As San Antonio’s Northside developed, larger-than-life landmarks started to pop up in the area, from the massive pyramid near San Pedro Avenue to the iconic North Star boots. Another one of those sights that’s puzzled San Antonians for decades is nearby, and you’ve probably spotted it before — or seen it in a David Hasselhoff film.
Off of Loop 410 near the Highway 281 interchange is the Century Building — a long, triangular structure covered in glass panels that almost resembles a greenhouse. I used to see it on trips to North Star Mall, and it never failed to be a head-scratcher. Built in 1971 and designed by prominent Houston architects Neuhaus & Taylor, the more than 187,000-square-foot Century stands four stories tall. According to LoopNet, the building at 84 NE Interstate 410 Loop, San Antonio, TX 78216 houses insurance, law, marketing, health care services and more businesses in its office space.
Today, a first-floor atrium inside is full of greenery as well as “lounge and game areas,” according to LoopNet. But when it was first built, it looked a little different, as commenters under a recent Facebook post about the building recall the glass panels on the outside used to be coppery, calling it “the golden skyscraper on its side.” One local even claimed there was an ice rink in the basement…