Texas’ Iconic Mini Skyscraper: A Story Of Deception And Fame

Go to any major city in Texas & you'll see buildings that feel like they're reaching towards the sky. Tower are literally HUNDREDS of feet tall. However if you travel to Central Texas, you'll find the biggest a skyscraper that, while it doesn't appear to be that tall, it does in fact hold the title of being the "world's littlest skyscraper".

To find the "world's littlest skyscraper", you just need to travel to Wichita Falls, TX

Here it is. The "world's littlest skyscraper". See? Even the sign says so (proof!).

So...what exactly IS this building? Well the actual name of the building is the Newby-McMahon Building, located at 511 7th St, Wichita Falls, TX 76301. Construction started on the building in 1906 and was finished in 1919 in downtown Wichita Falls by JD McMahon. Funny enough, after construction of the skyscraper was finished, JD quickly left Texas because, he built the tower using the incorrect measurements & left town with all the money he pocketed from investors to see the building in person.

Instead of a grand tower that's 40 stories high, the Wichita Falls skyscraper stands proudly at the grand height of 40....feet tall, 18 ft. deep and 10 ft. wide...

And yet this building has been embraced by the city as a unique piece of history & was given the title of "world's littlest skyscraper" after it was featured in Ripley's Believe or Not in the 1920s. Today it's still a popular spot for visitors to learn about the weird history of this..."monumental" story.

If you go to Houston, there's one skyscraper that has a glass pool that hangs over the edge that you can swim in. You can read all about this pool here.

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