History
This 19-story building was designed by Fort Worth Architect Wyatt C. Hedrick for the Texas Electric Service Company. L.E. Meyers Co. of Chicago was the General Contractor. One of the unique features of the design is the cast stone ornamentation. The decorative elements feature a hand grasping electrical bolts. Although the building appears to be one structure, it is actually three buildings, each constructed at a slightly different time. The tower opened in 1929. Shortly after the tower opened, a six-story annex was constructed to the north and along Lamar Street. The annex opened in 1930. The building also housed the Hollywood Theater and was the last phase constructed. It also opened in 1930 and featured more Art Deco elements than the tower or the annex. Hollywood closed in 1976, but it is the only part remaining downtown theater from the 1920s and 30s. (Many of the architectural elements had been destroyed by a bank conversion in 1979.) In 1996, the building was converted to 106 apartments, the most notable of which is the penthouse unit. In order to provide parking for the tenants, the old theater space was converted into a parking garage. Elements of the theater remain from the balcony level upward. The original lobby of the electric company has been restored. This lobby features a beautiful vaulted ceiling.