Group+5+Tower+of+the+Americas+San+Antonio

**The Tower of the Americas** **By: Amanda Flores, Paula Lyssy, and Heather Thomas**  **IDS 3123** *Personal image taken on 7/1/11.

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San Antonio is a city rich with many cultures. People have migrated here from all over the world. It is no wonder that San Antonio was picked to be the host of the Worlds’ Fair for 1968. The city had only a few years to prepare itself for such an event. It was to take place in HemisFair Plaza and so the fair was respectfully named HemisFair 68. In honor of this celebration the officials decided to build a tower. It was to be the tallest tower around, but what would they call it? The name had to be appropriate. It could not be named for one individual or place (Letter from Dr. Laurie, 1965). We believe that the Tower was named Tower of the Americas because it signifies the unification of all cultures in the North, Central, and South Americas. ======

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Naming the tower would be no easy task. The HemisFair officials wanted the people to not only have a say in the name, but to have some power. They gave them that power in the form of a contest. Rules and entry forms were published in all of the 671 weekly and daily newspapers in the state of Texas. They turned to Associated Press to transmit the rules and entry form to the rest of the United States as well as Latin America. The announcement went out as “HemisFair officials are conducting a contest to seek an appropriate name for the tower which will appeal to human interest and continue to live on as a tribute to the community of nations in the Western Hemisphere” (Contest Plan, 1965). ======

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This is a copy of the announcement that went out in the paper. All entries had to be postmarked by September 30, 1965 and received by October 8, 1965. Along with the suggested name each entry had to include the reason why they felt that name would be appropriate for the Tower. The winner would receive a season pass to the Tower for themselves as well as their immediate family. They would also receive a three day, all expenses paid stay at the Menger Hotel. Any traveling expenses they accrued traveling to San Antonio would also be paid. Last but not least, the winner would receive a $100 U. S. Savings Bond. “Nine runners-up will each receive $25 U. S. Savings Bond.” A total of 3,354 entries were received (Contest Rules, 1965). ======

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There were three judges that were granted the task of going through each entry and picking out the top ten that they felt were suitable for consideration. Those judges were Dr. James Laurie – President of Trinity University, Mr. Harry Jersig – President of Lone Star Brewer, and Mr. David Strauss – President of Strauss-Frank Company (Contest Plan, 1965). Once these men decided on the top ten names, they then had to decide which name was the absolute best. Then they had to submit those names to the HemisFair Executive Committee for final review (Memo of Finalists, 1965). The top ten choices were: ======


 * 1) ======Tower of the Americas ======
 * 2) ======Hemispire ======
 * 3) ======Hemistower ======
 * 4) ======Astroshaft ======
 * 5) ======Astrospire ======
 * 6) ======Astrotower ======
 * 7) ======Stratospire ======
 * 8) ======Tower of Friendship ======
 * 9) ======<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Spire of Friendship ======
 * 10) ======<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Tower of Peace ======

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Almost a year after the contest was started the winning name was announced. The name of the tower would be Tower of the Americas (Tower Name Winner, 1965). There were 68 people that submitted this name for the contest, but there could only be one winner. That winner was Rosa M. Gonzalez. Rosa was the winner of the contest because of all the 68 entries with this name, her entry had the earliest postmark. Because there were so many entries with the name Tower of the Americas, the nine runners-up were from this group. They were also chosen by the postmark date on their entries. The next nine to be received after Rosa would receive the $25 U. S. Savings Bonds. ======

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">There was a little bit of controversy when one of the contestants saw the name she submitted in the paper, but she did not receive a prize (Letter from Mary Rendleman, 1965). A letter was sent to her explaining how they decided who would get the prizes for runners-up (Response to Mary Rendleman). Mary explained in a follow up letter that she understood that her name did not win however, she did not like that her name was listed as a finalist yet she did not get the finalist prize (Response from Mary Rendleman). ======

