Tower of the Americas - Wikipedia Tower of the Americas This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2010 ) Tower of the Americas General information Type Observation tower Location San Antonio, Texas, U.S. Coordinates 29 ° 25 ′ 08 '' N 98 ° 29 ′ 01 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 29.418888 ° N 98.483611 ° W ﻿ / 29.418888 ; - 98.483611 ﻿ ( Tower of the Americas ) Coordinates : 29 ° 25 ′ 08 '' N 98 ° 29 ′ 01 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 29.418888 ° N 98.483611 ° W ﻿ / 29.418888 ; - 98.483611 ﻿ ( Tower of the Americas ) Construction started August 9, 1966 Opening April 6, 1968 Owner City of San Antonio Management City of San Antonio and Landry 's Restaurants Height Antenna spire 750 ft ( 230 m ) Roof 622 ft ( 190 m ) Top floor 579 ft ( 176 m ) Design and construction Architect O'Neil Ford Entrance to the Tower of the Americas The very top of tower of Americas View of Downtown San Antonio from the Tower of the Americas The three elevators on the exterior of the Tower of the Americas The Tower of the Americas is a 750 - foot ( 230 - meter ) observation tower - restaurant located in the Hemisfair district on the southeastern portion of Downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. The tower was designed by San Antonio architect O'Neil Ford and was built as the theme structure of the 1968 World 's Fair, HemisFair ' 68. It was the tallest observation tower in the United States from 1968 until 1996, when the Las Vegas Stratosphere Tower was completed. It is the tallest building in San Antonio, and the 27th - tallest building in Texas. The tower is located in the middle of HemisFair Park and has an observation deck that is accessible by elevator for a fee. There is also a lounge and revolving restaurant at the top of the tower that provides panoramic views of the city. The fastest recorded time up the tower 's 952 steps is 5 minutes 18 seconds on January 29, 1981. Contents 1 Construction history 2 Tower restaurant 3 Building heights 4 FM radio 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Construction history Construction of the tower began on August 9, 1966 and was completed in approximately 18 months, just in time for the opening ceremonies for the fair held on April 6, 1968. The tophouse of the building was constructed at ground level and hoisted to the top of the poured concrete shaft. As the tophouse was being hoisted into place, on October 30, 1967 some of the cables used to hoist it snapped, leaving it resting on and precariously tilted on the Tower 's shaft. Eventually, oil field pipes were used in lieu of cables to complete the job. Tower restaurant In 2004, Landry 's Restaurants, Inc. won the bid for a 15 - year lease to manage and operate the property for its owner, the City of San Antonio. Landry 's undertook an extensive $8 million renovation of the existing restaurant and lounge and observation deck and added a 4 - D film `` ride '' called `` Skies Over Texas, '' that gives the history of Texas in a film format. Additionally, Landry 's spent another $4 million to add approximately 200 % more space for ground level attractions such as a gift shop and cafe. Renovations were completed and the tower re-opened with the new Eyes Over Texas Restaurant, Bar 601 and the Flags Over Texas observation deck on June 21, 2006. The restaurant rotates slowly, and observation deck entry is included in the cost of a tower ticket. In September 2007, Landry 's converted the Eyes Over Texas Restaurant into one of its Chart House outlets. Prior to Landry 's, Frontier Enterprises ( owner of San Antonio - based Jim 's Restaurants ) operated the Tower of the Americas ' restaurant for more than three decades. CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Willis Tower, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Stratosphere, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. Tower of the Americas, San Antonio, Texas, U.S. Space Needle, Seattle, Washington, U.S. Building heights 750 ft ( 229 m ) to top of the antenna. 622 ft ( 190 m ) to top of roof. 579 ft ( 176 m ) to indoor observation deck. 560 ft ( 170 m ) to outdoor observation deck. 550 ft ( 168 m ) to restaurant and stationary level. FM radio Since 1970 the roof has hosted a 30 - meter - tall ( 98 ft ) tapered steel mast, used as support for three FM antennas ; 101.9 KQXT ( then known as KCOR - FM ), 102.7 KJXK ( then KTFM ), and 104.5 KZEP ( then KITE - FM ). In 2007, the three individual antennas were replaced by a 16 - bay master antenna that radiates all three FM signals including the HD signal for KQXT. Clear Channel Radio and Electronics Research Inc. headed up the project along with their contractors and involved the City of San Antonio and Landry 's Restaurants. The new antenna system improved coverage for all three radio stations. An option existed for several years to add facilities for a move in signal on 97.7 ( requiring rearrangement of ten other stations ) to share the site. This was organized by Bret Huggins and David Stewart of Rawhide Radio, LLC ( partly owned by Hispanic Broadcasting now Univision radio ). Transmitters are located between the public areas of the observation deck and the revolving restaurant in equipment bays along with air conditioners and plumbing. See also Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tower of The Americas, San Antonio, Texas. List of tallest buildings in Texas Tower Life Building List of revolving restaurants References Jump up ^ Gerem, Yves ( 2001 ). A Marmac Guide to San Antonio. Gretna : Pelican Publishing Company. p. 271. ISBN 1 - 56554 - 821 - 3. Jump up ^ `` Tower of the Americas ''. Emporis.com. Retrieved April 17, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Tower of the Americas ''. Planeteyetraveler.com. Retrieved April 17, 2010. Jump up ^ San Antonio Express News, January 30, 1981, page 12 - A Jump up ^ `` A top draw at the tower could be at the bottom ''. San Antonio Express - News. February 14, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2009. `` A Guide to