Renaissance Tower
Dallas, USA

HEIGHT: 270m/886 feet
FLOORS: 56 floors
COMPLETION: 1974
ARCHITECT: Helmuth, Obata & Kassabaum

Designed by HOK of Dallas and completed in 1974, this skyscraper originally was the simplest of forms, a 56 story gold glass box that was 710 feet high. The building features cross bracing in the form of two large "X" patterns on behind each facade. When the building was originally constructed, these structural elements were not expressed on the exterior. At night, however, lights were placed behind the glass that expressed the structural system of the building. In 1986, the building underwent a major renovation that remodeled all of the buildings public areas and made significant exterior changes to the building. In the public plaza on the west side of the building and over the underground shopping areas, a large glass triangular pyramid entry was constructed. All of the silver glazing was removed and was replaced by a glass design that featured different colors of glass. This introduced a post modern design to the facades and expressed the "X" cross bracing on the exterior of the building. The base of the building was reconstructed out of granite. The most significant change was made at the top of the building. A three level stepped back top was added to the building. In front of the penthouse addition a decorative steel framework was added to house additional communications equipment. At each corner of the decorative framework four steel towers were added. On top of the penthouse a taller steel tower was constructed. Each of the five towers are topped by a white diamond. The height of the tallest tower is 176 feet above the roof. At night the building is illuminated with a double "X" pattern on each facade and lights inside each of the five diamonds at the tops of the towers. The five towers also have lights within their bases that highlight their steel framework. If the penthouse and the decorative towers are included, the skyscraper is 886 feet tall and is the 2nd tallest building in Dallas.

http://www.dallassky.com/p5-1.h2.jpg

http://www.dallassky.com/p5-1.h3.jpg

http://www.consultwebs.com/ncphotos/images/dallas/fox4_7129_550_dpwm.jpg

http://www.dallasarchitecture.info/ren1.jpg

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/503/270renaissance.jpg

http://www.dallassky.com/bldg02.htm

Nothing special...it's a box, but decent for a 1970's building.

There is absolutely no architecture behind this one at all. Only thing it has are some poles on top. Which are by the way ugly and add so much height. How tall is this building without those poles? I have never seen a box building with a spire, how tacky.

4/10
It gets a 4 because it is in Dallas and it is kinda tall.

I really dislike this tower. It's so boxy but it tries not to be with all that junk on top, and fails. I don't like the pixelated look of the tower, especially the diagonal lines. It looks like it was designed in MS Paint. Even the reflective glass can't save this one. 3.5/10

http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/dmac2/renaissance.jpg

I agree. Too boxy. 4/10

7.5/10

I would have given it less if not for the criss-cross patterns on the facade.

The weird X-bracing on this building is quite unique, though it is too plain and boxy.

5/10

not a very good building even for the 70's!
the diagonal patterns in the window facade are too much and the top is horrid....6/10.

I think anything above a 5 is waaaaay too nice.

It's kind of strange looking. 6.5/10

Bletch! A cheap, boxy corporate storage unit. The el cheapo spire and lighting scheme don't help, but further reinforce the cheap feel of this building. There's absolutely no texture to its facade (cheap feeling again) and the windows which highlight the crossbracing look like mismatched replacements after the origionals came crashing down on a windy day.

Total garbage and entirely insignificant. 4.0/10

4.5/10

don't really like it

If you think it is boring now you should have seen it before. This was originally a plain 1970s black glass box. In the 1990s it was totally reglazed, adding the cross-hatch pattern, and the structures on the roof were added to give it a little bit of character. I would give it a 6. It's not great, but they at least made an effort to improve it.
I may be mistaken, but I think this is where Ewing Oil was located in the old TV show "Dallas."

5/10 because it has some height, and I'm a sucker for shiny glass curtain walls.
Other than that - guys, if you're gonna try to liven up your facade with cross bracing like the Hancock Tower in Chicago, go all the way and use real steel; trying to do it with different colored windows just looks SOOO cheap :rant: - Jasonhouse, you hit the nail right on the head - they look like mismatched replacements!
And those antennas on top look like they were just stuck on as an afterthought, though they look better at night....
They needed more of a buildup between flat roof and antennas, I think...

Subdude - If that's the case, do you suppose they changed the facade because they didn't want their tower to be associated for ever (or at least until the last re-run) with the evv-ill Ewing clan? :D

the diagonal patterns remind me of a pong match . . thats what these architects thought of back in '72-73. . . 4/10 for being blue glass .. .

tall, boxy with a nice crown. its colours are dull black and at night it doent look at impressive either. 5..