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Now that the tower had a name, the construction could commence. The tower was designed by O'neill Ford. Construction on the tower began in August of 1966. It took nearly 18 months to complete. The tower shaft is made of concrete. The top of the tower that houses the observation deck and restaurant was put together on the ground and was lifted into place with cables. As the top was being raised some of the cables broke. They had to bring in pipes from the oil fields to finish the job. HemisFair '68 began on April 6, 1968 and lasted until October 1968. ======

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">When the Tower of the Americas was built in San Antonio in 1968, it became a form of mass culture. Mass culture is possible because of modern communications, and it is transmitted by various forms of media instead of through daily interactions with people. In this way, mass culture differs greatly from folk culture, which is passed on through oral traditions. In his essay entitled “A Theory of Mass Culture,” Dwight Macdonald explains that “Mass culture is imposed from above. It is fabricated by technicians hired by businessmen; its audience are passive consumers, their participation limited to the choice between buying and not buying. The Lords of kitsch, in short, exploit the cultural needs of the masses in order to make a profit and/or to maintain their class rule.” (Storey, 2003) The idea of building a soaring skyscraper in the center of San Antonio was marketed and dispersed to the city through the media in the form of newspaper ads and letters. These advertisements were sent all over the continental United States and even into Mexico. In one particular advertisement it was proclaimed that the Tower “will appeal to human interest and continue to live on as tribute to the community of nations in the Western Hemisphere.” ======

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">There was also an interpretive community, the people who submitted entries, who were able to decide what the name for the tower would be based on what they felt the tower would represent for our city. An interpretive community can be defined as "consumers whose common social identities and cultural backgrounds (whether organized on the basis of nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion or age) inform their shared understandings of culture inpatterned ways." (Grazian,2010) The committee in charge of the Tower project decided to leave it up to the people what the Tower would be called. They could have chosen to do this for many reasons, but one very likely reason is that it was essentially a way of marketing the new structure and gaining interest from the public. By hosting a Tower naming contest, it guaranteed that people who submitted entries would stay interested in the project in order to see if their name had been chosen and whether or not they would win the prize. ======

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Today the Tower of the Americas also has many aspects of popular culture. Popular culture can be defined as referring to icons or media products that are globally ubiquitous and easily recognized the world over. The Tower of the Americas is greatly associated with tourism in San Antonio and is making a great profit from most of its visitors. From the moment you walk in the doors on the ground level of the tower your consumption nature is being targeted. They have a large gift shop, and a new 4D ride that takes people on a virtual flight all over Texas. To simply be able to ride the elevator to the observation deck on the top of the tower costs $10.95 for adults and $8.95 for children. The Tower of the Americas is also now home to the Chart House restaurant where the prices for a single entrée start at $25.99 a plate all theway up to $45.99. ("Tower of the,") The Tower is able to serve many people a day in that its three elevators are able to carry 1,950 people up to the top of the tower every hour. It is marketed to visitors and tourists as mixing “atmosphere and dining delicacies to allow visitors to experience a delightful San Antonio ‘cultural’ experience.” ("Tower of the," 2003) ======

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">With almost everything in mass culture, there are going to be people who are not supportive of what is being pushed on the population. The building of a 750ft. tower in the heart of San Antonio was no exception. Pat Zachary who was on the executive community and an officer of the fair strongly opposed the tower. He once told the chair of the community, “I certainly hope you come up with something other than a tower that I keep hearing about, because a tower is ugly. A tower really says nothing, and a tower would be like a ‘me-too’ project because Seattle had a tower as a focal point.” Pat Zachary was out voted 11 - 1with the vote in favor of building a tower. ======

