CenterPoint Energy Plaza, Skyscraper in downtown Houston, United States.
CenterPoint Energy Plaza is a 741-foot (226 m) office tower in downtown Houston with 53 floors, completed in 1974 and extended by 90 feet in a 1996 renovation designed by Richard Keating. Its broad facade is clad in dark reflective glass panels set in a dense grid of horizontal and vertical mullions, with many windows lit from within. The top ends in an open rectangular cutout near the peak, with a flat roofline above it.
The structure was completed in 1974, built according to the office tower design principles of that era. A major transformation took place in 1996 when substantial modifications reshaped its exterior.
The structure has long served as a visual anchor for downtown Houston, shaping how residents and visitors understand the city's business district. Its design reflects the building approaches of the 1970s, when architects explored fresh ideas about office towers.
The structure stands in the downtown area and is easily spotted from street level, especially thanks to its distinctive upper form. Visitors should know this is a private office building and public access may be limited to common areas.
The building's roofline ends in an open rectangular cutout near the peak, with a flat roof above it, as seen in photographs. Around 1995 the owners added a five-story circle-shaped canopy, meant to resemble a lantern; the Houston Chronicle's Clifford Pugh wrote that at night the lit open space looks more like a hovering spaceship.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,812 contributors worldwide.