Okay, everyone has bashed it so i will defend. First of all it is fairly unique because how many cities have a 710 foot (pre spires) glass box. I can't think of many taller glass boxes. Secondly it looks very nice at night with the X-lighting and the spires illuminated. I give it a 6.5.

its a box

6 for having some height...

Pretty nice design. 7/10

While it's a box, the cross pattern makes it somewhat interesting. This building looks great in the skyline, especially at night and in person. 7.5/10.

What a joke. 3

I think it's not even that bad!The cross pattern makes it a little bit more intresting.6.0/10

O dear! Who ever had the nerve to call this thing "Renaissance?" They obviously had NO idea. I find the x-pattern downright tacky. An extraordinarily ugly box, even considering its age.

Lowest mark.

Don't like it! 6/10

Bozes usually get substaintially lower scores unless I see some ingenuity in them. If not, its a 5/10.

2

Oh my, this glass box is pathetic... I shall detract points for the tacky window bracing and the extremely tacky spires

This building definately does not look that tall

3/10!. :puke:

Hahaha, looks cheap and ridiculous.

Yeah, a box but I like the blue.
I would rate it a 3 but I have seen worse.
I give it a 4

Intresting top but it seems to me that the architects were trying too hard to make this box impress... :bash: However you look at it, it's still a box! :rant:

6/10

7/10 Whisical yet still not fun.

When it first opened in 1974 is was named the First International Building. At the time it was the tallest building in Dallas. It was 710 ft. tall. Years later it was remodeled and the height was increased to 886 ft.

Ugly ugly.Boxy and it seems like some new rich home glass décor.Can you imagine anything uglier?Mosques are prettier.

Not Fountain Place
just a SS
5 Points
Dirk Nowitzki for President!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i like the smooth galss, 7

BUMP! D|FW represent!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid73/p4a6441b9dfda32a6e84209fb1f20b809/fb6ea128.jpg

From Double L.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid73/p20e8f302da7d09afe6ff493b3a535bb6/fb6ea1a0.jpg

7/10

2/10

4/10. I like boxes but this is boring and do not impress me. Idiot top

6 don't like the facade

Don't like this one
6/10

2.5/10 :)

7/10

6/10


nothing special

5.5/10

Lots like bad pixels on the front
Reminds me of space invaders
+ its just a box
Glass box at that
Almost better feature less
4

4/10

5/10
Very boxy, Its tall but does not look very tall from the photos.

Nothing special for a tall one :(
6/10

4/10

Ew.. horrible horrible horrible.

atleast its glassy...

5,5/10 nothing special, Very simple building

7.5

the x bracings looks more like it's etched onto the building. i bet the building looks better if they get rid of those bracings all together. they should get rid of that tall middle frame whatchamacalit on the roof too, but the shorter ones can stay.

it's such an unsightly landing pad compared with the awesome rocket ship (1 fountain place) nearby.

6

5/10
Not so nice.

It grows on you. It's big, tall, and unique.
And at sunset, it can be simply stunning.

10/10

4.5/10

The top ornamentation and the cross pattern are not that bad, but they are any good either. Kinda tall, kinda interesting color. All in all the archetypal Dallas building in its day. Its would be better if it was less ornamented, or more so, this in between stuff just has to go, but its not an abomination and its neither pleasing nor unpleasing

There is absolutely no architecture behind this one at all. Only thing it has are some poles on top. Which are by the way ugly and add so much height. How tall is this building without those poles? I have never seen a box building with a spire, how tacky.

4/10
It gets a 4 because it is in Dallas and it is kinda tall.


I agree, this tower is hideous! It is like they built the box, then said oh no, it needs something, lets put this hideous hideous top on it and make the window patterns...OMG...the build looks very Texas though, the checker pattern and such, it just reminds me of something Texas would do, sorry ;-)

2/10

The top is just, WTF, what where they doing...

7.5/10

renaissance????? what is renaissance at this boring box??? 0

3....Ghastly

NO WAY does this look 270m. It looks much, much shorter.

And sorry but I found the overall design extremely dull, though the lighting looks okay at night I suppose.

5/10

Bletch! A cheap, boxy corporate storage unit. The el cheapo spire and lighting scheme don't help, but further reinforce the cheap feel of this building. There's absolutely no texture to its facade (cheap feeling again) and the windows which highlight the crossbracing look like mismatched replacements after the origionals came crashing down on a windy day.

Total garbage and entirely insignificant. 4.0/10
agreed, this might be the worst 800+ footer in the us.

its such a bland building, if they were to get rid of the spires and diagnol pattern, it would get a much higher rating.

