View source for World's littlest skyscraper

{{short description|Building in Wichita Falls, Texas, US}}
{{good article}}
{{use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox building
| name                 = Newby–McMahon Building
| image                = Newby-McMahon Building, 1919.JPG
| image_alt            = Newby–McMahon Building, c. 1919, also known as the "Worlds Littlest Skyscraper"
| caption              = Photographed in January 2016
| location             = [[Wichita Falls, Texas]], United States
| coordinates          = {{coord|33.9144|-98.4897|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| roof                 = {{convert|12.2|m|ft|1|abbr=on}}
| top_floor            = 
| floor_count          = 4 habitable floors
| start_date           = 1919
| completion_date      = 1919
| opening              = 1919
| building_type        = Mixed-use
| floor_area           = {{convert|40|m2|sqft|abbr=on}}
| cost                 = {{US$|200000|1919|long=no}}
| architect            = Michael Beards
| structural_engineer  = J. D. McMahon
| main_contractor      = J. D. McMahon
| references           = <ref name=NPS2004/><ref name=ARN19980820/><ref name= Stowers2008/>
| embedded             = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed                = yes
| name                 = Newby&ndash;McMahon Building
| nrhp_type            = cp | nocat = yes
| designated_nrhp_type = February 4, 2004
| partof               = Depot Square Historic District (Wichita Falls, Texas)
| partof_refnum        = 03001552<ref name=NPS2004/>}}
}}
The '''Newby-McMahon Building''', commonly referred to as the '''World's littlest skyscraper''', is a historic four-story<ref name=OConnor1986/> building located at 511 7th Street<ref name=Belefanti2021/> (on the corner of Seventh and La Salle streets) in downtown [[Wichita Falls, Texas]].<ref name=Watson2018/> It is a late [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] style red brick and [[cast stone]] structure. It stands {{convert|40|ft|m|abbr=on}} tall, and its exterior dimensions are {{convert|18|ft|m|abbr=on}} deep and {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on}} wide.<ref name=ARN19980820/> Its interior dimensions are approximately {{convert|12|ft|m|abbr=on}} by {{convert|9|ft|m|abbr=on}}, or approximately {{convert|108|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}. Steep, narrow, internal stairways leading to the upper floors occupy roughly 25% of the interior area.<ref name=Stowers2008/>

Reportedly the result of a fraudulent investment scheme by a [[Confidence trick|con artist]], the Newby-McMahon Building was a source of great embarrassment to the city and its residents after its completion in 1919. During the 1920s, the building was featured in [[Robert Ripley]]'s ''[[Ripley's Believe It or Not!]]'' syndicated column as "the world's littlest skyscraper,"<ref name=Garner2020/> a nickname that has stuck with it ever since. It is now part of the Depot Square Historic District of Wichita Falls, a [[Recorded Texas Historic Landmark|Texas Historic Landmark]].

==Background==
A large [[petroleum reservoir]] was discovered just west of the city of [[Burkburnett, Texas|Burkburnett]], a small town in [[Wichita County, Texas|Wichita County]] in 1912.<ref name=Olien2002/><ref name=Hart2021/> Burkburnett and its surrounding communities became [[boomtown]]s, experiencing explosive growth of their populations and economies. By 1918, an estimated 20,000 new settlers had taken up residence around the lucrative [[oil field]] and many Wichita County residents had become wealthy virtually overnight. As people streamed into the local communities in search of high-paying jobs, the nearby city of Wichita Falls began to grow in importance.<ref name=Garner2020/>

Though it initially lacked the infrastructure needed for this sudden increase in economic and industrial activity, Wichita Falls was a natural choice to serve as the local logistical hub, being the seat of Wichita County. Because office space was lacking, major stock transactions and [[mineral rights]] deals were conducted on street corners and in tents that served as makeshift headquarters for the new oil companies. Sensing an opportunity, [[J. D. McMahon]] proposed the construction of a skyscraper. With a proposed height of {{Convert|480|ft|m|abbr=off}}, the new building would be among the tallest in the world at that time.<ref name=Garner2020/>

==Proposal and blueprints==
The original structure, referred to as the Newby Building, is a single-story brick building located near the railroad depot in downtown Wichita Falls, constructed in 1906 by Augustus Newby (1855–1909),<ref name=WDT1909/><ref name=TSOT0721/> a director of the [[Wichita Falls and Oklahoma Railway|Wichita Falls and Oklahoma City Railway Company]].<ref name=Barnes1898/> The oil-rig construction firm of J. D. McMahon, a [[Landman (oil worker)|petroleum landman]] and [[structural engineer]] from [[Philadelphia]], was one of seven tenants whose offices were based in the original Newby Building.<ref name=TSOT0721/>

