, and turned into Sari when he touched it.TransWarpedShortly after Sumdac unveiled hisFully Automated Rapid Transit System,Starscreamtook part of the train hostage with several humans inside, and placed it on top of Sumdac Tower. He later blasted it off of the tower during his fight with theAutobots.Transform and Roll OutMegatron eventually came back to life, and discovered the reason for his current bodiless state by tapping into the building's security camera recordings of Starscream's fight.Home Is Where the Spark Is

Seeking revenge,Meltdowninvaded the tower. The Autobots had a tough time getting inside to help Sumdac, as the building's force field automatically came on.Total MeltdownAfterBulkheaddamaged some robotic dinosaurs, Sumdac had them taken to his lab for repairs. Megatron revealed his new online state and offered to help "repair" the dinosaurs.Blast from the PastIn an attempt to build a new body, Megatron hadNanosectry to getDestroniumfrom a Sumdac laboratory to Sumdac Tower, but the mission was a failure.NanosecUndeterred, Megatron helped Sumdac createSoundwavefor Sari. She so neglected her friendship with Bulkhead that at one point he had to scale the side of the tower to visit her.Sound and Fury

Sari once disappeared right out of her bedroom, andCaptain Fanzoneand the Autobots had to review the security tape to discover she'd been kidnapped bySwoop.Survival of the FittestSumdac recovered what remained of Megatron's body from the wilderness and had it taken to his laboratory. The tower suffered quite a bit of damage when Starscream followed a signal back and blasted a hole in the side of it to find Megatron. He and Bumblebee fought atop the tower untilLugnutandBlitzwingarrived with theAllSpark Key,and Megatron pulled himself together.Megatron Rising - Part 1Megatron busted through the roof of the tower, causing even more damage on his escape. Also the Decepticons fired some missiles at the building whileRatchetpicked up the rest of the Autobots in theAutobot ship.Megatron Rising - Part 2

Repairs on the tower continued for some time, with a sizable hole in the upper part of the tower.The Elite GuardAfterPorter C. Powelltook over Sumdac Systems following Sumdac's disappearance, he kicked Sari out of the penthouse and gave her room toHenry Masterson.He also informedOptimus Primethat theAutobotswere no longer welcome in the tower. The tower was completely repaired by this point.The Return of the Headmaster

WhenSlo-Mofroze Detroit's automatons, the tower was protected by its emergency force field. Sari,Bumblebeeand a group of super-criminals temporarily sought refuge inside, and Sari discovered that Powell had had the tower renamed "Powell Tower".SUV: Society of Ultimate VillainyOptimus PrimeandGrimlockvisited "Powell Tower" to retrieve agenetic modifierfrom Prometheus Black's laboratory.Black FridayBlitzwing and Lugnut later broke into the tower to steal a Headmaster unit, once again making a hole in Sumdac Tower and damaging the laboratory.A Bridge Too Close, Part I

Once Sumdac was recovered from the Decepticons, he immediately kicked Powell and Masterson out of the tower.TransWarpedSumdac and Bulkhead set about constructing a newspace bridgeatop Sumdac Tower. There turned out to be a minor problem with the tower's structural fitness, as the floor of Sumdac's lab caved in. Bulkhead tried to get theConstructiconsto help, which was about as successful as it sounds.Three's a CrowdSumdac'sChristmasgift to Sari of a jetpack meant she could exit the tower through the bay windows in her room. In a virtual simulation of Detroit created by Soundwave, Sumdac Tower was blasted whenCybertronarrived in Earth's orbit.Human Error, Part I

Bulkhead and Professor Sumdac eventually completed their space bridge atop the tower. Optimus used it totranswarpontoSentinel Prime's ship.Decepticon Air.Fanzone visited the tower to complain about a tech support problem, and instead got transwarped to Cybertron with Ratchet.This Is Why I Hate MachinesWhen theLugnut Supremesarrived on Earth, Megatron directed them to first destroy his old prison, Sumdac Tower. Fortunately the building's force field kept it safe while the Autobots sorted out the problem.Endgame, Part II

Notes

• The exact location of Sumdac Tower can be deduced from its appearance in "The Return of the Headmaster";it's immediately adjacent to the real-life Wayne County Building and the Renaissance Center, placing it on two blocks of Randolph Street which in the present day are occupied by a parking garage and a surface parking lot.
• This is not the firsttowerin Transformers history to be designed by a"G. R. Apple".