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Due to the breath-taking views and up-scale atmosphere, the tower is selected to play host to many corporate functions. For those individuals who desire a unique and “high” class occasion, the Tower of the Americas is available for black-tie affairs, weddings, and other private gatherings. For many residents of San Antonio, the Tower of the Americas is also synonymous with New Year’s Eve. The New Year’s Eve firework celebration is one of the biggest social events for our city with attendance averaging over 250,000 people. (Huddleston,2010) A fourteen minute long firework show beginning with a countdown at midnight perfectly showcases the Tower of the Americas. The celebration is also shown on several local news stations so that all of the city can be a part of the party surrounding the Tower. The New Year’s Eve festivities that are hosted at the Tower have even been displayed to the rest of the country and beyond. In 2006, CNN sent a correspondent and camera crews to the site of the party to show viewers all over the world the “Texas-Sized Celebration!” ("San antonio gears," ) ======

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**World’s Fair Architecture**


<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Figure 2**. Scanned image. Top: Zintgraff Collection, UT Institure of Texan Cultures. Below: //Express-News// Collection, UT Institure of Texan Cultures <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The city of San Antonio has undergone significant changes since the World's Fair in 1968. The residential neighborhood in foreground of the 1957 view at top was transformed 11 years later into the grounds of the Hemisfair, including the signature Tower of Americas, a domed arena-theater-convention center complex and, at lower left, the two buildings of the United States Pavilion, a federal courthouse complex after the fair. (Holmesly, 2003) The World's Fair in 68' had and will forever have a significant impact on the economy and culture of San Antonio. The World's Fairs didn't only impact the culture and economy of their host city's they also brought world renown architecture. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">**Figure 3**. Personal image at the Tower of the Americas taken on 7/1/11.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Tower of the Americas, 1968 World’s Fair** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">San Antonio’s economy had been stagnant since it lost the position as the largest city in Texas to Dallas in the 1930 census. Three decades later a group of business men decided to put together a world’s fair to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the city’s founding in 1718. Having sufficient corporate participation to qualify as a World’s Fair was aided by having a Texan in the White House, Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez. The HemisFair invented to reflect a theme “The Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas.”(Holmesly, 2003). The Texas Pavilion became the Institute of Texas Cultures and the Tower of the Americas became the symbol of the modern city of San Antonio. HemisFair was the number one issue at this time, A Fair of the Americas: a fair for trade and tourism that would help San Antonio grow and develop. (Ferguson, 1986)

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">**Figure 4**. Personal image of the Tower of the Americas taken on 7/1/11. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**The Space Needle, 1962 World’s Fair** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The Seattle’s World Fair, also known as Century 21, gave visitors and Seattle’s citizens a glimpse of the future. Fair planners had been searching for a theme when the Soviets successfully launched Sputnik in 1957. It was the beginning of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, and suddenly science and the space age became a national obsession. Titled, “Man’s Life in the Space Age,” this was the first world’s fair in the United States since World War II, and it drew almost ten million people in its short six-month run. (Holmesly, 2003). The Space Needle towered over the fair site at 605 feet tall. At the time, it was the tallest structure west of Chicago, and it quickly became the symbol of Seattle. (Garn, 2007).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Eiffel Tower, World Exhibition 1889** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Inaugurated March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower would be the tallest structure in the world until the completion of the Chrysler Building in 1930. The Eiffel Tower was built for the World Exhibition in 1889, held in celebration of the French Revolution in 1789. The fair exhibited machines and war material among many other things. It was originally built as an entrance arch for the fair. Numerous design proposals were recieved, but Gustave Eifflel's design was selected unanimously. (Holmesly, 2003). The construction was only meant to last for the duration of the Exposition, but it still stands today, despite all protests from contemporary artists who feared the construction would be the advent of structures without 'individuality' and despite the many people who feared that this huge 'object' would not fit into the architecture of Paris.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**The** ** Unisphere ****, 1964 World’s Fair** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">New York’s first World’s Fair was in 1939, in the depths of the Great Depression, a group of New York business men and public officials decided to create an international exposition to bolster the local economy. They chose the theme, “The World of Tomorrow.” Sixty nation and twenty-four states agreed to participate. The 1964 World’s Fair was the third largest World’s Fair in New York and their theme was, “Peace through Understanding.” It focused more on maximizing profits and using more economical building methods while still reusing the master plan. The theme was symbolized by a 12-story high, stainless-steel model of the earth called Unisphere. (Garn, 2007). The Unisphere is a beautiful, giant steel globe that sits in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, New York. The fair ran for two six-month seasons, April 22–October 18, 1964 and April 21–October 17, 1965. Admission price for adults (13 and older) was $2.00 in 1964 but $2.50 in 1965, and $1.00 for children (2–12) both years. (Garn, 2007).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">In conclusion, Tower of the Americas has transformed from a form of mass culture to popular culture. It's not just a piece of architecture created for the World's Fair in 68', it's a key ingredient in the transformation of San Antonio as a whole. From this assignment, we have gained more of an appreciation for the city we live in as well as historical knowledge about World's Fairs and their purpose for being created. media type="youtube" key="FSPGshG7-PE" height="349" width="560" align="center"

