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Photograph courtesy of jmancuso
Photograph courtesy of jmancuso
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Formerly: First Pasadena State Bank Building
Built:
1963
Designed by: MacKie & Kamrath; Lloyd Borget; and Doughtie & Porterfield
Type: Skyscraper
Stories: 12
Location: 1001 East Southmore Avenue
City: Pasadena
State: Texas
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E
asily mistaken for a lost work of Frank Lloyd Wright, this skyscraper is one of the most interesting pieces of architecture in Texas. At its base is a wide featureless podium topped with white stripes and a single strip of narrow windows. From the center rises the tower. It looks as if it started as a simple glass box with the dark glass, white spandrels, and three-quarter height windows typical of the era in which it was constructed. The main body of this box is indented near its base and accented with a wide white border. When combined with shadows it appears as if the tower is hovering above the podium. Then on the front part of the box is narrowed and allowed to slack as if the front facade is descending like the elevator of an alien space ship to let people in. This marks the entrance.
A further look at the top of the building reveals the wood-colored right angles and stained glass that were one of Wright's hallmarks. Simple geometric shapes adorn an overhang supported by columns topped with a stepped pedestal.
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