List of tallest buildings in Houston facts for kids

Skyline of Houston (Use cursor to identify buildings)

Houston, the largest city in Texas, is the site of 97 completed skyscrapers over 427 feet (130 m), 50 of which stand taller than 492 feet (150 m). The tallest building in the city is the JPMorgan Chase Tower, which rises 1,002 feet (305 m) in Downtown Houston and was completed in 1982. It also stands as the tallest building in Texas and the 29th-tallest building in the United States. The second-tallest skyscraper in the city is the Wells Fargo Plaza, which rises 992 feet (302 m) and was completed in 1983. The Williams Tower, completed in 1982 and rising 901 feet (275 m), is the third-tallest building in Houston. Seven of the ten tallest buildings in Texas are located in Houston.

The history of skyscrapers in the city began with the construction of the original Binz Building in 1895. This building, rising 6 floors, is often regarded as the first skyscraper in Houston; it was demolished in 1951 to allow for the construction of a more modern building of the same name, which was in turn replaced by another, 14-floor-tall high-rise that also kept the original name. Houston's first building standing more than 492 feet (150 m) was the El Paso Energy Building, completed in 1962. After the Texas real estate collapse in late 1980s, the city saw no new major office buildings until 2002, when 1500 Louisiana Street was completed. There are currently^[update] four buildings under construction that are planned to rise at least 427 feet (130 m). Overall, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat ranks Houston's skyline (based on existing and under construction buildings over 492 feet (150 m) tall) 2nd in the Southern United States (after Miami) and 4th in the United States.

Skyline of Houston seen from Sabine Park

Tallest buildings

As of October 2021^[update], there are 52 high-rises in Houston that stand at least 427 feet (130 m) tall, based on standard height measurement. This height includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts.

