AUSTIN (KXAN) — The old saying that everything is bigger in Texas also applies to the state’s skyline as well.
Austin’s recently completed Waterline tower has claimed the title of the tallest building in Texas, ending Houston’s 44-year reign atop the state’s skyscraper rankings. The 74-story tower rises 1,025 feet above downtown Austin, surpassing Houston’s JPMorgan Chase Tower by 23 feet. It is also the 24th-tallest building in the United States.
Austin’s recently completed Waterline tower has claimed the title of the tallest building in Texas, ending Houston’s 44-year reign atop the state’s skyscraper rankings. (KXAN Photo/Andy Way)
Austin’s recently completed Waterline tower has claimed the title of the tallest building in Texas, ending Houston’s 44-year reign atop the state’s skyscraper rankings. (KXAN Photo/Andy Way)
Austin’s recently completed Waterline tower has claimed the title of the tallest building in Texas, ending Houston’s 44-year reign atop the state’s skyscraper rankings. (KXAN Photo/Andy Way)
Austin’s recently completed Waterline tower has claimed the title of the tallest building in Texas, ending Houston’s 44-year reign atop the state’s skyscraper rankings. (KXAN Photo/Andy Way)
Austin’s recently completed Waterline tower has claimed the title of the tallest building in Texas, ending Houston’s 44-year reign atop the state’s skyscraper rankings. (KXAN Photo/Andy Way)
Austin’s recently completed Waterline tower has claimed the title of the tallest building in Texas, ending Houston’s 44-year reign atop the state’s skyscraper rankings. (KXAN Photo/Andy Way)
Austin’s recently completed Waterline tower has claimed the title of the tallest building in Texas, ending Houston’s 44-year reign atop the state’s skyscraper rankings. (KXAN Photo/Andy Way)
Austin’s recently completed Waterline tower has claimed the title of the tallest building in Texas, ending Houston’s 44-year reign atop the state’s skyscraper rankings. (KXAN Photo/Andy Way)
Austin’s recently completed Waterline tower has claimed the title of the tallest building in Texas, ending Houston’s 44-year reign atop the state’s skyscraper rankings. (KXAN Photo/Andy Way)
The milestone marks a new chapter in Texas architecture, which began with the completion of Dallas’ 14-story Praetorian Building in 1909, considered the state’s first skyscraper. More than a century later, Texas is home to some of the tallest buildings in the nation, with Houston, Dallas and Austin all boasting skyscrapers exceeding 875 feet.
Waterline: Texas’ tallest building
Waterline officially became the tallest building in Texas following its completion in April. Located in downtown Austin, the mixed-use tower stands 1,025 feet tall and contains 74 floors. The project includes hotel, retail and office space, with residential options coming in September.
Beyond setting a state record, Waterline elevated Austin into an elite group of American cities with skyscrapers topping 1,000 feet. That shortlist also includes Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Before Waterline’s completion, Houston’s JPMorgan Chase Tower held the Texas height record from 1982 until 2026.
The 5 tallest buildings in Texas
Texas Rank
Building
City
Height
Year Completed
U.S. Rank
1
Waterline
Austin
1,025 ft.
2026
24th
2
JPMorgan Chase Tower
Houston
1,002 ft.
1982
26th
3
Wells Fargo Plaza
Houston
992 ft.
1983
34th
4
Bank of America Plaza
Dallas
921 ft.
1985
40th
5
Williams Tower
Houston
901 ft.
1983
46th
Texas skylines
Texas’ skyscraper history has shifted between Dallas and Houston for much of the last century.
Houston remains the state’s skyscraper capital, holding three of the five tallest buildings in Texas. The aforementioned JPMorgan Chase Tower remains the tallest building in Houston and the tallest pentagonal (five-sided) building in the world.
Dallas’ highest structure, Bank of America Plaza, reaches 921 feet and ranks as the fourth-tallest building in Texas and 40th nationally. Austin, meanwhile, has rapidly climbed the rankings with Waterline and “Sixth and Guadalupe,” which stands 875 feet tall and ranks as the seventh-tallest building in Texas.
These were Texas’ fastest-growing cities in 2025, according to new Census Bureau estimates
Today, the state’s tallest towers reflect the economic growth of its largest cities and prevalence of the “Texas Triangle,” the nickname of the area where most economic development and population growth can be found in Texas.
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