3/10.

4.5/10. The most hideous X-factor blend in the black facade, shorter than it looks and black box all over it. They added 170 more feet of this abomination for this? Definitely the least liked skyline in Texas. Whoever CEO put Renaissance in this building should be fired.

7/10

6/10 - IMO Ugly glass...

4/10

Very simple. 6/10

6

It's okay but the top is gaudy

I['ve seen it @ night and in person. I give it a 4/10 for not being tall enough, and being ugly

It's tall and I love the patterns on the side, but it's still a box.
7/10

what about some architecture??
no, not my building....

4.5/10

:cheers:

6,5/10
I don't like facade.

5.5/10

7/10

or less....

not an instant stand out due it its block-ish design but the crosses look great!

3/10, but only cause there is not the 2 or less!

pic by Zimna8080

http://www.bayciti.net/ppo/dall/IMG_0837.jpg

8.5/10

Nice. 8/10.

8! :)

slightly good 5

I like the facade but it's just a box, 7/10

8/10

Not impressed 3/10

Not the best building in Dallas, but good. An 8/10 from me.

Na 6/10

I like it 7.5/10

The stuff on top is ugly,but still 7/10

Hahaha ! What did they try to do ? The cross patern looks funny at best. It makes no sense the way it's laid out (only a vertical symetry), and, huh, what did they try to do at the top ? A diving towers expo ?
Just ridiculous, and the patern kills the height impression.
3.

Ech. The crossbracing-windows would look bad on most buildings, but on this one it's particularly wretched.

err... not my type 5/10 :uh:

Nice facade, but it's a box....6.5

5/10
A boxy tower with a crappy spire

7/10

6/10

7.5/10

Hideous. 1.

10/10

too boxed!

6.5

A lackluster box, 5/10

Because it's so fat, it doesn't look like 270m, 6.5/10

Good looking but simple 6.5/10

Just a box, but it's got an interesting facade. 6/10.

never liked this one 3.5/10

5/10

6/10 too plain and boxy.

Boring box with ugly patterns on the facade... 5/10

5.5/10

Original facade, 7.5/10

boxy but good looking one
8.5

Not all that bad for such a 70'ies box
7.5/10

7/10 looks like a good building made in the 70's

Slightly interesting but not 6.0

a simple glass box and some hideous patterns on the facades
3,5/10

Not my cup of tea, it looks too pixalated, and maybe noth enough emphasis to support the building. It's just a blue box. I don't hate this building, it just shows me on how you should spend sometime to design buildings, do it for a long time till you get it right. 3/10

Too much out of date. 6.5

7.5/10. The X pattern on the facade is certainly interesting. In only one of the photos (the third one) does it really looks good, otherwise it just looks messy. I suppose I'd really have to see the building for myself to know for sure. In general I think it's a pretty good glass box with the spires saving it from being to boxy.

It's 9 from me!

7,5/10

3/10. One of my least-favorite buildings.

The more simple the form of a scraper is, the bigger it must be to pull it off. The WTC Twin Towers worked great at 1360+ feet, but this building's 886 feet just isn't enough. The "X" designs on the side just seem silly to me, as does all that extra stuff on the top--it is totally out of scale (too small) and doesn't fit the simple design at all.

OTOH, this is a pretty big and dominating building for Dallas--so I'll give it a 3/10 instead of a 1 or 2. But what Dallas really needs is a couple more big buildings to take the viewer's attention away from this dull giant.

what a box!!
5.5/10

7.5/10

6.5/10

5.5/10.

boo boxes 4.5/10.

6.5/10...OK looking

One of my least favorites. 4/10

6.5/10 - I that really 270m?

Anyway... I don't like the pattern at all!

Literally a big, glass 70's box, which underwent a less-than-successful remodeling in the mid-80's. Totally dominated the Dallas skyline when built, we can only hope the building gets completely hidden from view during the next building boom. Its bulk is quite impressive in person, but otherwise a blight on the Dallas skyline.

The scary part is that this type of building could become popular again...beware!

4/10

nothing special 4.5

5/10

I don't like the shape or design :(

4.5/10

6.5/10

7/10

5/10

4.5/10. The most hideous X-factor blend in the black facade, shorter than it looks and black box all over it. They added 170 more feet of this abomination for this? Definitely the least liked skyline in Texas. Whoever CEO put Renaissance in this building should be fired.

Wasn't J.R. Ewing killed?

