Pennzoil Place facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pennzoil Place |
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Symmetry of Pennzoil Place
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Location | Downtown Houston, Texas, United States |
| Coordinates | 29°45′37″N 95°21′57″W / 29.7603°N 95.3657°W |
| Completed | 1976 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 523 ft (159 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 36 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Philip Johnson/John Burgee Architects (concept and design by Eli Attia, an architect with the firm) |
Pennzoil Place is a famous set of two tall buildings in downtown Houston, Texas, in the United States. It was finished in 1976. These buildings were designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee Architects. Pennzoil Place is well-known for its cool and new design, and it has won many awards.
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Building History
Pennzoil Place was completed in 1976. It quickly became known as one of Houston's most important skyscrapers. Its unique look made it stand out from other buildings built around the same time.
Design and Style
Pennzoil Place was built by Gerald D. Hines Interests. It has two towers that are each 495 ft (151 m) tall. These towers have a special trapezoid shape. They are placed only ten feet apart. The outside of the buildings is covered in dark bronze glass and aluminum. The two towers are exact mirror images of each other.
The space between the two buildings at ground level is covered by a huge glass roof. This roof is shaped like a pyramid and is 115-foot (35 m) tall.
An Optical Illusion
Pennzoil Place was designed to be an optical illusion. This means it looks different depending on where you stand to view it. From some angles, the two towers might seem to be one solid building. From other spots, you can clearly see they are separate.
Breaking the Mold
At the time Pennzoil Place was built, many new skyscrapers looked like simple glass boxes. This style was called "modernist." Pennzoil Place was different. Its unique shapes and angles helped start a new style of building design called "postmodernism." The buildings together have 1,400,000 square feet (130,000 m2) of space that can be rented out for offices.
The inside offices were designed by M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates. This company is based in San Francisco.
Awards and Recognition
The architect, Philip Johnson, won important awards for his work on Pennzoil Place. He received the 1978 AIA Gold Medal. He also became the first person to win the Pritzker Prize in Architecture in 1979. The Pritzker Prize is one of the highest honors for an architect.
In 1975, a famous architecture critic named Ada Louise Huxtable from The New York Times called Pennzoil Place the "Building of the Decade." She loved how its dramatic shape changed the look of the Houston skyline.
See also
In Spanish: Pennzoil Place para niños
