1600 Smith Street, Postmodern skyscraper in Downtown Houston, United States
1600 Smith Street is a 223-meter-tall building with 53 floors located in Downtown Houston's financial district. Its glass and aluminum facade defines its postmodern character, standing out with considerable height among surrounding structures.
The building was completed in 1984 during a period of growth in Texas oil industry expansion. In 1998, a major airline relocated its headquarters here, bringing hundreds of employees to the location.
The building displays 1980s design language through its geometric patterns and mixed materials, typical of postmodern architecture from that era. Looking closely, you can see how these forms differ from older skyscrapers around it.
The building connects to Houston's underground tunnel system, offering climate-controlled passages to nearby structures. This connection proves especially useful on hot days when moving between downtown locations.
An electrical failure in 2000 triggered widespread flight delays across the global network of the building's main tenant. This incident revealed how dependent international operations had become on a single location's infrastructure.
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