Renaissance Tower (Dallas)

For the complex in Detroit, Michigan, see Renaissance Center.
Renaissance Tower
Alternative names First International Building
General information
Type Commercial offices
Location 1201 Elm Street
Dallas, Texas
Coordinates 32°46′52″N 96°48′07″W / 32.7812°N 96.8020°W / 32.7812; -96.8020Coordinates: 32°46′52″N 96°48′07″W / 32.7812°N 96.8020°W / 32.7812; -96.8020
Completed 1974
Owner BACM 2000-2 Elm St Offices LLC
Management CB Richard Ellis
Height
Antenna spire 270 m (890 ft)
Roof 220 m (720 ft)
Technical details
Floor count 56
Floor area 1,731,000 sq ft (160,800 m2)
Design and construction
Architect Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum
HKS, Inc.
References
[1][2][3][4]

Renaissance Tower is a 886 ft (270 m), 56-story modernist skyscraper 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. Major tenants include Neiman Marcus Group, Southwest Securities and Godwin Lewis PC.[5][6]

History

At the time of completion in 1974, it was the tallest building in Dallas at 710 ft (220 m) and was originally known as the First International Bancshares Tower (First International Bancshares, Inc. was the new holding company parent of First National Bank in Dallas). In 1985, it was surpassed by Fountain Place 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 (54 m). This brought the structural height of the building up to 886 ft (270 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 ascent of Chicago's Sears Tower on May 25, 1981. Goodwin scaled the Renaissance Tower on his twenty-sixth birthday.[7]

In 1986, Winstead PC moved from the Mercantile National Bank complex to the Renaissance Tower.[8] In 2008, Winstead PC occupied almost 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m2) of space in the building. During that year, the firm hired CB Richard Ellis to study possibilities for relocation. Winstead selected an Uptown Dallas as a location and[8] relocated in 2012.

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 260,000 sq ft (24,000 m2) of space in the Renaissance Tower. In November 1996, Blockbuster confirmed that it was moving into 240,000 sq ft (22,000 m2) of space on eight floors in the Renaissance Tower, choosing floor 23 as their center of operations.[9][10] Blockbuster moved all employees out of Renaissance Tower in 2011 following its bankruptcy.[11]

At the base of the building, there is a glass-pyramid structure that houses a two story underground food court and cafeteria. The food court connects to other nearby structures with underground tunnels via the Dallas Pedestrian Network.

Tenants

In popular culture

Outside shots of the building served as the home of Ewing Oil in Seasons 2-10 of the 1980s television series Dallas.[13]

Outside shots were used for the Dallas (2012 TV series) as home of the newly found Ewing Energies

See also

References

  1. ↑ Renaissance Tower (Dallas) at CTBUH Skyscraper Database
  2. ↑ Renaissance Tower (Dallas) at Emporis
  3. ↑ Renaissance Tower (Dallas) at SkyscraperPage
  4. ↑ Renaissance Tower (Dallas) at Structurae
  5. ↑ "Winstead reshapes real estate practice group". The Dallas Business Journal. July 28, 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  6. ↑ "Offices". Winstead PC. 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  7. ↑ "Dan Goodwin Building Climbs". SkyscraperDefense. 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  8. 1 2 Steve Brown (August 12, 2008). "Law firm Winstead may move from Renaissance Tower to Dallas' Uptown". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  9. ↑ Steve Brown (22 November 1996). "Commercial real estate sales up 43% in 3rd quarter". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  10. ↑ "Blockbuster sets meeting on move Video rental chain preparing possible relocation to Dallas". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1 November 1996. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  11. ↑ "Blockbuster headquarters will move out of Renaissance Tower into its McKinney distribution center". DallasNews.com. 29 April 2011. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  12. ↑ "Contact Us" (Archive). Trizec Properties. April 11, 2003. Retrieved on March 8, 2014. "Trizec Properties, Inc. - Dallas Renaissance Tower 1201 Elm Street, Suite 3838 Dallas, Texas 75270"
  13. ↑ "Dallas locations - buildings used in the series". Ultimate Dallas. 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-06.

External links

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