List of tallest buildings in Houston

The U.S. city of Houston, Texas has over 360 completed high-rises, the majority of which are located in the downtown area.^[1] In the city, there are 45 skyscrapers that rise higher than 400 feet (122 m), 31 skyscrapers at least 492 feet (150 m) in height, including 10 which rank among the tallest in the United States. The tallest building in Houston is the 75-story JPMorgan Chase Tower, which rises 1,002 feet (305 m) in Downtown Houston and was completed in 1982.^[2] It also stands as the tallest building in the state of Texas and the 12th-tallest building in the United States. The second-tallest skyscraper in the city and the state is the Wells Fargo Plaza, which is 992 feet (302 m) tall.^[3] Seven of the ten tallest buildings in Texas are located in Houston.^[4]

The history of skyscrapers in Houston began with the 1904 completion of the Lomas & Nettleton Building; this 8-story structure is often regarded as the first skyscraper in the city.^[5] It was also the tallest steel-framed building west of the Mississippi River at the time of its completion.^[6][7] The building originally housed offices, but was converted into a residential loft tower in 1999 and renamed "Franklin Lofts". As Franklin Lofts is a low-rise building,^[8] 711 Main, which was completed in 1908, was actually the city's first high-rise to rise at least 10 floors.^[9] Although originally constructed as a commercial building, 711 Main was given a new glass and granite facade in 1980 and also renovated into a residential tower.^[9] Houston went through a small building boom in the early 1920s, and then experienced a much larger boom lasting from 1963 to the late 1980s. During this time 38 of the city's 45 tallest buildings were constructed, including the JPMorgan Chase Tower, the Wells Fargo Bank Plaza and the Williams Tower. As of 2009, the skyline of Houston is ranked 13th in the world and fourth in the United States, behind New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, with 443 completed high-rises.^[1]

Houston entered into another high-rise construction boom in 2002, and has since seen the completion of five buildings rising over 400 feet (122 m) tall. Four more skyscrapers are under construction in the city, including BG Plaza (formerly MainPlace), which rises 46 stories and 630 feet (192 m).^[10] Completed in 2010,^[10] the building is the tallest structure built in the 2000s in Houston. There are three additional skyscrapers approved or proposed for construction in the city that are planned to rise over 400 feet (120 m). As of April 2008, there are 71 high-rise buildings under construction, approved for construction, and proposed for construction in Houston.^[11] Upon completion in 2017, 609 Main at Texas will become the fifth tallest building in Houston, the ninth tallest building in Texas, and the seventy-first tallest building in the United States.

Skyline of Downtown Houston

Skyline of Uptown Houston

Tallest buildings

The JPMorgan Chase Tower, the tallest building in Houston and Texas

The Wells Fargo Bank Plaza, the second-tallest building in the city and the state

Williams Tower, Houston's third-tallest building

The Bank of America Center, the city's fourth-tallest building

Heritage Plaza, the city's fifth-tallest building

Continental Center I, the 8th-tallest building in Houston

One Shell Plaza, the 10th-tallest building in Houston

This lists ranks Houston skyscrapers that stand at least 400 feet (122 m) tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed.

Timeline of tallest buildings

The Niels Esperson Building stood as the tallest building in Houston from 1927 until 1929.

This lists buildings that once held the title of tallest building in Houston.

Proposed

• Houston Tower

See also

• Architecture of Houston
• List of tallest buildings in Texas

Notes

A. ^{^} Centerpoint Energy Plaza currently rises taller than One Shell Plaza, and was completed in 1974, but at the time of its completion the building stood 651 feet (198 m) tall. An extension in 1996 increased its height by 90 feet (27 m).^[27] Therefore, One Shell Plaza was actually the tallest building completed in Houston in the 1970s, and Centerpoint Energy Plaza never held the title of tallest building in Houston.

B. ^{^} This building was originally known as the Lomas & Nettleton Building, but has since been renamed Franklin Lofts.

C. ^{^} Official height figures have never been released by this building's developer.

D. ^{^} The building was originally known as 711 Main, but has since been renamed The Capitol Lofts.

References

General

• Emporis.com - Houston

Specific

External links

• Diagram of Houston skyscrapers on SkyscraperPage