List of tallest buildings in Houston facts for kids
Houston, the largest city in Texas, is home to many tall buildings! There are 97 completed skyscrapers that are taller than 427 feet (130 meters). About 50 of these buildings are even taller than 492 feet (150 meters).
The very tallest building in Houston is the JPMorgan Chase Tower. It stands at an amazing 1,002 feet (305 meters) in Downtown Houston. This building was finished in 1982. It's not just the tallest building in Houston, but also the tallest in all of Texas! It's even one of the tallest buildings in the entire United States.
Right behind it is the Wells Fargo Plaza, which is 992 feet (302 meters) tall and was finished in 1983. The Williams Tower, completed in 1982, is the third tallest at 901 feet (275 meters). Did you know that seven out of the ten tallest buildings in Texas are located right here in Houston?
The story of skyscrapers in Houston began a long time ago. The first building considered a "skyscraper" was the original Binz Building, built in 1895. It had 6 floors! Later, it was taken down and replaced by newer, taller buildings. Houston's first building over 492 feet (150 meters) was the El Paso Energy Building, finished in 1962. After a tough time for real estate in the late 1980s, Houston didn't get many new big office buildings until 2002. That's when 1500 Louisiana Street was completed.
As of 2017, there were four more tall buildings being built, each planned to be at least 427 feet (130 meters) tall. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a group that tracks tall buildings, says Houston's skyline is one of the best. It ranks 2nd in the Southern United States and 4th in the whole country for its number of tall buildings!
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Houston's Tallest Buildings
As of October 2021, Houston has 52 high-rise buildings that are at least 427 feet (130 meters) tall. This height includes spires and cool architectural parts, but not antenna masts.
| Rank | Name | Image | Height ft (m) |
Floors | Completed | Fun Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JPMorgan Chase Tower |  |
1,002 (305.4) | 75 | 1982 | Tallest building in Texas. It's also the tallest five-sided building in the world! |
| 2 | Wells Fargo Bank Plaza |  |
992 (302.4) | 71 | 1983 | Second tallest in Texas. It's the tallest building made completely of glass in the Western Hemisphere! |
| 3 | Williams Tower |  |
901 (274.6) | 64 | 1982 | Fourth tallest in Texas. This is the tallest building in Houston that is not in the downtown area. |
| 4 | TC Energy Center |  |
780 (237.7) | 56 | 1983 | Seventh tallest in Texas. |
| 5 | Heritage Plaza |  |
762 (232.3) | 53 | 1987 | Eighth tallest in Texas. |
| 6 | 609 Main at Texas |  |
757 (230.7) | 49 | 2017 | Ninth tallest in Texas. This was the tallest building built in Houston in the 2010s. |
| 7 | Enterprise Plaza |  |
756 (230.4) | 55 | 1980 | Tenth tallest in Texas. |
| 8 | CenterPoint Energy Plaza |  |
741 (225.9) | 53 | 1973 | Eleventh tallest in Texas. Its height was increased in 1996. |
| 9 | Texas Tower |  |
735 (224) | 48 | 2021 | One of Houston's newest tall buildings. |
| 10 | 1600 Smith Street |  |
732 (223.1) | 55 | 1984 | Thirteenth tallest in Texas. |
| 11 | Fulbright Tower |  |
725 (221) | 52 | 1982 | Fourteenth tallest in Texas. |
| 12 | One Shell Plaza |  |
714 (217.6) | 50 | 1970 | Sixteenth tallest in Texas. This was the tallest building built in Houston in the 1970s. |
| 13 | 1400 Smith Street |  |
691 (210.6) | 50 | 1983 | Seventeenth tallest in Texas. |
| 14 | Three Allen Center |  |
685 (208.8) | 50 | 1980 | Nineteenth tallest in Texas. |
| 15 | LyondellBassell Tower |  |
678 (206.7) | 47 | 1978 | Twenty-first tallest in Texas. |
| 16 | First City Tower |  |
662 (201.8) | 47 | 1981 | Twenty-second tallest in Texas. |
| 17 | 811 Main |  |
632 (192.6) | 46 | 2011 | Twenty-fifth tallest in Texas. |
| 18 | San Felipe Plaza |  |
625 (190.5) | 45 | 1984 | |
| 19 | ExxonMobil Building |  |
606 (184.7) | 44 | 1963 | This was the tallest building built in Houston in the 1960s. |
| 20 | 1500 Louisiana Street |  |
600 (182.9) | 40 | 2002 | This was the tallest building built in Houston in the 2000s. |
Tallest Buildings Being Built Now
As of April 2021, there are 8 buildings being constructed in Houston that are planned to be at least 427 feet (130 meters) tall.
| Name | Height ft (m) |
Floors | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Allen Phase | - | 34-22 | 2021 | Construction started in 2020. |
| McNair mixed-used Tower | 751 (228.9) | 54-18 | 2023 | Construction started in 2020. |
| 1550 on the Green | - | 28 | 2024 | This project was announced in January 2021. |
Timeline of Houston's Tallest Buildings
Since 1895, when the first tall building was constructed, the title of "tallest building in Houston" has been held by eleven different high-rises.
| Original name | Years as tallest | Height ft (m) |
Floors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binz Building | 1895–1904 (9 years) | — | 6 |
| Lomas & Nettleton Building | 1904–1908 (4 years) | 105 (32) | 8 |
| 711 Main | 1908–1910 (2 years) | 124 (40.8) | 10 |
| Carter Building | 1910–1926 (16 years) | 302 (92.1) | 23 |
| Magnolia Hotel | 1926–1927 (1 year) | 325 (99.1) | 22 |
| Niels Esperson Building | 1927–1929 (2 years) | 410 (125.1) | 31 |
| Gulf Building | 1929–1963 (34 years) | 428 (130.5) | 37 |
| Humble Building | 1963–1970 (7 years) | 606 (184.7) | 44 |
| One Shell Plaza | 1970–1980 (10 years) | 714 (217.6) | 50 |
| Enterprise Plaza | 1980–1982 (2 years) | 756 (232.3) | 55 |
| JPMorgan Chase Tower | 1982–present (43 years) | 1,002 (305.4) | 75 |
Images for kids
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Bank of America Tower
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Wedge International Tower
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Brava
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1500 Post Oak Boulevard
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5 Greenway Plaza
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Hanover River Oaks
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Texas Children's Hospital Expansion
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Aspire Post Oak
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11 Greenway Plaza
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9 Greenway Plaza
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Phoenix Tower
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Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Edificios más altos de Houston para niños
- List of tallest buildings in Texas
- List of tallest buildings in the United States
- List of tallest buildings in the world
- List of tallest buildings in Austin
- List of tallest buildings in Dallas
- List of tallest buildings in Fort Worth
- List of tallest buildings in San Antonio
- List of tallest buildings in Corpus Christi