the San Antonio Fair, Inc., Records, 1963 - 1995 ( Bulk 1964 - 1968 ) ''. Texas Archival Resources Online. Retrieved Feb. 9, 2006. External links History of the Tower of the Americas research guide with archival photographs Tower of the Americas restaurant Emporis : Tower of the Americas Tower of the Americas at Structurae FCC - Entry Preceded by Elm Place Tallest Building in Texas 1968 -- 1974 229m Succeeded by Renaissance Tower ( Dallas ) Preceded by None Tallest Building in Texas Outside of Dallas and Houston 1968 -- 2009 190m Succeeded by The Austonian ( Austin ) Preceded by Tower Life Building Tallest Building in San Antonio 1968 -- Present 229m Succeeded by None Landry 's, Inc. Tilman J. Fertitta Entertainment destinations Downtown Aquarium, Denver Downtown Aquarium, Houston Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier Golden Nugget Atlantic City Golden Nugget Las Vegas Golden Nugget Laughlin Kemah Boardwalk Restaurants Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Claim Jumper Fish Tales McCormick & Schmick 's Morton 's The Steakhouse Muer Seafood Restaurants Rainforest Cafe Saltgrass Steak House T - Rex Cafe Tower of the Americas Vic & Anthony 's Steakhouse City of San Antonio Nickname : Alamo City Attractions The Alamo Alamo Cenotaph La Antorcha de la Amistad Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Cathedral of San Fernando HemisFair ' 68 Houston Street San Antonio Zoo Tower of the Americas Tower Life Building Museums Artpace Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum Briscoe Western Art Museum Casa Navarro State Historic Site Fort Sam Houston Museum Gallista Gas Gallery Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center Guinness World Records UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures McNay Art Museum Museo Alameda Museum of Aerospace Medicine O. Henry House Museum Ripley 's Believe It or Not ! San Antonio Academy Museum San Antonio Museum of Art Southwest School of Art Spanish Governor 's Palace Edward Steves Homestead Texas Air Museum Texas Transportation Museum United States Army Medical Department Museum Witte Museum Yturri - Edmunds Historic Site See also : List of museums in Central Texas Entertainment Alamodome Alamo City Rugby Arneson River Theater AT&T Center Aztec on the River Fiesta Noche del Rio Fiesta San Antonio Freeman Coliseum Majestic Theatre Morgan 's Wonderland Nelson W. Wolff Stadium San Antonio Missions ( Baseball ) San Antonio Rampage San Antonio Scorpions San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Stars San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo San Antonio Symphony San Antonio Talons Santikos Theatres San Antonio Zoo SeaWorld San Antonio Six Flags Fiesta Texas Splashtown St. Mary 's Strip Texas Folklife Festival Toyota Field Tobin Center for the Performing Arts ( San Antonio Municipal Auditorium ) Companies Christus Santa Rosa iHeartMedia Visionworks of America Firstmark Credit Union Frost Bank Harte Hanks H-E-B M7 Aerospace NewTek Rackspace San Antonio Express - News SAS Shoemakers ( SAS ) SAWS Security Service Federal Credit Union SWBC Tesoro Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas USAA Valero Research and education The Alamo Colleges Baptist School of Health Professions Cancer Therapy & Research Center Children 's Cancer Research Institute Oblate School of Theology Our Lady of the Lake University San Antonio Public Library South Texas Medical Center Texas Biomedical Research Institute Southwest Research Institute St. Mary 's University Texas A&M University -- San Antonio Texas Neurosciences Institute Trinity University University Hospital System University of the Incarnate Word University of Texas Health Science Center University of Texas at San Antonio Military San Antonio Military Medical Center Brooks City - Base Camp Bullis Fort Sam Houston Lackland Air Force Base Pershing House Randolph Air Force Base Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center Parks Acequia Park Brackenridge Park Denman Estate Park Dwight D. Eisenhower Park Friedrich Wilderness Park Government Canyon State Natural Area Hardberger Park Mahncke Park Orsinger Park San Antonio Botanical Garden Japanese Tea Garden San Antonio Missions National Historical Park San Pedro Springs Park O.P. Schnabel Park Travis Park Restaurants and shopping Bill Miller Bar - B-Q Enterprises Buckhorn Saloon & Museum Don Pedro Mexican Restaurant Earl Abel 's Guenther House Jim 's Restaurants La Villita Luby 's Market Square North Star Mall Pearl Brewery Rivercenter River Walk The Shops at La Cantera Taco Cabana Whataburger Other Acequia Madre de Valero Architecture Bexar County Courthouse Culture Downtown Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center History timeline St. Joseph Catholic Church Metropolitan Area Neighborhoods and Districts San Antonio Conservation Society San Antonio International Airport San Antonio Springs San Antonio Station VIA Metropolitan Transit Bexar County San Antonio -- New Braunfels Metro Texas United States Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tower_of_the_Americas&oldid=797015770 '' Categories : Towers completed in 1968 Tourist attractions in San Antonio Buildings and structures in San Antonio Towers in Texas Observation towers in the United States Towers with revolving restaurants Restaurants in San Antonio World 's fair architecture in Texas Hidden categories : Use American English from September 2016 All Wikipedia articles written in American English Use mdy dates from September 2016 Articles needing additional references from April 2010 All articles needing additional references Coordinates on Wikidata Structurae ID different from Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español فارسی Français Português Русский Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 24 August 2017, at 12 : 40. About Wikipedia

Question: when was the tower of the americas built
Answer: began on August 9, 1966 and was completed in approximately 18 months, just in time for the opening ceremonies for the fair held on April 6, 1968