The Top 15 Tallest Buildings in Texas

You’ve probably heard that “everything is bigger in Texas.” That axiom often proves true. Texas is the largest state by total area in the conterminous United States and the second largest overall, trailing only Alaska. With 30,029,572 residents (U.S. Census Bureau 2022 estimate), Texas has the second largest population in the United States behind California. No matter how you look at it, Texas is big! The “bigness” of the Lone Star State can also be seen in its buildings. Here’s a look at the fifteen tallest buildings in Texas. (Note: this list does not include structures such as radio or television towers.)

1. JPMorgan Chase Tower – 1,002 feet (305 meters)

Originally known as the Texas Commerce Center, this 75-floor Houston skyscraper opened in 1982. The tower was the sixth-tallest building in the U.S. and the eighth-tallest in the world upon its completion. It was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River when it opened, but the Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles now holds that title. 

Today, JPMorgan Chase Tower is the 27th tallest building in the U.S. and the 107th tallest building in the world. It is also the tallest pentagonal (five-sided) building in the world. The skyscraper features an impressive ​​2,243,013 square feet (208,382.7 square meters) of floor space.

JPMorgan Chase Tower is not to be confused with the JPMorgan Chase Building. That similarly-named high-rise is also found in downtown Houston but only reaches a height of 430 feet (130 meters).

2. Wells Fargo Plaza – 992 feet (302 meters)

This tower opened in 1983, just one year after JPMorgan Chase Tower. The skyscraper’s original name was Allied Bank Plaza. The name was changed to First Interstate Bank Plaza in 1988. The current name was put in place in 1996.

This skyscraper features 71 floors above ground, but also four additional stories below ground. There are over twenty U.S. buildings that bear the Wells Fargo name, but Wells Fargo Plaza in Houston is the tallest of them all. The building boasts 1,833,760 square feet (170,362 square meters) of floor space.

3. Bank of America Plaza – 921 feet (280.7 meters)

The Bank of America Plaza is the tallest building in Dallas and Texas’ tallest building outside of Houston. It stands in the Mainstreet District of downtown Dallas. The tower houses 1,900,000 square feet (180,000 square meters) of floor area.

During its two-year construction from 1983-1985, the tower was called Dallas Main Center. Upon its opening in 1985, the tower was named Interfirst Bank Plaza. The name of this 72-story skyscraper has changed multiple times over its near 40-year history. Those name changes include First Republic Bank Plaza (1986), NCNB Plaza (1988), and NationsBank Plaza (1991). The building’s current name is also its longest-held moniker. The tower was named Bank of America Plaza in 1998.

4. Williams Tower – 902 feet (275 meters)

This 64-story building houses 1.4 million square feet (130,000 square meters) of floor space. It stands in Houston’s Uptown District and has been called the “Empire State Building of the South.” Williams Tower is the tallest building in the United States that is not located in a central business district. 

Construction began in 1981 and the building opened in January 1983. It was originally known as Transco Tower, a name it would hold until it was changed to the building’s current name in 1999.

The tower is topped with a 7,000 watt beacon that shines across the night sky. The light is visible from 40 miles (65 kilometers) away if skies are clear.

This building was built with an interesting vision: two towers in one. The first forty floors would function as the first tower and the remaining twenty-four floors would be the second. There are separate banks of elevators that service each of the sections. 

5. Renaissance Tower – 886 feet (270 meters)

Renaissance Tower in Dallas is tied for the oldest building on this list. The tower opened in 1974 under the name First International Bancshares Tower. The skyscraper holds 1,731,000 square feet  (160,800 square meters) of floor space.

The building’s original height only reached 710 ft (220 meters). A major renovation in 1986 added a broadcast center and antennas atop the building, which brought the building up to its current height. 

Fans of 1980s television may recognize the building. The exterior and lobby were used for establishing shots and filming for seasons 2-10 of the hit television series, Dallas. It was also included in the reboot of the show in 2012. A room inside the building was also featured in the 1987 movie, RoboCop.

6. Comerica Bank Tower – 787 feet (240 meters)

This 60-story skyscraper stands in Dallas’ Main Street District. It is the third tallest building in Dallas. Were it not for the antennas atop Reaissance Tower, it would be the second-tallest building in the city. Comerica Bank Tower contains 1.5 million square feet (139,355 square meters) of floor space.

The building was originally known as Momentum Place when it opened in 1987. It has also been known as Bank One Center and Chase Center. The tower received its current name when Comerica relocated its headquarters to Dallas in 2007.

