Chase Tower with Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre

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. One of four venues of the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District, the iconic Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre was dedicated in October 2009. Set within the 10- acre Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park, the largest public park in Downtown Dallas, the AT&T Performing Arts Center also includes the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, the Annette Strauss Artist Square and City Performance Hall. The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre features a groundbreaking design with a vertically organized “stacked” facility that rethinks the traditional form of theatre. The vertical rods of extruded anodized aluminum that line all four sides of the building’s exterior symbolize the folds of a theatre curtain and enhance its upward structure. The world’s only vertical theatre, its innovative design creates ultimate performance flexibility. Its unique Potter Rose Performance Hall is surrounded on three sides by glass walls, which allow for pedestrian views into the theatre and give audience views of the Dallas Arts District and city skyline.

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