According to local legend,<ref name=Kelso2018/> when McMahon announced in 1919 that he would build a high-rise annex to the Newby Building as a solution to the newly wealthy city's urgent need for office space, investors were eager to invest in the project.<ref name=McLeod2000/> McMahon collected {{US$|200000|1919|long=no}} in [[Financial capital|investment capital]] from this group of naïve investors, promising to construct a high-rise office building across the street from the St. James Hotel.<ref name=Stowers2008/>

Supposedly, the key to McMahon's swindle, and his successful defense in the ensuing [[lawsuit]], was that legal documents listed the height as 480" (inches) as opposed to 480' (feet).<ref name=Garner2020/> Investors did not seem to notice, and McMahon apparently never verbally stated that the actual height of the building would be 480 inches.<ref name=ARN19980820/><ref name=Fodors2008/>

==Construction and ensuing legal battle==
McMahon used his own construction crews to build the McMahon Building on the small, unused piece of property next to the Newby Building, without obtaining prior consent from the owner of the property, who lived in [[Oklahoma]].

According to legend, investors brought a lawsuit against McMahon over the size of the building, but to their dismay, the real estate and construction deal was declared legally binding by a local judge.<ref name=Stowers2008/> They did recover a small portion of their investment from the elevator company, which refused to honor the contract after learning how small the building was. No stairway was installed in the building upon its initial completion, as none was included in the original blueprints. Rather, a ladder was employed to gain access to the upper three floors.<ref name=ARN19980820/> By the time construction was complete, McMahon had left Wichita Falls and perhaps Texas, taking with him the balance of the investors' money.<ref name=Pohlen2006/>

==Early occupancy and subsequent abandonment==
Upon its completion and opening in 1919, the Newby-McMahon Building was an immediate source of great embarrassment to the city and its residents.<ref name=Garner2020/> The ground floor had six desks representing the six different companies that occupied the building as its original tenants. Throughout most of the 1920s, the building housed only two firms. During the 1920s, it was featured in Robert Ripley's ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' syndicated column as "the world's littlest skyscraper", which is a name that has stuck with it ever since.<ref name=ARN19980820/><ref name=Garner2020/><ref name=TSOT0721/>

The oil industry ultimately proved to be a [[resource curse]] to Wichita Falls, and the [[Texas oil boom]] ended only a few years later. The building was vacated, boarded up, and virtually forgotten in 1929 as the [[Great Depression]] struck North Texas and office space became relatively inexpensive to lease or purchase.<ref name=Stowers2008/> A fire gutted the building in 1931, rendering it unusable for several years.

After the Great Depression, the building housed a succession of tenants, including barber shops and cafés. The building changed hands many times and was scheduled for demolition on several occasions, but escaped this fate apparently because a sufficient number of local residents came to its defense.<ref name=TSOT0721/> It was eventually deeded to the city of Wichita Falls. As the building continued to deteriorate, in 1986 the city gave the building to the Wichita County Heritage Society (WCHS), with the hope that it would eventually be restored, making it a viable part of the Depot Square Historic District
<ref name=ARN19980820/><ref name=Stowers2008/>

==Purchase and renovation==
[[File:Wichita Falls October 2015 18 (Hello Again! and "world's littlest skyscraper").jpg|thumb|alt=|The Newby-McMahon Building and the "Hello Again!" storefront in October 2015]]
[[File:Newby-McMahon Building-02.jpg|thumb|alt=|Plaque attached to the Newby-McMahon Building, also known as the "world's littlest skyscraper". This plaque refers to the one-story brick building adjacent to the "skyscraper" which was completed in 1906;<ref name=NPS2004/> the "skyscraper" itself was completed in 1919.]]

By 1999, the Newby-McMahon Building had proved to be an excessive burden on the limited capital reserves of the WCHS. The following year, the city council hired the local architectural firm of Bundy, Young, Sims & Potter to stabilize the crumbling structure, amid steadily growing talk of demolishing the building.<ref name=Stowers2008/> Dick Bundy and his partners became fascinated with the history and legacy of the building; they arranged a partnership with Marvin Groves Electric, another local business, to purchase the building. In December 2000, the city council voted to allow the WCHS to sell the building to Marvin Groves for {{US$|3748|2000|long=no}}.

On June 11, 2003, a storm swept through Wichita Falls, bringing gusts of wind as strong as {{convert|97|mph}}. A {{convert|15|ft|adj=on}} section of brick wall from the McMahon Building complex was knocked down. The damage from this storm was repaired, but full restoration of the building and the adjacent Newby Building was delayed until late 2005. In June of that year, the City Council granted {{US$|25000|2005|long=no}} in funds from the city's [[tax increment financing]] fund, to be invested in the restoration of the McMahon Building. Restoration of the building is estimated to have cost more than {{US$|254000|2005|long=no}}, the remainder of which was paid by the owners (Bundy, Young, Sims & Potter, Inc., and Marvin Groves Electric).

