San Antonio, a major city in the U.S. state of Texas, is home to 36 buildings that stand at least 200 feet (61 m) tall as of 2026, 12 of which exceed 300 feet (91 m) in height. The tallest building in San Antonio is the Marriott Rivercenter, a 546ft (166.4 m) tall hotel skyscraper that was built in 1988. However, the city's tallest free-standing structure is the 750ft (229 m) Tower of the Americas. It is the second-tallest observation tower in the United States. San Antonio's skyline is the largest in Texas outside of the metropolitan areas of Houston, Dallas, and Austin. Despite being more populous than nearby Austin, San Antonio has far fewer tall buildings.[1][2]
San Antonio's first high-rise construction boom occurred in the 1920s. This period saw the completion of the Emily Morgan Hotel, the Milam Building, and the Tower Life Building, each of which became the tallest building in the city. The 280ft (85 m) Milam Building was the first high-rise air-conditionedoffice building in the United States, while the 404ft (123 m) Tower Life Building (originally the Smith-Young Tower) is notable for its late gothic revival architecture and its brick and terracotta octagonal exterior. After the onset of the Great Depression, skyscraper construction slowed. The Tower Life Building remained the city's tallest building for nearly 60 years.
High-rise development resumed in the late 1950s, and continued steadily for the next two decades. The famous Tower of the Americas was built for the city's world's fair, HemisFair '68. The structure was the tallest observation tower in the country until 1996, when the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas was completed. The 1980s was the most productive decade for San Antonio's skyline, and saw the construction of the Marriott Rivercenter and the city's second tallest building, the Weston Centre. Since 2000, there have been two main periods of high-rise development. The first occurred in the late 2000s, and saw the addition of Grand Hyatt San Antonio, the city's third tallest building. The second has been ongoing since the late 2010s. The Frost Tower, the new headquarters for Frost Bank, was completed in 2019 and features a distinctive glass crown.[3][4] Amidst an apartment boom, 300 Main, the city's tallest residential building at a height of 387ft (118 m), was completed in 2024.[5][6][7][8]
Most of San Antonio's tallest buildings are located in downtown, surrounded by Interstate 35 to the west and Interstate 37 to the east. The San Antonio River runs through downtown, and a section of the river forms the San Antonio River Walk in the center of downtown. Several prominent high-rises are situated along the river walk, including the city's four tallest buildings, the Drury Plaza Hotel, and the Hilton Palacio del Rio. A triangle-shaped "viewshed" around the Alamo has limited the height of buildings around the fortress since 2003.[9][10] There are ten buildings taller than 200ft (61 m) elsewhere in the city, the tallest of which is The Towers at Park Lane. The furthest of these towers is Tesoro Headquarters, which sits outside Loop 1604.
History
Number of buildings by height in San Antonio by the end of each year, based on the information in this article. This takes into account one demolished building. Click on the legend to toggle a specific height on or off. View chart definition.
Cityscape
Panorama of the San Antonio skyline in 2013
Map of tallest buildings
The map below shows the location of buildings taller than 200ft (61 m) in Downtown San Antonio, where most of the city's tallest buildings stand. Each marker is numbered by the building's height rank, and colored by the decade of its completion.
This list ranks completed buildings in San Antonio that stand at least 200ft (61 m) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The “Year” column indicates the year of completion. Buildings tied in height are sorted by year of completion with earlier buildings ranked first, and then alphabetically.
Was the tallest building in San Antonio upon completion
Tallest building in San Antonio since 1988. Tallest building in Texas outside of Houston, Dallas, and Austin. Tallest building completed in San Antonio in the 1980s.[12]
First known as the Smith-Young Tower. Also on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally an office building, it was renovated into apartments in 2026. Tallest residential building in San Antonio since 2026. Tallest building in San Antonio from 1928 to 1988. Tallest building completed in San Antonio in the 1920s. Topped by a flagpole displaying the American flag.[15]
Tallest residential building in San Antonio from 2024 to 2026. Tallest building in San Antonio originally built as a residential building. Tallest building completed in San Antonio in the 2020s.[18]
Formerly the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk, it reopened as the InterContinental on August 6, 2024, after three years of renovations. Tallest building 3completed in San Antonio in the 1950s.[21][22][23]
Originally an office building, it was converted into a hotel in 2007. Formerly known as the Alamo National Bank Building before the conversion.[30][31][32]
Also known as the Nix Medical Center. Upon completion, it was the tallest hospital in the United States. Plans are in place to renovate it into residential units. Tallest building completed in San Antonio in the 1930s.[33]
The following table includes buildings under construction in San Antonio that are planned to be at least 200ft (61 m) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. The “Year” column indicates the expected year of completion.
Name
Image
Height ft (m)
Floors
Year
Purpose
Notes
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-
-
-
-
-
Proposed
The following table includes approved and proposed buildings in San Antonio that are expected to be at least 200ft (61 m) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. The “Year” column indicates the expected year of completion. A dash “–“ indicates information about the building’s height, floor count, or year of completion is unknown or has not been released.
The new Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center opened in 2017 next to the original medical center. Services were then systematically moved from the old building into the new one. Demolished between 2023 and 2024.[66][67][68][69]
12345Sources do not state the exact height of this building. This figure was determined using Google Earth by subtracting the altitude of the building's lowest main pedestrian open-air entrance from its highest architectural point.
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