Chase Tower with the Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe

Designed by Richard Keating while at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Chase Tower was completed in 1987 and quickly became the signature building in the Dallas skyline. Often referred to as the keyhole building because of its seven-story rectangular hole in its center near the glass-vaulted top, the skyscraper features a red granite base and pink granite middle. At the center of each elevation is a 45-degree angled window, which helps break up the façade of its midsection. The glass top is set back from the midsection on all four sides, and the vaulted roof runs entirely across the building and notched to provide additional interest. Illuminated at night with spotlights set into the building’s midsection, the glass top can be seen throughout Dallas. The 40th floor also boasts a sky lobby that offers good views of the Uptown area of the city. A domed building in front of the high-rise has been converted into a fitness center and two floors inside the rotunda have exercise equipment while a lower level houses locker and shower areas and another workout room. Dating from the late 19th century, the Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe (Cathedral Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe) is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas, Texas. Located in the Arts District, the church oversees the second largest Catholic Church membership in the United States. Formally dedicated as the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart by Bishop Edward Dunne in October 1902, today the cathedral is neighbors with the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center and the Dallas Museum of Art, preserving a sense of the historical evolution of Dallas in the heart of the city. Nestled amid the gleaming glass and polished stone facings of its neighbors, the cathedral stands as an architectural analogue of God’s grace as it serves the needs of its parishioners, the diocese and the greater community.

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