Rank	Name	Image	Height ft (m)	Floors	Completed	Coordinates	Notes
1	JPMorgan Chase Tower		1,002 (305.4)	75	1982	29°45′37.2″N 95°21′50.3″W / 29.760333°N 95.363972°W / 29.760333; -95.363972 (JPMorgan Chase Tower)	123rd-tallest building in the world; 21st-tallest in the United States; tallest in Texas. Tallest building constructed in Houston in the 1980s. Tallest five-sided building in the world.
2	Wells Fargo Bank Plaza		992 (302.4)	71	1983	29°45′30.6″N 95°22′6.1″W / 29.758500°N 95.368361°W / 29.758500; -95.368361 (Wells Fargo Bank Plaza)	161st-tallest building in the world; 25th-tallest in the United States; 2nd-tallest in Texas. Tallest all-glass building in the Western Hemisphere.
3	Williams Tower		901 (274.6)	64	1982	29°44′13.7″N 95°27′41″W / 29.737139°N 95.46139°W / 29.737139; -95.46139 (Williams Tower)	200th-tallest building in the world; 30th-tallest in the United States; 4th-tallest in Texas. Tallest building outside of Houston's downtown.
4	TC Energy Center		780 (237.7)	56	1983	29°45′38.6″N 95°22′00″W / 29.760722°N 95.36667°W / 29.760722; -95.36667 (Bank of America Center)	65th-tallest in the United States; 7th-tallest in Texas.
5	Heritage Plaza		762 (232.3)	53	1987	29°45′31.7″N 95°22′14.4″W / 29.758806°N 95.370667°W / 29.758806; -95.370667 (Heritage Plaza)	75th-tallest in the United States; 8th-tallest in Texas.
6	609 Main at Texas		757 (230.7)	49	2017	29°45′33.1″N 95°21′45″W / 29.759194°N 95.36250°W / 29.759194; -95.36250 (609 Main at Texas)	76th-tallest in the United States; 9th-tallest in Texas. Tallest building constructed in Houston in the 2010s.
7	Enterprise Plaza		756 (230.4)	55	1980	29°45′27.6″N 95°22′8.5″W / 29.757667°N 95.369028°W / 29.757667; -95.369028 (Enterprise Plaza)	79th-tallest in the United States; 10th-tallest in Texas.
8	CenterPoint Energy Plaza		741 (225.9)	53	1973	29°45′25.4″N 95°22′5.1″W / 29.757056°N 95.368083°W / 29.757056; -95.368083 (CenterPoint Energy Plaza)	97th-tallest in the United States; 11th-tallest in Texas.
9	Texas Tower		735 (224)	48	2021	29°45′39.2″N 95°21′48.2″W / 29.760889°N 95.363389°W / 29.760889; -95.363389 (Texas Tower)
10	1600 Smith Street		732 (223.1)	55	1984	29°45′16.5″N 95°22′22.5″W / 29.754583°N 95.372917°W / 29.754583; -95.372917 (1600 Smith Street)	13th-tallest in Texas.
11	Fulbright Tower		725 (221.0)	52	1982	29°45′19.8″N 95°21′41.8″W / 29.755500°N 95.361611°W / 29.755500; -95.361611 (Fulbright Tower)	14th-tallest in Texas.
12	One Shell Plaza		714 (217.6)	50	1970	29°45′32.9″N 95°22′3.5″W / 29.759139°N 95.367639°W / 29.759139; -95.367639 (One Shell Plaza)	16th-tallest in Texas. Tallest building constructed in Houston in the 1970s.
13	1400 Smith Street		691 (210.6)	50	1983	29°45′19.9″N 95°22′18.5″W / 29.755528°N 95.371806°W / 29.755528; -95.371806 (1400 Smith Street)	17th-tallest in Texas.
14	Three Allen Center		685 (208.8)	50	1980	29°45′26.4″N 95°22′18.7″W / 29.757333°N 95.371861°W / 29.757333; -95.371861 (Three Allen Center)	19th-tallest in Texas.
15	LyondellBassell Tower		678 (206.7)	47	1978	29°45′21.8″N 95°21′44.2″W / 29.756056°N 95.362278°W / 29.756056; -95.362278 (LyondellBassell Tower)	21st-tallest in Texas.
16	First City Tower		662 (201.8)	47	1981	29°45′20.6″N 95°21′49.8″W / 29.755722°N 95.363833°W / 29.755722; -95.363833 (First City Tower)	22nd-tallest in Texas.
17	811 Main		632 (192.6)	46	2011	29°45′28.3″N 95°21′49.2″W / 29.757861°N 95.363667°W / 29.757861; -95.363667 (BG Group Place)	25th-tallest in Texas.
18	San Felipe Plaza		625 (190.5)	45	1984	29°44′58″N 95°28′55″W / 29.74944°N 95.48194°W / 29.74944; -95.48194 (San Felipe Plaza)
19	ExxonMobil Building		606 (184.7)	44	1963	29°45′12.7″N 95°22′9.9″W / 29.753528°N 95.369417°W / 29.753528; -95.369417 (ExxonMobil Building)	Tallest building constructed in Houston in the 1960s.
20	1500 Louisiana Street		600 (182.9)	40	2002	29°45′16.6″N 95°22′16″W / 29.754611°N 95.37111°W / 29.754611; -95.37111 (1500 Louisiana Street)	Tallest building constructed in Houston in the 2000s.
21	America Tower		590 (179.8)	42	1983	29°45′38.5″N 95°23′51.2″W / 29.760694°N 95.397556°W / 29.760694; -95.397556 (America Tower)
22	Bank of America Tower	Upload image	579 (176.5)	34	2018
	Two Houston Center		579 (176.5)	40	1974	29°45′22.7″N 95°21′47.7″W / 29.756306°N 95.363250°W / 29.756306; -95.363250 (Two Houston Center)
24	Marathon Oil Tower		562 (171.3)	41	1983	29°44′58.5″N 95°28′19.2″W / 29.749583°N 95.472000°W / 29.749583; -95.472000 (Marathon Oil Tower)
25	Wedge International Tower	Upload image	550 (167.6)	44	1983	29°45′16.8″N 95°22′11.2″W / 29.754667°N 95.369778°W / 29.754667; -95.369778 (Wedge International Tower)
	KBR Tower		550 (167.6)	40	1973	29°45′11.7″N 95°22′20.6″W / 29.753250°N 95.372389°W / 29.753250; -95.372389 (KBR Tower)
27	Brava	Upload image	549 (167.3)	46	2021
