JPMorgan Chase Tower (Houston)
From Towrs
Overview
The JP Morgan Chase Tower stands 75 stories above the Theater District. It landed Houston as the 3rd city in the world to pass the 1,000 foot ("supertall") mark. When it was built, it was the 8th tallest building in the World & the U.S., or outside of Chicago & New York City. It was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River from its completion in 1981 until it was surpassed by the US Bank Tower (Library Tower) in Los Angeles, in 1989. It surpassed 1100 Louisiana (then called First National Bank) as the tallest Building in Houston & Texas, and has held the title ever since.
There is an Urban Legend that the original design was suppose to be 80 stories, and that the FAA thought it would be hazardous to air traffic out of Hobby Airport (HOU). When infact, the original design included only 60 stories, hence the observation deck on the 60th floor. But since office space was in such high demand, an extra 15 stories were added in the final design. The FAA was concerned about communications equipment, which is a beam that slowly rises at an angle.
The Observation Deck is open to the public during business hours, and faces west towards the Skyline District and out to Uptown. The "cut out" on the west side of the building differs from the square windows on the other 4 sides, with horizontal panels, complimented with a metal frame.
On Clear days, from the 75th floor, you can see the Gulf of Mexico. When viewed from the northwest/west side of town, the 1,002 foot skyscraper gets easily lost in photos.
Statistics
- Formerly: Chase Tower, Texas Commerce Tower, United Energy Plaza
- Designed by I.M. PEI & Partners and 3D-International
- Construction Completed: 1981
- Stories 75
- Height: 1,002 feet/305 meters
- Address: 600 Travis Street, Houston, Texas 77002
Trivia
- Tallest 5-sided building in the world
- Tallest Building Houston
- Tallest Building in Texas
- 9th Tallest Building in the U.S.
- 29th Tallest Building in the World
