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• At the time of the building's completion, the four penthouses were sold for between
US$25 and US$35,000,000.00.
• This was the site of the 26-storey New York Coliseum, which was demolished in 2000.
• 27 February 2003 – A topping-out ceremony is held for the podium of the AOL Time
Warner Center.
• 9 April 2003 – A dozen firefighters are hurt when flames swept through several floors of
the as-yet-unfinished tower. The cause is believed to be a space heater, or a portable device
used to dry concrete. The New York Times reports there have been a number of unfortunate in-
cidents at the tower, including two deaths, three OSHA fines, and a number of falls.
• 11 July 2003 – It is announced that a British man is paying record US $45,000,000.00 for
one of the ten penthouses at the still-not-quite-finished AOL Time Warner Center in Manhat-
tan. The 12,600-square-foot penthouse is two-storeys tall and will have 25-foot-tall glass walls
wrapping all the way around, giving spectacular views. The terrace also goes all the way around
and has views rivaled only by the observation deck at the Empire State Building.
• 6 April 2003 – Mayor Bloomberg temporarily halts construction at the building after a
man is grazed by a 22-inch piece of metal that fell off the building.
DOWNTOWN AQUARIUM
The people of Houston are easily divided into two camps: those who make things happen,
and those who scoff at progress and do nothing. Fortunately, toward the end of the last millen-
nium, the man behind the Landry's theme restaurant chain had an idea. He decided to get on
board the downtown renovation bandwagon and be a pioneer, rather than one of rabble sitting
in the back of the school bus throwing spitballs.
The notion of a Downtown Aquarium was born. But where to put it? Along Buffalo Bayou
was a natural choice, but so many sites are completely unsuitable due to access problems, park-
ing constraints, or just because they are in really scary neighborhoods. In the end, an unlikely
choice was picked – in the shadow of, and underneath the Pierce Elevated highway. Even
aquarium supporters thought that was a strange location.
It's a dark, musty corner of town. Even the Hobby Center turned its back on it. But Aquar-
ium backers pressed on, and managed to convince the city to part with not only Fire Station
Number One, but also the old Central Water Works building. The fire station wasn't merely
gutted; it was stripped all the way down to its steel skeleton, and completely re-built.
The water works building was outfitted with a massive tank with a tunnel running through
it. By the time it was finished, the Downtown Aquarium was a marvel of blue neon. A fantasy
to rival the intentions of Disney, and a microcosm of good, clean family fun in the heart of the
city.
By the time it opened, the location no longer seemed strange. In fact, the Aquarium's neon
seemed to form a symbolic link with the neon of the Hard Rock Café, and other venues of
Bayou Place, just across the water. Now those who lined up to throw stones at the project are
lining up to get in, dragged along by their children to the city's aquatic novelty, and dragging
those suburban dollars back downtown.
• The Aquarium has 500,000 gallons of water.
• Smallest fish at the Aquarium: the tetra, weighing 2 ounces.
• Largest fish at the Aquarium: the sand tiger, weighing 300 pounds.
• At the time that it opened, the Aquarium housed 7,000 fish.