==Current status==
After its renovation, the building was home to an antiques dealership, the Antique Wood, which opened in 2006 on the ground floor. Since 2013, a furniture and home décor consignment boutique by the name of "Hello Again!" has occupied the building.<ref name=Belefanti2021/><ref name=McGinnis2016/>

The Newby-McMahon Building has never met the criteria for the definition of a [[skyscraper]],<ref name=Emporis24419/> nor even that of a "[[Tower block|high-rise]]" building.<ref name=Emporis18727/> Having survived tornadoes, a fire, and decades of neglect, the building is currently part of the Depot Square Historic District of Wichita Falls.<ref name=TSOT0721/> It has been declared a [[Recorded Texas Historic Landmark|Texas Historic Landmark]] and is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name=atlas/>
The building attracts visitors from around the world.<ref name=discoverwichitafalls/>

The building is among several historic buildings featured in the documentary film ''Wichita Falls: The Future of Our Past'', a retrospective analysis of the city's architectural past produced in 2006 by Barry Levy, a public information officer with the city of Wichita Falls.
<!--A document written by Delores Mathews and updated by Ruth E. Reuther gives more of the history of the building.-->

==See also==
{{Portal|Texas}}
* [[History of the tallest buildings in the world]]
* [[Skyscraper Index]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist
|colwidth=30em
|refs=
<ref name=ARN19980820>{{Cite news |url=http://www.texnews.com/1998/brazos/bill0820.html |title=Cowboys Mosey On, But Littlest Skyscraper Remains |last=Whitaker |first=Bill |date=August 20, 1998 |work=[[Abilene Reporter-News]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614100718/http://www.texnews.com/1998/brazos/bill0820.html |archive-date=June 14, 2011 |publisher=[[E. W. Scripps Company]] |location=Abilene, Texas |issn=0199-3267 |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name=atlas>{{Cite web |url=http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/viewform.asp?atlas_num=2003001552 |title=Depot Square Historic District |website=Texas Historic Sites Atlas |publisher=[[Texas Historical Commission]] |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name=Barnes1898>{{Cite book |last=Barnes |first=Cassius McDonald |authorlink=Cassius McDonald Barnes |title=Report of the Governor of Oklahoma to the Secretary of the Interior |page=51 |publisher=Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |year=1898 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FssUAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Augustus+Newby%22+%22Wichita+Falls%22&pg=PA76-IA83}}</ref>

<ref name=Belefanti2021>{{cite news |last=Belefanti |first=Chantale |title='Hello Again' owners purchase the World's Littlest Skyscraper |work=www.newschannel6now.com |publisher=[[KAUZ-TV]] |location=Wichita Falls, Texas |date=May 26, 2021 |url=https://www.newschannel6now.com/2021/05/27/hello-again-owners-purchase-the-worlds-littlest-skyscraper/ |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name=discoverwichitafalls>{{cite web |author=Wichita Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau |title=World's Littlest Skyscraper |work=Historic Places |publisher=Wichita Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau |location=Wichita Falls, Texas |year=2022 |url=https://discoverwichitafalls.com/destination-item/worlds-littlest-skyscraper/ |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name=Emporis18727>{{Cite web |url=http://standards.emporis.com/?nav=realestate&lng=3&esn=18727 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818012446/http://standards.emporis.com/?nav=realestate&lng=3&esn=18727 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=August 18, 2007 |title=Data Standards: high-rise building (ESN 18727) |publisher=Emporis Standards |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name=Emporis24419>{{Cite web |url=http://standards.emporis.com/?nav=realestate&lng=3&esn=24419 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930040616/http://standards.emporis.com/?nav=realestate&lng=3&esn=24419 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |title=Data Standards: skyscraper (ESN 24419) |publisher=[[Emporis Standards]] |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name=Fodors2008>{{Cite book |last=Edwards |first=Jennifer |editor-last=Harmsen |editor-first=Debbie |editor-last2=Nalepa |editor-first2=Michael |edition=1st |title=Fodor's Texas |chapter=The Panhandle: Wichita Falls & Environs |page=517 |publisher=Random House, Inc. |location=New York |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4000-0719-6}}</ref>

<ref name=Garner2020>{{Cite journal |last=Garner |first=Chet |title=The Height of Deceit |journal=Texas Co-op Power |volume=76 |issue=8 |page=38 |year=2020 |publisher=Texas Electric Cooperatives |location=Austin, Texas |url=https://texascooppower.com/the-height-of-deceit/ |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name=Hart2021>{{Cite web |last=Hart |first=Brian |title=Burkburnett, Texas |work=Handbook of Texas |year=2021 |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |location=Denton, Texas |url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/heb14 |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name=Kelso2018>{{Cite book |last1=Kelso |first1=John |last2=Permenter |first2=Paris |last3=Bigley |first3=John |edition=3rd |title=Texas Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Offbeat Fun |chapter=North Texas |page=72 |publisher=Globe Pequot Press |location=Guilford, Connecticut |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-4930-2369-1}}</ref>

