26 replies to this topic

[Austin55]

The poll is limited to the city's 7 tallest, Burnett, the two city center towers (as one), The Tower, 777 Main, the Omni and Frost Tower. 

 

I'm imaging if they included future City Hall that might win. 

 

https://www.star-tel..._source=twitter

[rriojas71]

If those are our only choices the question should be... "Of FW's tallest buildings, which one is the least uninteresting?"  I would not use the word iconic for any of them.

 

If those were my only choices than I would probably go with The Tower because of how it was brought back to life after the tornado.  It has the most interesting crown and the best lighting scheme.  Second would be the Omni, followed by 777 Main. 

 

Of all the buildings in FW I do think the new City Hall tower would be the most iconic because of the dynamic lighting of the crown and it's prominent location along the river. 

 

My favorite building in FW is the Sinclair, followed by the WT Waggoner and then the Blackstone Hotel.

[roverone]

I completely agree that they should have included the 44 foot shorter future City Hall.

 

The main thing that occurred to me when I saw this article earlier today is how incredibly infertile our soil is for taller buildings.

 

The pacing is disappointing:  The oldest building on their list is 48 years ago, then 8-10 years after that we got the next 4 (our only growth spurt), then 25 more years waiting, then 9 more, bringing us to 4 years ago.

[Jeriat]

I said that the word "iconic" was a little loose... 

Thing is, Fort Worth doesn't have an iconic tower, but they're all signature towers, by default. A couple people said it was Burnett Plaza, which if you know me on these threads, made me want to throw up. 

But you could literally pick either one. 

[Stadtplan]

There should have been a quiz before allowing people to vote in the poll.  Click on which buildings are in Fort Worth's skyline, then if you are successful you can cast a vote....like one of those re-Captcha verification screens.   The Tower seems iconic because of its height and history from the tornado but beyond Fort Worth does it have iconic value?  I always refer back to these skyline sillouhette graphics to see what the outside world recognizes as our skyline.

 

(It's funny they put the AT&T Stadium but not the convention center?)

 

[John T Roberts]

Could it be the Convention Center Arena was not included because it won't be around much longer?

[JBB]

That silhouette looks a whole lot more like AT&T stadium than the convention center arena.

[Austin55]

It's a little funny to me that Frost Tower is winning, it's probably the least recognizable of the bunch IMO.

[elpingüino]

I always refer back to these skyline sillouhette graphics to see what the outside world recognizes as our skyline.
 

Where are these from?

[Stadtplan]

I always refer back to these skyline sillouhette graphics to see what the outside world recognizes as our skyline.
 

Where are these from?

Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com...URoCiBwQAvD_BwE

https://www.etsy.com...9RoCutgQAvD_BwE

[TLA]

The Burnett Plaza Tower has grown on me more than it deserves. I honestly love it now. When theres a foggy morning straight out of Blade Runner.

[steave]

I was thinking the other day how Burnett Plaza looks older than it is because of it's concrete exterior, making it appear more like a late 1960s or early 1970s tower than an early 1980s one. Which led me to wonder what it might have looked like if it was all or partially glass or used polished granite like other buildings of it's era. Think Trammel Crow tower in Dallas, or the various pink granite buildings in downtown San Antonio.

 

Honestly it probably would have looked better.

[Dismuke]

 

 

If those are our only choices the question should be... "Of FW's tallest buildings, which one is the least uninteresting?"  I would not use the word iconic for any of them.

 

 

I completely agree with what rriojas71 says about the options provided. 

Of the ones mentioned, I think the Omni is the most attractive.  But I wouldn't call it "iconic."  I think the Frost Tower is butt ugly to the point of being an eyesore.  The City Center towers are as well - but, at least they have the excuse of being products of an era when Brutalism was fashionable and ugly buildings were, unfortunately, considered to be trendy.  The Frost Tower was built decades after that trend faded away and has no such excuse. 

I do agree that, of the tallest post-war buildings in the downtown area, Pier One/City Hall is the nicest and most unique. In my opinion, it is at its best when viewed lit up after dark.

The last time Fort Worth had a skyscraper that I would consider unique and memorable enough to be regarded as "iconic" was the now-demolished CNB Building/Landmark Tower with its revolving digital clock.  Whatever one might have thought about the building itself, the clock on top definitely made a lasting impression.  It was iconic to Fort Worth in the same way that the Magnolia Building with its revolving neon Pegasus was, for decades until taller buildings obscured its view from many directions, iconic to Dallas.

[Dismuke]

I also question the assumption that the most iconic building would necessarily be among the tallest.

 

For example, in nearby Dallas, I think a very strong case could be made that Reunion Tower ( https://en.wikipedia...i/Reunion_Tower ) is the most iconic building on its skyline despite (according to Wikipedia) being in a three-way tie for the city's 15th tallest. There are actually a number of skyscrapers on the Dallas skyline that I think one could argue are iconic.  I don't think height is as much of a factor as is visibility.  The Magnolia Building with its Pegasus and the old Republic Bank building https://en.wikipedia...Republic_Center were definitely iconic and in some respects, still are - but taller buildings have since obscured them making it less likely for people who don't live in the area or rarely go downtown to notice them. 

[Dismuke]

An additional comment for this thread just occurred to me.