28	Memorial Hermann Tower		542 (165.2)	35	2009	29°46′57″N 95°32′43.9″W / 29.78250°N 95.545528°W / 29.78250; -95.545528 (Memorial Hermann Tower)
29	2929 Weslayan		533 (162.5)	40	2015	29°44′18.9″N 95°26′28.4″W / 29.738583°N 95.441222°W / 29.738583; -95.441222 (2929 Weslayan)	Tallest residential building in Houston.
30	Pennzoil Place I		523 (159.4)	36	1976	29°45′36.6″N 95°21′55″W / 29.760167°N 95.36528°W / 29.760167; -95.36528 (Pennzoil Place I)
	Pennzoil Place II		523 (159.4)	36	1976	29°45′35.7″N 95°21′56.6″W / 29.759917°N 95.365722°W / 29.759917; -95.365722 (Pennzoil Place II)
32	Devon Energy Center		521 (158.8)	36	1978	29°45′25″N 95°22′15.6″W / 29.75694°N 95.371000°W / 29.75694; -95.371000 (Devon Energy Center)
33	1000 Main		518 (157.9)	36	2003	29°45′25.2″N 95°21′55.9″W / 29.757000°N 95.365528°W / 29.757000; -95.365528 (1000 Main)
34	Total Plaza		518 (157.9)	35	1971	29°45′23.5″N 95°22′6.6″W / 29.756528°N 95.368500°W / 29.756528; -95.368500 (Total Plaza)
	One Park Place		518 (157.9)	37	2009	29°45′14.9″N 95°21′40.1″W / 29.754139°N 95.361139°W / 29.754139; -95.361139 (One Park Place)
36	Methodist Outpatient Care Center		512 (156.1)	26	2010	29°42′44.5″N 95°23′57.8″W / 29.712361°N 95.399389°W / 29.712361; -95.399389 (Methodist Outpatient Care Center)
37	The Huntingdon		503 (153.3)	34	1982	29°44′48.5″N 95°25′4.6″W / 29.746806°N 95.417944°W / 29.746806; -95.417944 (The Huntington)
38	El Paso Energy Building		502 (153.0)	33	1962	29°45′28.3″N 95°22′2.8″W / 29.757861°N 95.367444°W / 29.757861; -95.367444 (El Paso Energy Building)
	Market Square Tower		502 (153.0)	40	2017	29°45′47″N 95°21′48.1″W / 29.76306°N 95.363361°W / 29.76306; -95.363361 (El Paso Energy Building)
40	The Post Oak		499 (152.1)	36	2018
41	Hess Tower		490 (149.4)	29	2010	29°45′16.4″N 95°21′35.3″W / 29.754556°N 95.359806°W / 29.754556; -95.359806 (Hess Tower)
42	1500 Post Oak Boulevard	Upload image	477 (145.4)	30	2016	29°45′8.2″N 95°27′39.3″W / 29.752278°N 95.460917°W / 29.752278; -95.460917 (1500 Post Oak Boulevard)
	The O'Quinn Medical Tower at St. Luke's		477 (145.4)	29	1990	29°42′32.7″N 95°24′7″W / 29.709083°N 95.40194°W / 29.709083; -95.40194 (The O'Quinn Medical Tower at St. Luke's)	Tallest building constructed in Houston in the 1990s.
44	5 Greenway Plaza	Upload image	465 (141.7)	31	1973	29°43′50.2″N 95°25′54.5″W / 29.730611°N 95.431806°W / 29.730611; -95.431806 (5 Greenway Plaza)
45	Hanover River Oaks	Upload image	462 (140.8)	39	2020	29°45′16.5″N 95°22′22.5″W / 29.754583°N 95.372917°W / 29.754583; -95.372917 (1600 Smith Street)
46	Texas Children's Hospital Expansion	Upload image	457 (139.3)	25	2018
47	717 Texas Avenue		453 (138.1)	34	2003	29°45′41.5″N 95°21′51.4″W / 29.761528°N 95.364278°W / 29.761528; -95.364278 (717 Texas Avenue)
48	Aspire Post Oak	Upload image	453 (138.1)	39	2021
49	One Allen Center		452 (137.8)	34	1972	29°45′25.9″N 95°22′12.8″W / 29.757194°N 95.370222°W / 29.757194; -95.370222 (One Allen Center)
50	Four Leaf Towers 1		444 (135.3)	40	1982	29°45′5.4″N 95°27′50″W / 29.751500°N 95.46389°W / 29.751500; -95.46389 (Four Leaf Towers 1)
	Four Leaf Towers 2		444 (135.3)	40	1982	29°45′3.2″N 95°27′52.5″W / 29.750889°N 95.464583°W / 29.750889; -95.464583 (Four Leaf Towers 2)
52	11 Greenway Plaza	Upload image	441 (134.4)	31	1979	29°43′55.2″N 95°26′8.1″W / 29.732000°N 95.435583°W / 29.732000; -95.435583 (11 Greenway Plaza)
	9 Greenway Plaza	Upload image	441 (134.4)	31	1978	29°43′55.4″N 95°26′4.2″W / 29.732056°N 95.434500°W / 29.732056; -95.434500 (9 Greenway Plaza)
54	Phoenix Tower	Upload image	434 (132.3)	34	1984	29°43′49.4″N 95°25′45″W / 29.730389°N 95.42917°W / 29.730389; -95.42917 (Phoenix Tower)
55	Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza	Upload image	430 (131.1)	28	2007	29°42′55″N 95°23′49.2″W / 29.71528°N 95.397000°W / 29.71528; -95.397000 (Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza)
56	712 Main Street		428 (130.5)	37	1929	29°45′31.8″N 95°21′49.6″W / 29.758833°N 95.363778°W / 29.758833; -95.363778 (712 Main Street)	Tallest building constructed in Houston in the 1920s.

Tallest under construction

As of April 2021^[update], there are 8 buildings under construction in Houston that are planned to rise at least 427 feet (130 m).

Timeline of tallest buildings

The Niels Esperson Building stood as the tallest building in Houston from 1927 until 1929.

Since 1895, the year the first high-rise in the city was constructed, the title of the tallest building in Houston has been held by eleven high-rises.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Edificios más altos de Houston para niños

• List of tallest buildings in Texas / the United States / the world
• List of tallest buildings in Austin
• List of tallest buildings in Dallas
• List of tallest buildings in Fort Worth
• List of tallest buildings in San Antonio
• List of tallest buildings in Corpus Christi