<ref name=McGinnis2016>{{Cite news |last=McGinnis |first=Judith |title=Downtown retail future gets boost from the past |work=Wichita Falls Times Record News |date=February 28, 2016 |url=https://archive.timesrecordnews.com/special/imagine-wichita-falls/downtown/downtown-retail-future-gets-boost-from-the-past-28337f58-cd8e-4f37-e053-0100007f59ac-370866031.html/ |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name=McLeod2000>{{Cite news |last=McLeod |first=Gerald E. |title=Day Trips: Best Skyscraper |work=[[The Austin Chronicle]] |location=Austin, Texas |date=September 15, 2000 |url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=78616 |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name=NPS2004>{{cite book |author=National Park Service |authorlink=National Park Service |title=Depot Square Historic District |chapter=Section 7 |pages=14–15 |publisher=National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior |location=Washington, D.C. |date=February 4, 2004 |url=https://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/preserve/survey/highway/Depot%20Sq%20Historic%20District%20Wichita%20Falls.pdf}}</ref>

<ref name=OConnor1986>{{Cite book |author=Texas Committee for the Humanities |editor-last=O'Connor |editor-first=Robert F. |edition=1st |title=Texas Myths |page=215 |publisher=Texas A & M University Press |location=College Station, Texas |year=1986 |isbn=0-89096-264-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/texasmyths00ocon/page/215/mode/2up}}</ref>

<ref name=Olien2002>{{Cite book |last1=Olien |first1=Diana Davids |last2=Olien |first2=Roger M. |edition=1st |title=Oil in Texas: the gusher age, 1895–1945 |page=78 |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin, Texas |year=2002 |isbn=0-292-76056-6}}</ref>

<ref name=Pohlen2006>{{Cite book |last=Pohlen |first=Jerome |edition=1st |title=Oddball Texas: A Guide To Some Really Strange Places |chapter=Wichita Falls: The Littlest Skyscraper |page=67 |publisher=Chicago Review Press |location=Chicago, Illinois |year=2006 |isbn=978-155652-583-4 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EPJ_0i9zNS8C&pg=PA67}}</ref>

<ref name=Stowers2008>{{Cite journal |last=Stowers |first=Carlton |title=Legend Of The World's Littlest Skyscraper |journal=Texas Co-op Power |volume=65 |issue=1 |page=25 |year=2008 |publisher=Texas Electric Cooperatives |location=Austin, Texas |url=https://texascooppower.com/legend-of-the-worlds-littlest-skyscraper/ |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name=TSOT0721>{{cite podcast |title=Littlest Skyscraper |website=The Shape of Texas |publisher=[[Texas Society of Architects]] |location=Austin, Texas |year=2010 |url=https://texasarchitects.org/the-shape-of-texas/#shape-texas-season-7 |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name=Watson2018>{{cite news |last=Watson |first=Deanna |title=Celebrating greed, fraud: Retelling the tale of the 'World's Littlest Skyscraper' in downtown Wichita Falls |publisher=[[Times Record News]] |location=Wichita Falls, Texas |date=June 19, 2018 |url=https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2018/06/19/wichita-falls-story-behind-worlds-littlest-skyscraper/715470002/ |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>

<ref name=WDT1909>{{Cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |title=Clay County Texas: Obituaries 1909 |work=Wichita Daily Times |location=Wichita Falls, Texas |date=July 5, 1909 |url=http://tn-roots.com/Clay/Obits/wichita-obits-1909.htm |access-date=December 18, 2022}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Wichita+Falls,+Wichita,+Texas&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.86519,107.138672&ie=UTF8&geocode=FWx7BQIdNRwh-g&split=0&hq=&hnear=Wichita+Falls,+Wichita,+Texas&ll=33.914437,-98.490146&spn=0.002315,0.013078&z=17&layer=c&cbll=33.91438,-98.490244&panoid=hjmadwUk85-oB-zAvA1wQg&cbp=12,85.53,,0,-1.57 Street-view On Google Maps]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGQgmmrXONk "Why The World's Littlest Skyscraper Was A Massive Scam"], on [[YouTube]] by [[Tom Scott (entertainer)|Tom Scott]], December 16, 2019.

{{DEFAULTSORT:World's Littlest Skyscraper}}
[[Category:1910s architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:1919 architecture]]
[[Category:1919 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Wichita Falls, Texas]]
[[Category:Commercial buildings completed in 1919]]
[[Category:Confidence tricks]]
[[Category:Historic district contributing properties in Texas]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Wichita County, Texas]]
[[Category:Office buildings completed in 1919]]
[[Category:Roadside attractions in Texas]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Wichita County, Texas]]