Houston's downtown area is filled with spectacular skyscrapers and several of the tallest buildings in Texas are in the city's skyline. There's a real diversity to the architectural style used, from the gray box known as Texas Commerce Tower in United Energy Plaza to the ornate neo-1920s skyscraper originally known as RepublicBank Center to the futuristic Enron-then-Cheveron building (see above). Here are our favorites.
10. Macy's 1100 Main, Kenneth Franzheim
The building at 1100 Main was originally Foley's department store (it eventually became Macy's when there was a brand change). It was built in 1947. Wait, go back and read that. 19-freaking-47. It was a postwar miracle. Kenneth Franzheim encased nine stories of shopping, restaurants and offices in a sleek, chic box that became the last of the great downtown department stores in the country.
9. Chevron Building 1400 Smith, Lloyd Jones Brewer & Associates
Chevron bought the former Four Allen Center-turned-Enron building in 2011 for a whopping $380 million. That was big money in the post-Enron scandal frenzy. Architect Lloyd Jones Brewer designed a bright, shiny tower of silver reflective glass and white aluminum. A circular sky-bridge connects the 1400 Smith skyscraper with adjoining office buildings and parking structures.
8. Exxon Building 800 Bell, Welton Becket & Associates
We once heard some Exxon employees refer to the building that houses their headquarters as a "radiator." Jackasses. The 1963 structure designed by Welton Becket associate Louis Naidorf was a spectacular step forward in office building design. It made the 44-story tower (then the Humble Building) into a giant sculpture.
7. One Shell Plaza 910 Louisiana, Skidmore, Owings & Merril and Wilson, Morris, Crain & Anderson
The spare, economical design by Bruce J. Graham and Fazlur R. Khan was meant to be a testament to the modern corporation and an anchor to Houston's energy capital of the world status. It's an appropriately neutral partner to the early-20th century design of City Hall and the Houston Public Library's Julia Idelson Building which sit across from it.