I['ve seen it @ night and in person. I give it a 4/10 for not being tall enough, and being ugly

You can thank Love Field for it not being tall enough. Same for the Bank of America building. FAA sucks.

I have the original drawings in my office- Our company (Ellisor-Tanner back in the day; we are now proudly Thornton-Tomasetti) did the structural design. It is really quite elegant structurally.

Of J.R. Ewing Caliber: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=117649

Stuff we've done: http://www.emporis.com/en/cd/cm/?id=102231

Nasty. 3.5

3,5/10

Yeah, not great....

That's right the tower doesn't look so impressive :sleepy:

Quite horrible 4/10

7/10

6/10

a box not one of my favourites 6/10

a super box with a super big antena. 4/10

boring 7.5/10

7/10 not thing special, too plain and boxy

5/10.. It's Dallas..

Boxy but the glass patterns gives it a little character... 6.5/10

It's a box, the pattern is un-interesting, and the top looks horrible. It gets a 4 because it is standing upright and fairly tall.

It does look much better than it did originally. :laugh:

6/10

It's too short to look good.

5/10 like the glass and the spire but the design is average just a box

4/10

6.5/10

Original, 8/10

9/10

6/10

7/10

6.5/10.

4/10

Not a bad box but looks stubby and short
5.5/10

10. one of the best boxy building. i like the pattern as well.

Not much height, but I like the hints of quantized trusswork and the night compatibility. 7.

5/10 The facade and crown looks out of place, if it didn't have that and it was slender and taller then i would give it an 8

4/10
don't like too much

3.5 / 10

4.5/10

Being generous given 6/10. Not bad for a 70's building but doesn't quite cut it with the modern scrapers.

6/10

Do not feel right

trying too hard 3.5/10

7.5/10 a litlle boxy but the cross pattern is interesting.

9 - cool.

Too boxy. 5,5/10

7/10 the crisscross pattern is a nice add and I like the spire as well

not too bad! 7.5/10

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/382231601_6f169e60ff_b.jpg

8.5/10

Ugly 4/10

hmm. could have done a lot better with the top, should have left it as just a box IMO
6/10

You should have had a pre-1986 picture of the Renaissance Tower (with the gold glass and no spires).
7.5/10

Boring 4/10

8/10

hardly a five

boxy... typical..... don't like that Xs

boxy 5/10

7/10

I like this "X"

7/10

4/10 ordinary

Very nice. 9/10

10/10

I give it a 5. It would look much better if it was more a slab than a box, and a bit taller. I actually like the overall glass color and the rectangular pattern on the facade marking every fourth floor. The different-colored glass marking the diagonal bracing is hideous though. And the towers on top are just too awkward in my eyes.

9/10

Renaissance Tower by the legendary Dallas photographer, Ninjatune.

http://urbandallas.us/images/renassance_1.jpg

This is a ugly box, and the glass is horrible. 5/10

ugly 4

8/10 for me looks better at night!

3/10

5/10

1/10. . .

5,5/10

Doesn't look tall. 7/10.

5/10

Renaissance means a box with ugly glasses? 7

big and fat building. 6/10 IMO

Not, I didn't like it!!

3/10

tall, boxy with a nice crown. its colours are dull black.

look short. 6

6 out of 10

6/10

Don´t like it at all 3/10

9/10

5/10

2/10

6,5/10

5/10

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1141/673201410_3a706d8311_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2060/2132627250_64ab69bc02_o.jpg

8/10 Nice building. Looks like the Avero Toren in our city.

5.

06/10

yuck, 4/10

5/10

8,5

Nothing special, except the façade. 6/10

7.5/10:bash:

Ugly, 3/10

5.5/10

Specially the top makes me sick :puke:

10/10

Not bad 7/10

The DNA code in the cladding gives the building its distinction...

6.5/10

6/10

X X

0 7 /10

6.5/10

8/10.

8. Good building. Regards.

7.5/10

nice renovation 7.5/10

7/10

Really, really awful! it's a 1970's box that had some erector set spires stuck on in the '80s. 3

A box with a creative twist that makes it a star on the Dallas skyline. 8

Looks like bein' a way shorter than it really is. One big disadvantage, the rest is ok.

7/10

6.5/10

Some points for the height, some points for glass, but whatever all that junk is on the roof, it's ugly. I also don't like the pattern on the glass. It's like a cheap rip from the Hancock pattern.

10/9

COMPLETED IN 1974!:uh:
A nice blue, tall box.
9/10

9/10

Renaissance Tower by the legendary Dallas photographer, Ninjatune.

http://urbandallas.us/images/renassance_1.jpg

7.5/10

8/10