 

I think the most iconic building in downtown Fort Worth has to be the Tarrant County Courthouse built in 1895.  And, if one stops to think about it, one frequently sees local media outlets and various publications using an image of the courthouse to visually represent Fort Worth. 

 

According to John's description of the building here on this website:

 

 "It was one of the first structural steel framed buildings built in the Southwestern United States. The courthouse is 194 feet in height..."

 

A structural steel framed building that is approximately 17 or 18 stories in height certainly qualified as a "skyscraper" in the late 19th century and in many small cities today in terms of its total height and construction method.  Most people, I suspect, would tend to not regard the courthouse as a skyscraper because much of its height is not used as occupiable floor space.

 

But, on grounds that the building technically qualifies, on the basis of its steel skeleton and height, as a very early "skyscraper" as far as this part of the world is concerned, I vote for the Tarrant County Courthouse as the Fort Worth's most iconic "skyscraper" and definitely as its most iconic building. 

 

[John T Roberts]

You should tell the Star-Telegram. 

[Jeriat]

It's a little funny to me that Frost Tower is winning, it's probably the least recognizable of the bunch IMO.

 

Yeah, that poll is officially a joke, now.

[Stadtplan]

An additional comment for this thread just occurred to me.
 
I think the most iconic building in downtown Fort Worth has to be the Tarrant County Courthouse built in 1895.  And, if one stops to think about it, one frequently sees local media outlets and various publications using an image of the courthouse to visually represent Fort Worth. 
 
According to John's description of the building here on this website:
 

 "It was one of the first structural steel framed buildings built in the Southwestern United States. The courthouse is 194 feet in height..."

 

A structural steel framed building that is approximately 17 or 18 stories in height certainly qualified as a "skyscraper" in the late 19th century and in many small cities today in terms of its total height and construction method.  Most people, I suspect, would tend to not regard the courthouse as a skyscraper because much of its height is not used as occupiable floor space.
 
But, on grounds that the building technically qualifies, on the basis of its steel skeleton and height, as a very early "skyscraper" as far as this part of the world is concerned, I vote for the Tarrant County Courthouse as the Fort Worth's most iconic "skyscraper" and definitely as its most iconic building. 

 

Agreed about the courthouse. I also nominate Pioneer Tower. According to Johns main page says it is 208 ft.

[John T Roberts]

The Pioneer Tower is the tallest "building" outside of Downtown.

[txbornviking]

The Pioneer Tower is the tallest "building" outside of Downtown.

 

Wow. That's an interesting bit of trivia that I never would have guessed. My gut would have said the Western Place towers.

[John T Roberts]

The two Western Place Towers are very close to the height of the Will Rogers Pioneer Tower.  I have Western Place as 193 feet.  You can check out the information that I have been able to dig up on Fort Worth's Tallest Buildings, here:

 

https://www.fortwort....com/fwtall.htm

 

The list is not official, but I do have the correct heights on most of the tallest buildings in Downtown.

[rriojas71]

 

I always refer back to these skyline sillouhette graphics to see what the outside world recognizes as our skyline.
 

Where are these from?

 

Are they trying to say that AT&T Stadium in Arlington is part of out skyline?  LOL

[Dismuke]

You should tell the Star-Telegram. 

 

 

Not a bad idea.  I put up a posting in the poll's comment section. 

[Dismuke]

I was thinking the other day how Burnett Plaza looks older than it is because of it's concrete exterior, making it appear more like a late 1960s or early 1970s tower than an early 1980s one. Which led me to wonder what it might have looked like if it was all or partially glass or used polished granite like other buildings of it's era. 

 

 

It would have looked something similar to the below -  from a city that I think might even be a better stylistic fit for a building of such an appearance as Burnett Plaza:

   

[Dismuke]

It's a little funny to me that Frost Tower is winning, it's probably the least recognizable of the bunch IMO.

  

 

I can't see the poll results as, apparently, one has to actually vote to see them - and there isn't a single one I would vote for. 

But one thing about such online polls - they are notoriously easily to manipulate through people casting multiple votes.  Maybe someone out there could stand to benefit by proclaiming "Fort Worth Star-Telegram readers have voted Frost Tower as the most iconic building in Fort Worth."

I sure hope someone doesn't do that - because if THAT is the most iconic building in Fort Worth....somehow I don't think that will inspire many people to want to visit Fort Worth!!

[Stadtplan]

Without trash talking our skyscrapers too much, I sort of feel like this survey from S-T is like asking someone which kind of ice cream do you like and giving them the following choices:

• Homemade Vanilla
• Vanilla Bean
• Classic Vanilla
• Creamy Vanilla
• French Vanilla

[Dismuke]

 

Without trash talking our skyscrapers too much, I sort of feel like this survey from S-T is like asking someone which kind of ice cream do you like and giving them the following choices:

• Homemade Vanilla
• Vanilla Bean
• Classic Vanilla
• Creamy Vanilla
• French Vanilla

 

 

Indeed.

What's more, the entire premise of the poll is highly debatable. "What is Fort Worth’s most iconic skyscraper?"  That assumes that Fort Worth currently has a skyscraper that qualifies as iconic.  I am sure some people believe that it does - but they are far from unanimous.

It's kind of like doing a survey that asks: "How frequently are you mean and cruel to helpless and adorable puppy dogs?"

• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly
• A few times per year
• Once a year
• Once every two or three years.

Undoubtedly there are some people for whom such a question is applicable - but hopefully not most people.