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Houston, Texas, is the 4rd largest city of the United States of America (behind NYC, Chicago and LA),
and has a population of just under 2 million people.
The history of Houston starts in 1836 when General Sam Houston and his army wins independence from
Mexico in the battle of San Jacinto. Not long after, the brothers Augustus C. and John K. Allen found the city,
after paying just over $ 1,40 per acre for 6,642 acres of land near the headwaters of Buffalo Bayou.
The brothers decide to name their just founded city in honor of General Sam Houston.
The coming of railroads boosted the city's economy, but it wasn't for the discovery of oil
close to Houston in 1901, that really put the city on the road to riches.
In 1963, NASA's Mission Control Center (Johnson Space Center) opened a few miles from Houston,
and a few years later, the word 'Houston', was the first word ever spoken by a human being on the moon.
The Summers in Houston can be hot and humid, while torrential downpours and menacing tornadoes
can be the negative effects of the weather in and around Houston.
Skyscraper wise, the city has a lot to offer, and not only in the downtown area.
The city has a few very distinctive skyscrapers and in the JPMorgan Chase Tower it currently
holds one of the worlds 30 tallest skyscrapers.


Above left: skyline picture during the day from Sam Houston Park, with from left to right:
JPMorganChase Tower (behind), Bank of America Center, One Shell Plaza, Wells Fargo Plaza (behind),
Heritage Plaza, Three Allen Center, 1100 Louisana (behind Heritage Plaza),
Centerpoint Energy Plaza (behind 1100 Louisiana), 1400 Smith Street, and Continental Center I).
Above right: and a skyline picture taken at dusk from the same park.


Above left: Houston's and Texas' tallest building, JPMorganChase Tower (305m/1,002f, 75 stories, 1981).
The building has a free observatory on the 60th floor which is opened during business hours.
Above right: Wells Fargo Plaza, Houston's second tallest building (296m/972f, 71 stories, 1983).


Above: Houston's third tallest building, the Williams Tower (formerly known as Transco Tower)
(275m/901f, 64 stories, 1983). The Williams Tower is part of the Post Oak area, and lies right next
to The Galleria, a large shopping centre, about 5 miles from Downtown Houston).
Williams Tower is the tallest building in the US outside a downtown area.


Above: arguably Houston's most beautiful skyscraper, Bank of America Center, (formerly known as
Nationsbank Center, 238m/780f, 56 stories, 1983). It's the 4th tallest building of Houston.


Above left: Houston's 5th tallest building, the (Texaco) Heritage Plaza (232m/762f, 53 stories, 1987).
Above middle and right: 1400 Smith Street (formerly known as Enron Building) (211m/691f, 50 stories, 1983).
Next to this building a similar looking tower was completed in 2002 (1500 Smith Street).
This building is 183m/600f tall and has 40 stories.


Above: skyline view taken next to Enron Field, home of the Houston Astros (Major League Baseball).
On the left you can see Chevron Tower (221m/725f, 52 stories, 1982) and One Houston Center (207m/678f),
46 stories, 1978). A little to the right from the middle you can see JPMorganChase Tower (305m/1,002f).
The church in the middle of the picture is the Annunciation Catholic Church (1871)).


More Houston skyscrapers you can find on page 2:

Click here to go to page 2 of Houston


Houston's 10 tallest skyscrapers:
1. JPMORGANCHASE TOWER 305m/1,002f, 75 stories, 1982
2. WELLS FARGO PLAZA 296m/972f, 71 stories, 1983
3. WILLIAMS TOWER 275m/901f, 64 stories, 1983
4. BANK OF AMERICA CENTER 238m/780f, 56 stories, 1983
5. HERITAGE PLAZA 232m/762f, 53 stories, 1987
6. 1100 LOUISIANA 228m/748f, 55 stories, 1980
7. CENTERPOINT ENERGY PLAZA 226m/741f, 47 stories, 1974
8. CONTINENTAL CENTER I 223m/732f, 53 stories, 1984
9. CHEVRON TOWER 221m/725f, 52 stories, 1982
10. ONE SHELL PLAZA 218m/714f, 50 stories, 1971

The building data, the top 10 of tallest buildings and some of the building information are courtesy of
EMPORIS.COM, one of the world's leading architectural resources on tall buildings.

All pictures copyright © 2000 Patrick Beckers. All Rights Reserved.
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