CenterPoint Energy Tower (formerly Houston Industries Plaza) is a 741 feet (226 m) tall building in downtown Houston. The original building, finished in 1974, stood at 651 feet (198 m), but a 90-foot (27 m) extension was added as part of a 1996 renovation. Designed by Richard Keating, this renovation dramatically changed the building, the Houston Skyline and the downtown. Keating was also the designer of the nearby Wells Fargo Tower.[citation needed] It has the headquarters of CenterPoint Energy.[1][2]
Historically the building housed the headquarters of Houston Industries (HI) and subsidiary Houston Lighting & Power (HL&P).[3] In 1999 Houston Industries changed its name to Reliant Energy.[4] When Reliant Energy moved out of the building and moved into the new Reliant Energy Plaza in 2003, the company left over 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2) of space vacant.[5]
Around 1995 the building owners added a circle-shaped canopy that is five stories tall, due to a business competitor down the street having a building taller than theirs. Clifford Pugh of the Houston Chronicle wrote that "It was meant to resemble a lantern, but at night the lit open space looks more like a hovering spaceship."[6]
^Pugh, Clifford. "Unique tops give skyscrapers an aesthetic boost." Houston Chronicle. June 6, 2005. Retrieved on April 14, 2014. "Sometimes, a building's owner remakes a top to attract more attention. Ten years ago, owners of the Houston Industries building added a five-story canopy resting on four pillars to the top of the aging 47-story skyscraper. The addition created a dramatic circle that floats atop the building. It was meant to resemble a lantern, but at night the lit open space looks more like a hovering spaceship."
