Tower Life Building
| Tower Life Building | |
|---|---|
Late Gothic Revival | |
| Location | 310 S St Mary's St, San Antonio, TX |
| Coordinates | 29°25′22″N 98°29′29″W / 29.42278°N 98.49139°W |
| Construction started | 1927 |
| Completed | 1929 |
| Opened | June 1, 1929 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Ayres–Ayres |
| Designated | November 13, 1991 |
| Reference no. | 91001682 |
The Tower Life Building (formerly the Smith-Young Tower and the Transit Tower) is a 31-story building and a historical landmark in
The building opened in 1929 and was originally named the Smith-Young Tower and is the central component of a partially completed development called the Bowen Island Skyscrapers. The eight sided, neo-gothic brick and
The other completed building in the development is the former Plaza Hotel (also designed by Ayres & Ayres), which opened in 1927. The property became the local outlet of Hilton Hotels in 1956 and was converted into the Granada Apartments in 1966. Subsequent structures in the development were never built as a direct result of the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression.
In the 1940s the building was renamed the Transit Tower for the San Antonio Transit Company, which the Smith Brothers purchased in 1943. In 1953 a television transmission tower was added to the structure. Renovations in 2010 removed the obsolete television mast in favor of the tower's original design, a copper tophouse with a 114 ft (35 m) tall flagpole.
The building is now named for its current owner, Tower Life Insurance Company.
In 1991 the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3]
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The Tower Life Building as viewed from the River Walk -
The building is seen in the background to the right, behind the San Fernando Cathedral. -
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Viewed from the top of the Tower of the Americas in 2003.
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See also
References
- ^ Cocke 1989, p. 42.
- ^ Cocke 1991, p. 11.
- ^ "Tower Life Building". Emporis. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
Bibliography
- Cocke, Stephanie Hetos; Dase, Amy E. (November 13, 1991). "NRHP Registration Form: Smith-Young Tower" (PDF). Texas Historic Sites Atlas. Texas Historical Commission.
- Cocke, Stephanie Hetos (November–December 1989). "Atlee B. and Robert M. Ayres" (PDF). Texas Architect. Archived from the original on 2022-10-12.
