Renaissance Tower
Encyclopedia
Renaissance Tower is a 886 ft (270.1 m), 56-story modernist
skyscraper
located at 1201 Elm Street in downtown Dallas
, Texas
. The tower is the second tallest in the city, the fifth tallest
in Texas, and the 24th tallest in the United States. Renaissance Tower was designed by the architectural firm Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum
, completed in 1974, and renovated by architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
in 1986 and serves as headquarters for Neiman Marcus
, Blockbuster
and Winstead PC
.
and Bank of America Plaza
, which became Dallas' tallest building by far. It was also clear that Renaissance Tower would be overtaken by Comerica Bank Tower and Chase Tower then under construction. Therefore, in order to regain some status, the building underwent a major renovation in 1986 that included a re-glazed exterior and removal of the lighting on its sides. In 1986, James T. Chiles was brought in by the owner, The Prudential Insurance Company of America to design the broadcast center and towers on top the building, one of which was 176 ft (53.6 m). This brought the structural height of the building up to 886 ft (270.1 m), securing its place as the second-tallest building in Dallas. Excluding antennas and spires, the Renaissance Tower is the fifth-tallest.
Dan Goodwin
, a high-rise firefighting and rescue advocate, scaled the outside of the Renaissance Tower on November 7, 1981, clad in a Spider-Man suit, and using only suction cups and his hands and feet to climb the outside of the building. Goodwin later stated he made the climb as a gift to a young Dallas boy stricken with cystic fibrosis whom he had met shortly after his May 25, 1981, ascent of Chicago's Sears Tower
. Goodwin scaled the Renaissance Tower on his twenty-sixth birthday.
In 1986 Winstead PC
moved from the Mercantile National Bank complex to the Renaissance Tower.
In 1996 Blockbuster Inc., which was then headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
, began studying the idea of moving its headquarters, which consisted of 400 employees, into 260000 sq ft (24,154.8 m²) of space in the Renaissance Tower. In November 1996 Blockbuster confirmed that it was moving into 240000 sq ft (22,296.7 m²) of space on eight floors in the Renaissance Tower, choosing floor 23 as their center of operations.
At the base of the building, there is a glass-pyramid structure that houses an underground food court. The food court connects to other nearby structures with tunnels.
Outside shots of the building were used in the hit eighties Dallas (TV series)
as the building was the home of Ewing Oil.
As of 2008 Winstead PC occupied almost 200000 sq ft (18,580.6 m²) of space in the building; the lease expires in 2012. During that year the firm hired CB Richard Ellis
to study possibilities for relocation. Winstead considered Uptown Dallas
as a location.
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
located at 1201 Elm Street in downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The tower is the second tallest in the city, the fifth tallest
Tallest buildings in Texas
This list of tallest buildings in Texas ranks skyscrapers in the U.S. state of Texas by height. The tallest structure in the state, excluding radio towers, is the JPMorgan Chase Tower, which rises and was completed in 1982. The second-tallest building in Texas is the Wells Fargo Plaza, which...
in Texas, and the 24th tallest in the United States. Renaissance Tower was designed by the architectural firm Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum
Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum
HOK is a global architecture, interiors, engineering, planning and consulting firm. HOK is the largest U.S.-based architecture-engineering firm and the "No. 1 role model for sustainable and high-performance design." HOK also is the second-largest interior design firm...
, completed in 1974, and renovated by architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP is an American architectural and engineering firm that was formed in Chicago in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings; in 1939 they were joined by John O. Merrill. They opened their first branch in New York City, New York in 1937. SOM is one of the largest...
in 1986 and serves as headquarters for Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...
, Blockbuster
Blockbuster (movie rental store)
Blockbuster LLC is an American-based provider of home video and video game rental services, originally through video rental shops , later adding DVD-by-mail, streaming video on demand, and kiosks. At its peak in 2009, Blockbuster had up to 60,000 employees. There are around 1700 Blockbuster...
and Winstead PC
Winstead PC
Winstead PC is a national corporate law firm with offices in Texas and Washington, D.C. In 2010 the National Law Journal listed Winstead PC among the 250 largest law firms in the United States with 270 attorneys...
