Baxter Building

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The Baxter Building is the building that houses the '''Baxter Foundation. It is located just east of Fifth Avenue, overlooking Central Park and just a few blocks from the United Nations.'''

Overview
The Baxter Building, located in Manhattan, was originally the central hub for the United Technology Development consortium.

More recently, it has become the hub of the Baxter Foundation, a think tank where exceptionally gifted children are offered the resources and freedom to discover the impossible. The Foundation is overseen by Dr. Franklin Storm. Security duties are overseen by Agent Wilford Lumpkin.

Early History
The building was originally constructed in 1949 by Dr. Leland Baxter, a German scientist who witnessed the horrors of World War II and wished to create something that would use science to better mankind, instead of using it to find more efficient ways of destroying itself. To this end, he founded the '''United Technology Development consortium. '''

Originally designed to accommodate large, early computers and other technology and manufacturing machinery to serve the purpose of scientific research and application, each floor was given a ceiling height of 24 feet.

For some time, the UTDc proved to be a shining beacon in the world of scientific advancement. Many of the world's greatest thinkers and inventors gathered there, discussing plans and theories, free from the shackles of the university grant model. Some of today's greatest minds, including Jude Stark and his son, Howard Stark, got their start studying at the Baxter Building. Notably, the Baxter building played a large part in the 1964 World's Fair in New York City, especially their model of a working, flying car. While such a thing was impractical, to say the least, they showed the world that it was possible, enthralling the minds of those who attended the fair with the potential of tomorrow.

In 1973, Dr. Baxter passed away due to complications from pneumonia. While the UTDc would continue to truck on, it never achieved the same heights as before. Financial complications began to arise and, in 1984, the group would disband permanently.

The Baxter Foundation
For the next twenty-five years, the building served mostly commercial purposes; many different corporations and companies would move into the building, leasing offices and entire floors for their various purposes. The building's glory days were, seemingly, behind it.

In 2002, the fate of the Baxter Building would be changed forever. Franklin Storm, whose father had studied and worked there in the 1960s and 1970s, grew up hearing about the wonders of the scientific research and progress made there and longed for a return to that sort of world; a place where science could progress, unfettered and unrestrained, for the betterment of mankind. For this purpose, Franklin used his considerable resources, as well as the resources pledged by a number of wealthy investors, and founded the Baxter Foundation; a think tank for the brightest young minds in the world. It would recruit gifted children and teenagers, guiding them and providing resources, free of government restraints.

The Baxter Foundation purchased the top six floors of the Baxter Building, which were reconstructed to suit their needs. In 2004, the first class was accepted into the Baxter Building to begin what Dr. Storm called his "grand experiment". In 2013, the Baxter Foundation would purchase two more floors, increasing their ownership to the top of eight floors of the building.

The Baxter Foundation earned a reputation for exclusivity and privacy. They did not give interviews or grant access to the top five floors of their institution to anybody not directly involved with the Baxter Foundation. Additionally, they did not accept applications of any kind; the only way to study at the Baxter Foundation was by invitation only. This was to maintain a quiet and safe atmosphere, where the ideas and designs of its students would not be stolen.

The Fantastic Four
In the summer of 2015, the Baxter Foundation experienced something that would once again completely alter things forever. During a test of an interdimensional teleporter devised by students Reed Richards and Viktor Dammovichna, a complication arose; during the time of the test, the building experienced intense gravitational flux warping, caused by Graviton during his initial battle with the Avengers during the '''Graviton Incident. While the dimensional engine exploded, the blast was contained thanks to the brave sacrifice of Richards, Dammovichna, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm. '''

The explosion destroyed most of the top floor, but no lives were lost. The five caught in the blast disappeared, but after three weeks, four of them were found in various locations around the world. All of them were irrevocably changed by the incident. The whereabouts and fate of Viktor Dammovichna would not be known for some time.

The Baxter Foundation, finding the building more or less unsafe due to contamination by extradimensional energies and particles, left the Baxter Building and moved to a secondary site in San Francisco. Only "necessary personnel" stayed at the Baxter Building, including those who would soon be known as '''the Fantastic Four. '''

Today
As of 2016, the Baxter Building serves as the headquarters of the Fantastic Four, who are monitored and overseen by Dr. Franklin Storm. Their main charter is to use their abilities to study unexplained phenomena and explore new frontiers that normal scientists cannot.

Lobby
Before the explosion, the ground floor contained Abe Shoenstein’s cafe, called "The Proton Cafe". This was a 24-hour coffee shop where college students and members of the Baxter Foundation often went to study or read. They had a specialty drink called the Chain Reaction, which contained espresso, blueberry cream, organic sugar, and sweet whipped cream. Curiously, the drink was blue and was a popular drink.

There was also an optometrist’s shop, a visitors’ center, the elevator bank, and the freight loading dock. The visitors’ center was as close as most people could get to the Baxter Foundation; a multimedia show on the Baxter Foundation's history was shown hourly from 9 to 4. The floor directory listed building tenants such as Pierre Picolino (a famous abstract sculptor), the Ladies’ Canasta, Mah Jonng Society, and the Baxter Foundation.

Elevators
Five of the six elevators in the elevator bank serviced floors floors 1 through 27. The other two elevators were marked by the Baxter Building’s insignia. There are the express elevators to floors 28 through 35, the Baxter Foundation’s headquarters. The elevator could only be summoned by special biometric scanners and key cards such as were carried by the members of the Baxter Foundation. Normally this elevator stayed on these floors and only descended to street level when summoned.

On the way up, hidden scanners identified the passengers and checked them for hidden weapons or devices. If questionable material was found, the elevator would stop in midshaft until security was prepared to deal with the intruder. All elevators doubled as freight elevators.

Visitors Reception - Floor 28
All the typical visitor saw on the 30th floor was the Fantastic Four’s reception area. The visitor was greeted by Roberta, a usuform robot. Her visible half (above the waist) appeared to be an attractive blond in her 20s. Below the waist she was a pivoting arm attached directly to her desk. Roberta was tied directly to the Fantastic Four’s computer system and could monitor the entire building. The reception room was also filled with hidden scanners to probe visitors. If the visitor were hostile, the floor was rigged to deliver a stunning electrical shock. Once the visitor had been cleared, a panel opened to reveal a lift to the 31st floor.