Reunion Tower

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Reunion Tower is a 560 foot (171 m) observation tower and one of the most recognizable landmarks in Dallas, Texas (USA). Located at 300 Reunion Blvd. in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, the tower is part of the Hyatt Regency Hotel complex, and is the 15th tallest building in Dallas. A free standing structure until the construction of an addition to the Hyatt Regency Dallas in 2000, the tower was designed by the architectural firm Welton Becket & Associates.

History

Reunion Tower was completed in 1978 as part of an urban redevelopment project that also renovated the historic Union Station, which today services Amtrak, DART, and the Trinity Railway Express to DFW Airport and Fort Worth.

When it first opened, the tower included an FM broadcast radio station owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting: KOAX (105.3 MHz). It broadcasted live twenty-four hours a day from five-hundred feet above the city.

Reunion Tower closed to the public on November 16, 2007 for major renovations, with reopening set for Fall 2008.

Architecture

The tower consists of three floors with circular floor plans on top of four shafts of poured in place concrete. A central cylindrical shaft houses stairs and mechanical equipment. Three rectangular shafts, containing elevators, rise parallel to the central shaft. Each shaft's outfacing wall is made up of glass panels, affording views of the city during the 68-second elevator ride to the top. The first level houses the observation deck, the second a revolving restaurant called "Antares", and in the third level a club called "The Dome". The top three floors are encased in an open air sphere. The sphere is a geodesic dome formed with aluminum struts. Each of the struts' 260 intersections are covered by aluminum circles with lights in the center.

At night, the globe at the top of the building lights with hundreds of bulbs that flash in various computer-generated patterns.

Operations

Admission

Admission is US$2 for adults, $1 for seniors (age 65 and over) and children (age 3-12).

Hours

Sunday-Thursday: 10:00 am-10:00 pmFriday: 10:00 am-12:00 am (midnight)Saturday: 9:00 am-12:00 am (midnight)

"Reunion tower is currently being renovated and is scheduled to reopen in late summer 2008."
A press release describing the renovations can be found here: [http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/images/hotels/dfwrd/HyattRTUSrenovation07.pdf]

Transmission Use

The tower is not used for public broadcasting and therefore not listed in FCC-database.

References in popular culture

* The tower is a prominent feature in the opening credits of the television program "Dallas"
* Is a central location in the 1980 movie, "The Lathe Of Heaven".
* Is the location of the action finale in the 1986 film "Getting Even".
* First structure destroyed by a meteor shower that destroys Dallas in "Asteroid (film)".
* It is also seen in the background of a shot in the beginning of the film "RoboCop", despite the film taking place in Detroit, Michigan.
* Can sometimes be seen in the television show, Walker, Texas Ranger.
* Seen briefly in the Wes Anderson movie Bottle Rocket.
* Seen briefly in the opening video from WWE Monday Night Raw.

See also

*List of tallest buildings in Dallas

External links

* [http://www.dallassky.com/bldg15.htm Reunion Tower at dallassky.com]
* [http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2742885-reunion_tower_dallas-i;_ylt=AmMgq5x7qvsGefGJ1zcdbFK.FmoL?action=describe Yahoo! Travel Review]
* [http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b629 Diagram from skyscraperpage.com]
* [http://www.dallasregency.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/entertainment/index.jsp Antares and Dome Lounge details at hyatt.com]