.
History
At the time of completion in 1974, it was the tallest building in Dallas at 710 ft (216.4 m). In 1985, it was surpassed by Fountain PlaceFountain Place
Fountain Place is a 60-story late-modernist skyscraper in the Arts District in downtown Dallas, Texas. Standing at a structural height of , it is the fifth-tallest in Dallas, and the 15th-tallest in Texas.-Design:...
and Bank of America Plaza
Bank of America Plaza (Dallas)
Bank of America Plaza is a 72-story late-modernist skyscraper located in the Main Street District of downtown Dallas, Texas. Standing at a structural height of , it is the tallest skyscraper in the city of Dallas. It is also the 3rd tallest in Texas and the 22nd tallest in the United States, while...
, which became Dallas' tallest building by far. It was also clear that Renaissance Tower would be overtaken by Comerica Bank Tower and Chase Tower then under construction. Therefore, in order to regain some status, the building underwent a major renovation in 1986 that included a re-glazed exterior and removal of the lighting on its sides. In 1986, James T. Chiles was brought in by the owner, The Prudential Insurance Company of America to design the broadcast center and towers on top the building, one of which was 176 ft (53.6 m). This brought the structural height of the building up to 886 ft (270.1 m), securing its place as the second-tallest building in Dallas. Excluding antennas and spires, the Renaissance Tower is the fifth-tallest.
Dan Goodwin
Dan Goodwin
American Dan Goodwin is a building, rock, and sports climber, as well as a stage-four cancer survivor, originally from Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, and living as of 2010 in Lake Tahoe, California.-Building climber:...
, a high-rise firefighting and rescue advocate, scaled the outside of the Renaissance Tower on November 7, 1981, clad in a Spider-Man suit, and using only suction cups and his hands and feet to climb the outside of the building. Goodwin later stated he made the climb as a gift to a young Dallas boy stricken with cystic fibrosis whom he had met shortly after his May 25, 1981, ascent of Chicago's Sears Tower
Sears Tower
Sears' optimistic growth projections were not met. Competition from its traditional rivals continued, with new competition by retailing giants such as Kmart, Kohl's, and Wal-Mart. The fortunes of Sears & Roebuck declined in the 1970s as the company lost market share; its management grew more...
. Goodwin scaled the Renaissance Tower on his twenty-sixth birthday.
In 1986 Winstead PC
Winstead PC
Winstead PC is a national corporate law firm with offices in Texas and Washington, D.C. In 2010 the National Law Journal listed Winstead PC among the 250 largest law firms in the United States with 270 attorneys...
moved from the Mercantile National Bank complex to the Renaissance Tower.
In 1996 Blockbuster Inc., which was then headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, began studying the idea of moving its headquarters, which consisted of 400 employees, into 260000 sq ft (24,154.8 m²) of space in the Renaissance Tower. In November 1996 Blockbuster confirmed that it was moving into 240000 sq ft (22,296.7 m²) of space on eight floors in the Renaissance Tower, choosing floor 23 as their center of operations.
At the base of the building, there is a glass-pyramid structure that houses an underground food court. The food court connects to other nearby structures with tunnels.
Outside shots of the building were used in the hit eighties Dallas (TV series)
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
as the building was the home of Ewing Oil.
As of 2008 Winstead PC occupied almost 200000 sq ft (18,580.6 m²) of space in the building; the lease expires in 2012. During that year the firm hired CB Richard Ellis
CB Richard Ellis
CBRE Group, Inc. , a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm . The Company has approximately 31,000 employees , and serves real estate owners, investors and occupiers through more than 300 offices worldwide...
to study possibilities for relocation. Winstead considered Uptown Dallas
Uptown Dallas
Uptown is a PID and neighborhood in Dallas, Texas. Uptown is adjacent-to and north-of downtown Dallas, and is bordered by US 75 on the east, N Haskell Avenue on the northeast, Katy Trail on the northwest, Bookhout Street and Cedar Springs Road on the west, N Akard Street on the southwest and Spur...
as a location.
See also
- List of tallest buildings in Dallas
- List of tallest buildings in Texas
- List of tallest buildings in the United States