Completed the same year as the locally designed Smith-Young Tower (
SA42), and only slightly shorter in height, the former Alamo National Bank is one of only two works in Texas by the Chicago firm, which inherited the practice of D. H. Burnham (
HN19). By the onset of the Great Depression, the firm had abandoned the monumental classicism favored by Burnham, switching to a more vertical style with continuous pilasters between the window bays to emphasize the building's height. The setback massing of the building can best be appreciated from several blocks away, especially as approached from the east. The bank's name stands out in the massive leaded glass transoms above the entrance doors. Conversion to a hotel turned the banking hall into the lobby, and a rooftop pool with a spectacular view of downtown was placed atop a six-story addition.