So many of us love Houston’s Skyline. One of the more popular views is the western end of what’s known as the “Skyline District.” Viewed by looking east, over Buffalo Bayou, one gets a simple, clean view of some of Houston’s finest skyscraper architecture.
A view of Houston’s western skyline – a favorite subject of post cards & travel brochures. Click on the image to enlarge. Copywrite 2012 Gary Riis
Anchoring the scene, prominently displayed front and center, is Heritage Plaza, once home to Texaco, then ChevronTexaco and now Deloite & Touche, one of the Big Four consulting firms. Heritage Plaza is easily distinguished by its unique design featuring reflective glass and a granite top portion which was built to resemble a Mayan Temple.
Also on view in the front row of this portrait are, from left; Bank of America Center (the brownish, three-tiered skyscaper,) the off-white One Shell Plaza (with its tall antenna rising from its roof) and the blue-green glass of Wells Fargo Plaza, home to Wells Fargo, Dynegy and Goldman Sachs among others.
To the right of Heritage Plaza we find One, Two and Three Allen Center (Two Allen Center is officially known as Devon Energy Tower at Two Allen Center.) Finally on the far right of the picture sits Chevron Tower which was originally built as home to the now infamous Enron Corporation. Another similarly rounded and mirrored tower is out of picture and to the right. Chevron has offices in this tower as well. A third, much shorter tower is across Smith Street from both of these. All three are connected by a dramatic circular skybridge that’s also a favorite among area photography enthusiasts.
I was on a lunch run and decided to pull over and snap this photo from the Sabine Street Bridge, just west of Sam Houston Park and Buffalo Bayou. It was 95 degrees out and I had to get back to work. I plan on going back when there’s more dramatic lighting to get some special shots from this vantage point and I’ll continue to post city views and skyline shots.
One of my goals is to show as much of Houston’s natural and architectural beauty as I can. In the coming months, I’ll also try to illustrate what makes Houston truly unique and beautiful through photos and descriptions depicting the compassion, humanity and diversity of its people.
Southern Hospitality, Texas Hospitality, Houston Hospitality. Its what makes all of us heroes.
Hospitality Hero 