"ExxonMobil Building - Houston, Texas" Waymark

Long Description:
Admittedly, like Marina City in Chicago, many consider this one of the ugliest buildings in Houston. But the beauty is in the engineering - everything about the building is functional. It’s hard to believe that an energy company in 1963 would be worried about saving energy, but the building was specifically designed for the harsh sun of Houston’s notoriously horrid summers. Windows are set back, to avoid direct sunlight, and the effects of the sun were further mitigated by horizontal bands of aluminum fins encircling the building.

The top two floors, without protection from the sun’s rays, don’t hold office space; this is home to the Petroleum Club - where the wheelers and dealers (think JR Ewing) of the energy industry meet, making and breaking good ole’ boy deals that ultimately dictate how much you’re paying at the pump. For two years, the building was the tallest west of the Mississippi, and was outfitted with the pre-requisite observation deck on top. The deck was closed in 1971 with the erection of the still-taller One Shell Plaza.

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Skyline District
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Building Name: ExxonMobil Building Structure Height: 606 Number of Stories: 44 Year Built: 1963 Architect/Design Firm: Welton Becket & Associates Style: International Style Use: Office Building Publicly accessible areas: Outside plaza. Hours: Monday-Friday, 6am-6pm Cost: None. Address: 800 Bell Houston, Texas Emporis link: [Web Link] Building Website: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
To visit this waymark, you must provide a description of your experience and add one photograph (taken by you) of any part of the skyscraper to the gallery. This photograph does not have to have either you or your GPS receiver in it.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   7/13/2008 run26.2 visited it

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