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">References
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Contest Announcement: Tower Naming Contest, 1965 (Box 362, Folder 1),San Antonio Fair, Inc., Records, 1962-1995 MS 31, Special Collections, UTSA Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Contest Plan: Tower Naming Contest, 1965 (Box 362, Folder 1),San Antonio Fair, Inc., Records, 1962-1995 MS 31, Special Collections, UTSA Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Contest Rules: Tower Naming Contest, 1965 (Box 362, Folder 1),San Antonio Fair, Inc., Records, 1962-1995 MS 31, Special Collections, UTSA Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Ferguson, J. (1986). //Guide to San Antonio Architecture//. San Antonio. (Page 54) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Garn, A. (2007). //Exit to Tomorrow World's Fair Architecture, Design, Fashion 1933-2005.// New York: Universe Publishing. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Grazian, D. (2010). //Mix it up//.New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 115%;">Holmesly, S. (2003). //HemisFair '68 and the Transformation of San Antonio.// San Antonio: Maverick Publishing Company. (Page 2) Figure 2 <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Huddleston, S. (2010, December 29).//S.a. falls out of top 50 new year's sites//. Retrieved from [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Letter from Dr. Laurie to Mr. Weinman: Tower Naming Contest, 1965 (Box 362, Folder 1),San Antonio Fair, Inc., Records, 1962-1995 MS 31, Special Collections, UTSA Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Letter from Mary Rendleman: Tower Naming Contest, 1965 (Box 362, Folder 1),San Antonio Fair, Inc., Records, 1962-1995 MS 31, Special Collections, UTSA Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Memo of Finalists: Tower Naming Contest, 1965 (Box 362, Folder 1),San Antonio Fair, Inc., Records, 1962-1995 MS 31, Special Collections, UTSA Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">News Release: Tower Naming Contest, 1965 (Box 362, Folder 1),San Antonio Fair, Inc., Records, 1962-1995 MS 31, Special Collections, UTSA Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Newspaper Clipping of Contest: Tower Naming Contest, 1965 (Box 362, Folder 1),San Antonio Fair, Inc., Records, 1962-1995 MS 31, Special Collections, UTSA Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Response from Mary Rendleman: Tower Naming Contest, 1965 (Box 362, Folder 1),San Antonio Fair, Inc., Records, 1962-1995 MS 31, Special Collections, UTSA Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Response to Mary Rendleman: Tower Naming Contest, 1965 (Box 362, Folder 1),San Antonio Fair, Inc., Records, 1962-1995 MS 31, Special Collections, UTSA Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">// San antonio gears up fortexas-sized festival // .(n.d.). Retrieved from [] <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Storey, D. (2003). //Inventingpopular culture//. Malden: Blackwell Publishing <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">// Tower of the americas //. (2003). Retrieved from [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">// Tower of the americas //. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Tower Name Winner: Tower Naming Contest, 1965 (362, Folder 1), San Antonio Fair, Inc., Records, 1962-1995 MS 31, Special Collections, UTSA Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Youtube Video: [] (7/9/11)