Landmark Tower (Texas)
| Landmark Tower | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2000 | |
| Former names | Continental National Bank Building |
| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Location | 200 West 7th Street, Fort Worth, Texas |
| Coordinates | 32°45′09″N 97°19′53″W / 32.75237°N 97.33131°W |
| Groundbreaking | 1952 |
| Opening | 1957 |
| Demolished | March 18, 2006 |
| Height | |
| Tip | 420 feet (130 m) |
| Roof | 380 feet (120 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 30 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Preston M. Geren & Associates |
The Landmark Tower was a 30-story skyscraper in Fort Worth, Texas. It was the tallest building in the city from its opening in 1957 until the completion of the The Fort Worth Tower in 1974. After being abandoned in 1990, the tower stood vacant for more than 15 years until it was demolished in 2006. It is one of the tallest buildings ever to be demolished.
Construction
The building was originally built as the headquarters of the Continental National Bank of Fort Worth and ground was broken for the tower in 1952. However, the building only reached the fourth floor before construction was halted due to adverse economic conditions. Once work began again in 1956, the building progressed rapidly and it opened the next year. It was built using a conventional steel frame with an aluminum curtain wall. At the time of its completion, at 380 feet (120 m), the building was the tallest in the city, surpassing the 307-foot (94 m) 714 Main, built in 1921.[1]
Lifespan and demolition
When the building opened, it included a 40-foot (12 m) tall revolving clock and sign at the roof. Costing $196,000 and weighing 77 tons, it was the largest revolving clock and sign in the world at the time. As it was not included in the original designs, its installation required that the entire building be strengthened to support its weight. In addition, in 1971 a skywalk was built from the building's northeast side across Houston Street to provide easy access to a parking garage there. Although the machinery to rotate the clock broke down in 1978, it was simply secured in place rather than being repaired or removed. It continued to display the time until 1988.[1][2]
The building was abandoned in 1990 and stood vacant for the next 16 years. It was damaged in the 2000 Fort Worth tornado and the clock and skywalk were removed at that time for safety reasons. The building was purchased under foreclosure by XTO Energy in 2004. After determining that the estimated $62 million cost to refurbish the building was prohibitive, the company decided to raze the building to use the site for parking space and possibly a new building the future. The company contracted Midwest Wrecking Company in November 2005 to perform the demolition. After four months of preparation, the building was demolished by controlled explosive implosion on March 18, 2006 at 7:40 am. The demolition used 364 pounds (165 kg) of explosives and required 15 city blocks to be evacuated. Although at the time, XTO Energy discussed plans to eventually build a new 50 story skyscraper in its place, as of 2015, the site is occupied by a simple parking lot.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Landmark Tower - Emporis". Retrieved 2015-02-20.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "A talented team of demolition experts "blow down" Fort Worth's Landmark Tower.". 2006-04-17. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
External links
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by 714 Main |
Tallest building in Fort Worth 380 feet (120 m) 1957-1974 |
Succeeded by The Fort Worth Tower |