7. TC Energy Center – 780 feet (238 meters)

TC Energy Center in downtown Houston is the seventh-tallest building in Texas, but it is only seven feet (two meters) shorter than Comerica Bank Tower. The 56-story building opened in 1983. It houses 1,399,308 square feet (130,000 square meters) of floor space.

Over its 40-year history, the skyscraper has been known as RepublicBank Center, NCNB Center, NationsBank Center, and Bank of America Center. It has been called TC Energy Center since 2019. 

8. Heritage Plaza – 762 feet (232 meters)

This tower opened in Houston’s Skyline District in 1987. The 53-floor building would be the last skyscraper built in the city until 2002. Heritage Plaza encompasses 1,149,596 square feet (106,801 square meters) of floor space. 

This building is one of the few on this list that has never undergone a name change. 

9. Enterprise Plaza – 750 feet (230 meters)

This building in downtown Houston is also known as 1100 Louisiana (its street address). It was the tallest building in Texas when it was completed in 1980. It would not hold that title for long, though, as the building now known as JPMorgan Chase Tower opened two years later.

Enterprise Plaza contains 1,459,000 square feet (135,500 square meters) of floor space. Since its doors opened in 1980, the tower has been known by different names such as First International Plaza, Interfirst Plaza, and Southwest Bank of Texas.

10. 609 Main at Texas – 755 feet (230 meters)

This Houston skyscraper is the newest among the top ten tallest buildings in Texas. Construction began in 2014 and the doors opened in 2017. 

The 50-floor building houses a floor space measuring 1,087,090 square feet (100,994 meters). There are two additional floors underground, for a total of 52 floors.

11. Centerpoint Energy Plaza – 741 feet (226 meters)

This downtown Houston tower opened in 1974, the same year that Renaissance Tower was completed in Dallas. The original building, then known as Houston Industries Plaza, only stood 651 feet (198 meters tall). In 1996, 90 feet (27 meters) was added as part of a major renovation. The 47-floor building houses 1,399,986 square feet (130,063 square meters) of floor space.

12. Dallas Arts Tower – 738 feet (225 meters)

This skyscraper in the City Center District of downtown Dallas opened in 1987 under the name Texas Commerce Tower. The name was later changed to JPMorgan Chase Tower (not to be confused with the current building with that name in Houston). The building’s new name was announced in 2023. Dallas Arts Tower will house an art gallery and two new restaurants.

This 55-floor skyscraper contains 1,296,400 square feet (120,440 square meters) of floor space. Like the Renaissance Tower, this building was also featured in the 2012 reboot of the Dallas television series.

13. 1600 Smith Street – 732 feet (223 meters)

Part of the Cullen Center skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, 1600 Smith Street opened its doors in 1984. The 51-story building has a floor area of 1,097,960 square feet (102,004 square meters). Previous names for the building include Continental Center I and Cullen Center Plaza.

14. Fulbright Tower – 725 ft (221 meters)

This skyscraper is part of the Houston Center complex in downtown Houston. It opened in 1982 under the name Gulf Tower. The name was later changed to Chevron Tower. The building’s current name was put in place in 2005. The tower has 52 floors and 1,483,988 square feet (137,867 square meters) of floor area.

15. Fountain Place – 720 feet (219 meters)

This downtown Dallas skyscraper is only five feet shorter than the Fulbright Tower in Houston. The 60-story building opened in 1986. It was the second-tallest building in Dallas at the time. The original plan called for twin towers to be built, but it was scaled back to only one due to the economic downturn that accompanied the collapse of Texas’ oil, banking, and real estate industries.

The skyscraper has been known as First Interstate Tower and Allied Bank Tower during its history. It houses a floor area of 1,200,000 square feet (111,480 square meters).

Coming Soon: A New Building in a New City

Houston has the fourth-most skyscrapers in the United States with 40. Only New York City, Chicago, and Miami have more skyscrapers than Houston.

Dallas, meanwhile, has the ninth-most skyscrapers in the nation 21. It is only one skyscraper shy of matching cities like Seattle and Boston.

Every one of the fifteen tallest buildings in Texas are found in these two cities. That is about to change, though. Austin is poised to shake up the Texas skyscraper game. When a tower named Waterline opens in downtown Austin, it will become the tallest building in the state. The 74-story building will reach a height of 1,022 feet (311.5 meters), which will exceed the height of JPMorgan Chase Tower by twenty feet. The skyscraper is scheduled to be completed in late 2026.