Reunion Tower

Reunion Tower
General information
Type Observation tower
Location 300 Reunion Boulevard
Coordinates 32°46′31″N 96°48′32″W / 32.7753°N 96.8089°W / 32.7753; -96.8089Coordinates: 32°46′31″N 96°48′32″W / 32.7753°N 96.8089°W / 32.7753; -96.8089
Completed 1978
Height
Roof 561 ft (171 m)
Technical details
Lifts/elevators 10
Design and construction
Architect Welton Becket and Associates
References
[1][2][3][4]

Reunion Tower is a 561 ft (171 m) observation tower and one of the most recognizable landmarks in Dallas, Texas. Located at 300 Reunion Blvd. in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, the tower is part of the Hyatt Regency Hotel complex, and is the 15th tallest building in Dallas. A free-standing structure until the construction of an addition to the Hyatt Regency Dallas in 1998, the tower was designed by the architectural firm Welton Becket & Associates.

History

Reunion Tower, also known locally as "The Ball," was completed on February 2nd, 1978, along with the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion,[5] as part of an urban redevelopment project that also renovated the historic Union Station, that today services Amtrak, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, and the Trinity Railway Express to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Fort Worth.

When it first opened, the tower included radio station KOAX-FM, now KRLD-FM 105.3 FM, once owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting ("Live twenty-four hours a day from five-hundred feet above the city"). Because it is not used as a broadcast tower it is not listed in the FCC Database.

Reunion Tower reopened its restaurant level on February 9, 2009, after it was closed for major renovations on November 16, 2007.[6] The observation deck reopened October 5, 2013, just in time for the Tower's 35th anniversary.

The tower is located about 1,000 feet from Dealey Plaza and the site of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Architecture

Reunion Tower rising over the Hyatt Regency Dallas.

The tower consists of three floors with circular floor plans on top of four shafts of poured-in-place concrete. A central cylindrical shaft houses stairs and mechanical equipment. Three rectangular shafts, containing elevators, rise parallel to the central shaft. Each shaft's outfacing wall is made up of glass panels, affording views of the city during the 68-second elevator ride to the top. Before the 2008 renovations, the first level housed the observation deck, the second a revolving restaurant called Antares, and the third level a club called The Dome.[7] The top three floors are encased in an open-air sphere. The sphere is a geodesic dome formed with aluminum struts. Each of the struts' 260 intersections is covered by aluminum circles with lights in the center.

At night, the globe at the top of the building is illuminated with 259 custom LED fixtures, manufactured by Altman Lighting and are controlled by various computer-generated patterns and colors. The globe is also used for special events, such as lit green for St.Patrick's Day. The globe was lit up in rainbow colors on June 26, 2015 to celebrate the supreme court ruling which legalized same sex marriage.

Attractions

A view from Reunion Tower's "GeO-Deck" observation deck

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck opened the fine-dining restaurant, Five Sixty on the tower's rotating top level on February 11, 2009. The name is a reference to the restaurant's elevation. The middle floor of the tower is used for special events managed by Wolfgang Puck Catering, which is based at nearby Union Station.[8]

The Observation level is called the "GeO-Deck". The interior facility includes an interactive digital experience featuring information about Dallas landmarks, Reunion Tower itself, the events of November 22, 1963, live view high-definition cameras and more. The exterior of the observation deck features telescopes with views in every direction.

The Cloud 9 Cafe is accessible from the observation deck, serving meals and snacks with a 360-degree view from behind glass.

The gift shop at the tower's base features souvenirs related to Reunion Tower, Dallas and Texas and other novelty items.

In the media

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ Reunion Tower at Emporis
  2. ↑ Reunion Tower at Glass Steel and Stone
  3. ↑ "Reunion Tower". SkyscraperPage.
  4. ↑ Reunion Tower at Structurae
  5. ↑ Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion
  6. ↑ "Hyatt's Reunion Tower and Union Station Receive Complete Transformation" (PDF) (Press release). Hyatt Regency Dallas and Woodbine Development Corporation. 17 September 2007. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  7. ↑ "Reunion Tower". Dallas Skyscrapers. 11 February 2007. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  8. ↑ "Five Sixty Wolfgang Puck Dallas". Wolfgang Puck Catering. 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-06.

External links

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