The View from the UT Tower
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Posted On :
Apr-20-2009
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Article Word Count :
524
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Every city has its landmark, the one building or statue that everyone from thousands of miles around comes to see. In Paris, it is the Eiffel Tower. In New York, it is the Empire State Building, Chicago the Sears Tower and London, Big Ben.
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Every city has its landmark, the one building or statue that everyone from thousands of miles around comes to see. In Paris, it is the Eiffel Tower. In New York, it is the Empire State Building, Chicago the Sears Tower and London, Big Ben. In Austin, the landmark is associated with one of the best colleges in the country - it is the University of Texas Tower, a structure that all within the city know and all without the city should see at least once in their lives.
The University of Texas (UT) Tower was completed in 1937, having been designed and constructed by Paul Cret, an architect originally from France who came to the United States to teach at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He is best known for, aside from the tower, the Organization of the States building in Washington, DC, the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Cincinnati Union Terminal. The University of Texas commissioned him in 1936; he finished the project a year later having constructed the 307-foot tall tower well known throughout all of Texas.
The building itself has 27 stories, making it slightly higher than the state capitol. There are gold-plated clocks on each of the tower’s faces that measure more than 12 feet in diameter. It is truly a spectacular sight, but even more spectacular is the view from above. The UT Tower gives all who gaze down from the observation deck a unique perspective on the city of Austin. Today, anyone, during open hours, can see this vista. Unfortunately, that wasn’t always the case.
When the tower first opened, it attracted many visitors. Most, as they were meant to, wanted to take in the view from above. But others wanted to use the tower’s height to leap to their death - as they use the Golden Gate Bridge and other open-air structures - or to rain terror on those below. In 1966, for example, Charles Whitman took a gun to the top of the tower, and began firing at the people on the ground. When he was finished, 13 people were dead. With that incident and numerous suicides in mind, officials closed the tower in 1974. It remained that way until 1999.
Leading up to the reopening, community members and those linked with the University of Texas began renovating the tower, making it safe for all interested in climbing to the top. There is now a safety lattice surrounding the upper deck. It is not so high that your view will be obscured, but it is high enough that a jumper could not easily get over it. Guests must now also pass through metal detectors to prevent any 1966 repeats, and, since Sept. 11 2001, guests are only able to enter the tower during scheduled hours for security and safety concerns.
There are, however, scheduled tours, which are approximately one hour in length, including 35 minutes on the observation deck. It is best to call ahead for your tickets. They are $5 a person - a great deal for a one of a kind view.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_The View from the UT Tower_436.aspx
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Author Resource :
About the Author:
Joe Cline writes articles for Austin REALTOR. Other articles written by the author related to Austin Remax Blog and Austin Real Estate can be found on the net.
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Keywords :
Austin REALTOR, Austin Remax Blog, Austin Real Estate,
Category :
Travel and Leisure
:
Travel and Leisure
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