The World’s Littlest Skyscraper hardly makes a dent in the sky over downtown Wichita Falls, but its story is an often told part of the North Texas city’s legend.
Officially known as the Newby-McMahon Building, the four-story structure was supposedly given its nickname in the 1920s when Ripley’s Believe It or Not! featured the building in a newspaper column.
In 1912, a large oil field was discovered west of Wichita Falls near Burkburnett. As the county seat, Wichita Falls was the hub for business deals. Office space was at a premium.
Enter one J.D. McMahon, the owner of a construction company working the oil fields. He proposed to investors the construction of an office tower 480″ tall.
Did you catch that? In the get-rich frenzy of the oil boom in 1919, the investors who plunked down $200,000 ($3.4 million in 2022 dollars) didn’t notice the blueprint measurements were in inches, not feet. McMahon built just what he said he would, and a judge agreed with him when the stakeholders brought suit. McMahon turned a tidy profit on the building before disappearing.
Despite its diminutive size, office space was still hard to find in the boomtown and several oil companies rented space through the 1920s.
The building eventually was boarded up and might have been forgotten if not for Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Visitors come from around the world to see the red brick building with a fascinating backstory. It is owned by a local architect who saved it from demolition.
The World’s Littlest Skyscraper is at 701 La Salle on the corner of Seventh Street behind the Hello Again furniture and decor shop. In Wichita Falls’ Depot Square Historic District, it is surrounded by trendy restaurants and hotels.
1,633rd in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere: Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.
This article appears in December 30 • 2022.
