AUSTIN, TX — Austin now owns the title of Texas’ tallest building after completion of Waterline, a 74-story mixed-use tower in downtown Austin that reaches 1,025 feet. Developer and construction company DPR Construction say the project is finished and that the tower now stands 23 feet above Houston’s JPMorgan Chase Tower.
The finish marks the end of Houston’s more than four-decade run as the state home of the tallest skyscraper. It also sets up a neat twist in the rivalry: Austin has the higher building, but Houston still has the one with more floors.
Why Waterline tops Texas by height but not by floors
Waterline’s numbers make the comparison unusual. The Austin tower has 74 stories, while Houston’s JPMorgan Chase Tower rises 1,002 feet with 75 stories. That means the newer building is technically taller, even though it contains one fewer floor.
In skyscraper terms, the edge comes down to vertical measurement, not the raw count of levels inside the structure. Waterline’s 23-foot margin is enough to take the height crown, but not enough to overtake Houston’s floor count…