If there are two things you’re sure to find in the Lone Star State, they’re tall tales and even taller towers. From fine dining experiences with a Texas-sized view to a mini skyscraper with a story for the ages, check out what some of Texas’ top towers have to offer across the state!
Reunion Tower – Dallas
Known to locals as “The Ball,” Reunion Tower is an unmistakable feature of the Dallas skyline. Adorned with 259 LED lights that are frequently programmed to celebrate holidays, sporting events, and more, the glowing 470-foot tower allows visitors to experience a 360-degree view of the metroplex below.
In 1978, the tower’s construction was completed in tandem with that of the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion as part of a larger project to redevelop and renovate much of downtown. The tower’s apex features a three-story observation deck that’s been home to several notable establishments over the years, including Wolfgang Puck’s Five Sixty restaurant from 2009 to 2020.
Today’s visitors looking for a truly unique experience in Dallas can take in the skyline from Reunion Tower’s famous GeO-Deck viewing area or indulge in some fine dining at steak and seafood house, Crown Block.
The San Jacinto Monument – La Porte
Just a rock’s skip southeast of Houston, between the modern-day neighborhoods of La Porte and Deer Park, stands a testament to the strength, resilience, and perseverance of the Texan people. Standing at 567.31 feet tall — over 12 feet taller than the Washington Monument — the San Jacinto Monument features a large, octagonal base carved with Art Moderne-style friezes and an inscription that tells an abridged version of the tale of the Battle of San Jacinto.
Crowned by the 220-ton Lone Star of Texas, this tower offers visitors a peek into Texas history and an unbeatable view of the Houston Ship Channel from their observation deck. On the ground, visitors can explore the San Jacinto battleground, as well as the San Jacinto Museum and Library, which feature artifacts, exhibits, and texts that tell the stories of the Battle of San Jacinto and of those who fought for Texas’ independence. (To read more, see “San Jacinto: The Battle and the Monument” by Bill O’Neal in our Spring/Summer 2021 edition)
Pennzoil Place – Houston
Self-proclaimed “Houston Icon” Pennzoil Place is well-known in design circles for ushering in the postmodernist era in American architecture. Comprised of two 36-story trapezoidal towers with a 10-foot gap and 115-foot-high glass atrium, this geometric structure represents a clear shift in the way skyscrapers have been designed around the globe.
In the mid-1970s, Pennzoil Company Chairman J. Hugh Liedtke asked famed architect Philip Johnson to design a building that presented a dignified appearance without being box shaped. Johnson’s response was Pennzoil Place, which used reflective symmetry and 45-degree geometry to win accolades like the New York Times’ “Building of the Year” in 1975.
The building remains home to many business tenants who lease either a partial or entire floor.
The Tower of the Americas – San Antonio
Built in 1968 for the World’s Fair, known to many as HemisFair ‘68, the Tower of the Americas in San Antonio provides locals and visitors alike with a unique experience: a seafood feast, complete with a 360-degree revolving view of the city below. The tower was erected as a monument to mark San Antonio’s 250th anniversary and took a full 18 months to construct.
Seated within the tower’s “top house”, the Chart House restaurant pairs award-winning dishes with breathtaking views for a night out you won’t soon forget. And if you’re not a fan of the fresh fish fare, Chart House also offers steak, poultry, and vegetarian options to please even the pickiest
of eaters.
Fun Fact: While it only takes the elevator 43 seconds to scale the 80-million-pound tower, it would take a whopping 952 steps to reach the top via the internal stairway. Talk about a workout!
The Tower Life Building – San Antonio
Formerly the Smith-Young Tower and the Transit Tower, the Tower Life Building is a historic landmark in downtown San Antonio that’s just a 10-minute jaunt from the Alamo. The 404-foot structure was built in 1929 and remains the tallest octagonal structure in the United States.
The tower boasts 31 stories of neo-gothic brick architecture — complete with eight stone gargoyles — and is topped by green terra cotta Ludowici roof tiles. It was one of the very last buildings completed in the area before the 1929 stock market crash and the subsequent Great Depression. The eight-sided skyscraper maintained the title of San Antonio’s tallest tower until the completion of the Tower of the Americas for the 1968 World’s Fair and currently stands as the city’s fourth tallest building.
Although the tower is privately owned by the Tower Life Insurance Company, visitors can still experience the structure’s grandeur and elaborate design from the San Antonio River Walk.
The Texas Eiffel Tower – Paris
How do you take a famous French monument and turn it Texan? You add a cowboy hat, of course!
Situated in the heart of Paris, a small town northeast of the DFW metroplex along the Texas-Oklahoma border, stands the Texas Eiffel Tower. At just 65 feet tall, this scale model of its famous French counterpart is around one-sixteenth the size of the original. Built in 1993 by the Boiler Makers Local #902 — Paris’ local branch of The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers — the structure was instrumental in helping Paris earn the designation of “1995 Best Pit Stop” during the Great North American Race.
As for its famous three-and-a-half-foot red Stetson, the Eiffel Tower donned its current cowboy getup in 1999 when the Las Vegas Strip erected its own rendition of the structure.
The World’s Littlest Skyscraper – Wichita Falls
Everything’s bigger in Texas! Well … almost everything. The classic adage doesn’t account for the World’s Littlest Skyscraper: the Newby-McMahan Building. Located on the northeastern edge of Wichita Falls, the 40-foot structure boasts a late Neoclassical style with red brick walls and cast stone detailing. The building is so small that interior stairwells take up more than a quarter of the floorplan!
In 1919, J.D. McMahon arrived in Wichita Falls intending to create and profit off the sudden need for office space within the oilman community. According to legend, McMahon failed to tell his investors that the building’s blueprints read inches and not feet, resulting in the tower’s meager 472-square-foot stature. By the time that construction was over, McMahon had skipped town, leaving a trail of angry investors in his wake.
Today, the Newby-McMahan Building is home to local art studios and shops and serves as a local reminder to always read the fine print!
