The Williams Tower

In this blog, I will talk about Houston architecture and I will start with one of Houston’s best buildings. The Williams Tower, designed by Philip Johnson, is one of the best Post-Modern buildings ever built. The Williams Tower was designed by Philip Johnson and completed in 1982. It was built in Houston’s Uptown District and to this day, no other buildings in Uptown are taller than half the height of this building. Because of its height, it can be seen for many miles in the city, especially at night, when there is a rotating beacon at the top of the tower that can be seen for miles. The most striking facet of The Williams Tower is that it mixes Post Modern material with Art-Deco design. It takes advantage of well-regulated set-backs and design elements to mix the two styles of Art-Deco and Post-Modernism. Philip Johnson fell into one quagmire while designing the building. Most every building needs a ventilation system and architects usually put that design element on the roof of skyscrapers, because it must be surrounded by walls so it is not exposed. Well, Philip Johnson wanted the roof of the building to be used for the beacon. Therefore, his compromise; was yet another architectural masterpiece, The Williams Waterwall. Placed in a park at the foot of the building, The Williams Waterwall is a large fountain that acts as the ventilation system for the building. I hope you enjoyed this blog, look forward to further blogs on architecture in Houston in the future.