Tower of the Americas
| Tower of the Americas | |
|---|---|
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| General information | |
| Type | Observation tower |
| Location | San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 29°25′08″N 98°29′01″W / 29.418888°N 98.483611°WCoordinates: 29°25′08″N 98°29′01″W / 29.418888°N 98.483611°W |
| Construction started | August 9, 1966 |
| Opening | April 6, 1968 |
| Owner | City of San Antonio |
| Management | City of San Antonio and Landry's Restaurants |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 750 ft (230 m) |
| Roof | 622 ft (190 m) |
| Top floor | 579 ft (176 m) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | O'Neil Ford |
The Tower of the Americas is a 750-foot (230-meter) observation tower-restaurant located in the Hemisfair district on the southeastern portion of Downtown San Antonio, Texas. The tower was designed by San Antonio architect O'Neil Ford and was built as the theme structure of the 1968 World's Fair, HemisFair '68.
It was the tallest observation tower in the United States from 1968 until 1996, when the Las Vegas Stratosphere Tower was completed. It is the tallest building in San Antonio, and the 27th tallest building in Texas.
The tower is located in the middle of HemisFair Park and has an observation deck that is accessible by elevator for a fee. There is also a lounge and revolving restaurant at the top of the tower that provides panoramic views of the city.
The fastest recorded time up the tower's 952 steps is 5 minutes 18 seconds on January 29, 1981.
Construction of the tower began on August 9, 1966 and was completed in approximately 18 months, just in time for the opening ceremonies for the fair held on April 6, 1968. The tophouse of the building was constructed at ground level and hoisted to the top of the poured concrete shaft. As the tophouse was being hoisted into place, on October 30, 1967 some of the cables used to hoist it snapped, leaving it resting on and precariously tilted on the Tower’s shaft. Eventually, oil field pipes were used in lieu of cables to complete the job.
In 2004, Landry's Restaurants, Inc. won the bid for a 15-year lease to manage and operate the property for its owner, the City of San Antonio. Landry's undertook an extensive $8 million renovation of the existing restaurant and lounge and observation deck and added a 4-D film "ride" called "Skies Over Texas," that gives the history of Texas in a film format. Additionally, Landry's spent another $4 million to add approximately 200% more space for ground level attractions such as a gift shop and cafe. Renovations were completed and the tower re-opened with the new Eyes Over Texas Restaurant, Bar 601 and the Flags Over Texas observation deck on June 21, 2006. The restaurant rotates slowly, and observation deck entry is included in the cost of a tower ticket.
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