History
At the time of completion in 1974, it was the tallest building in Dallas at 710 ft (220 m) and was originally known as the First International Bancshares Tower (First International Bancshares, Inc. was the new holding company parent of First National Bank in Dallas). In 1985, it was surpassed by Fountain Place and Bank of America Plaza, which became Dallas' tallest building by far. It was also clear that Renaissance Tower would be overtaken by Comerica Bank Tower and Chase Tower then under construction. Therefore, in order to regain some status, the building underwent a major renovation in 1986 that included a re-glazed exterior and removal of the lighting on its sides. In 1986, James T. Chiles was brought in by the owner, the Prudential Insurance Company of America to design the broadcast center and towers on top the building, one of which was 176 ft (54 m). This brought the structural height of the building up to 886 ft (270 m), securing its place as the second-tallest building in Dallas. Excluding antennas and spires, the Renaissance Tower is the fifth-tallest.
Dan Goodwin, a high-rise firefighting and rescue advocate, scaled the outside of the Renaissance Tower on November 7, 1981, clad in a Spider-Man suit, and using only suction cups and his hands and feet to climb the outside of the building. Goodwin later stated he made the climb as a gift to a young Dallas boy stricken with cystic fibrosis whom he had met shortly after his May 25, 1981, ascent of Chicago's Sears Tower. Goodwin scaled the Renaissance Tower on his twenty-sixth birthday.
In 1986, Winstead PC moved from the Mercantile National Bank complex to the Renaissance Tower.
In 1996, Blockbuster Inc., which was then headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, began studying the idea of moving its headquarters, which consisted of 400 employees, into 260,000 sq ft (24,000 m2) of space in the Renaissance Tower. In November 1996, Blockbuster confirmed that it was moving into 240,000 sq ft (22,000 m2) of space on eight floors in the Renaissance Tower, choosing floor 23 as their center of operations.
At the base of the building, there is a glass-pyramid structure that houses an underground food court. The food court connects to other nearby structures with tunnels.
Outside shots of the building were used in the 1980s television series Dallas as the building was the home of Ewing Oil.
As of 2008, Winstead PC occupied almost 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m2) of space in the building; the lease expires in 2012. During that year, the firm hired CB Richard Ellis to study possibilities for relocation. Winstead considered Uptown Dallas as a location.
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“Both place and time were changed, and I dwelt nearer to those parts of the universe and to those eras in history which had most attracted me.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)