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Houston has plenty of\u00a0 modern skyscrapers, but one of downtown\u2019s most intriguing landmarks<\/a> has been standing since the city\u2019s early skyscraper era. The Samuel F. Carter Building, now home to the JW Marriott Houston Downtown, was once the tallest building in Houston, and today, it has a rather unexpected attraction inside: Theatre of Magic.<\/p>\n The 90-minute experience brings live illusions and magic-inspired cocktails<\/a> to the historic hotel, giving visitors another reason to step inside a building with more than a century of stories behind it. From its days as a record-breaking skyscraper to its former life as a bank, there\u2019s plenty to discover before the magic even begins.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHouston\u2019s Theatre of Magic at the JW Marriott\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n The building was once the tallest in Houston\u00a0<\/p>\n The story begins in 1910 when the 16-story Samuel F. Carter Building was completed at the corner of Main Street and Rusk. Designed by Houston architects Sanguinet and Staats, the steel-framed skyscraper was the tallest building in Texas at the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Its height was so groundbreaking for the time that Houstonians reportedly weren\u2019t convinced it would stay standing. The building became known locally as \u201cCarter\u2019s Folly\u201d, partly because some thought a skyscraper of that size couldn\u2019t remain standing and partly because its location was considered too far south from Houston\u2019s commercial centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n They were in some way right. The building didn\u2019t stay at sixteen floors for too long, as in 1923 six additional floors were added. The total was brought to 22, making the structure even more imposing on the downtown skyline.\u00a0<\/p>\n This luxury hotel was once a bank, and the vault is still there\u00a0<\/p>\n The building, which now houses JW Marriott Houston Downtown, was once home to Second National Bank of Houston, founded by Samuel F. Carter. And some of its banking past is still hiding in plain sight.\u00a0<\/p>\n The building still preserves plenty of its original grandeur, including Italian and Norwegian marble interiors. Its ornate boardroom, added for the Second National Bank in 1929, remains remarkably intact, and is available for wedding ceremonies, with mahogany panelling, stained-glass windows, marble floors and a fireplace. It\u2019s a glimpse into the building\u2019s days as a hub for Houston\u2019s financial world, when its offices were occupied by banks, oil companies, doctors, architects and real estate businesses.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an underground tunnel beneath the hotel<\/p>\n The building\u2019s history goes deeper than its old bank vault, in fact 20 feet underground deeper. The JW Marriott Houston Downtown is connected to Houston\u2019s underground tunnel system<\/a>, with access from the hotel lobby.<\/p>\n The climate controlled tunnel network, which is one of the largest underground pedestrian networks in the US, stretches beneath downtown Houston, linking offices, shops, restaurants and other buildings below street level.\u00a0<\/p>\n The old landmark has a few new tricks up its sleeve<\/p>\n And there\u2019s another reason to head inside this historic building. Theatre of Magic brings a 90-minute live show to the JW Marriott, with close-up illusions and magic-themed cocktails.<\/p>\n Created by Australian magician Christopher Wayne, the experience has also picked up a 2025 TripAdvisor Travellers\u2019 Choice Award, placing it among the top 10% of experiences worldwide.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/TOF_SMN_1620x1080_P3_xfaifd-1-1024x683.jpg\")
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