This 40-foot "skyscraper" in Wichita Falls, Texas is a monument to one very creative real estate scam. The "World's Littlest Skyscraper," as the tower is called now, was built by a con artist who collected $200,000 from eager investors. His trick? He listed the building's height in inches instead of feet.
During Texas's oil boom of 1919, a developer named J.D. McMahon capitalized on Wichita Falls' desperate need for office space by promising investors a towering high-rise. McMahon's blueprints said the building would stand 480" tall. He never clarified this meant inches, and not feet.
The resulting four-story brick structure measured just 18 feet deep and 10 feet wide, with interior dimensions of only 12 by 9 feet. Although the investors sued McMahon over the miniature building, a local judge ruled the contract legally binding since the blueprints' measurements were technically accurate. The tiny tower became such an embarrassment that it was featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not! as "the world's littlest skyscraper."
After surviving decades of neglect, fires, and threats of demolition, the building was restored in 2005. It now operates as a tourist attraction within the city's historic district. The Texas Historical Commission has even declared it a Texas Historic Landmark. I think that the World's Littlest Skyscraper is much more charming than a tall skyscraper would have been in this town, and it also has the best name.
By Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
