Reunion Tower, also known locally as “The Ball,” was completed on February 2, 1978, and instantly transformed the Dallas skyline – especially at night thanks to its 130 watt incandescent light bulbs that encircled the top in a ball shaped dome.
The tower, located about 1000 feet from Dealey Plaza (the site of the John F. Kennedy assassination), contains three floors with circular floor plans on top of four shafts of poured-in-place concrete. A central cylindrical shaft houses both stairs and mechanical equipment. Three rectangular shafts, featuring elevators, rise parallel to the central shaft. Each shaft’s outfacing wall is made up of glass panels, providing tourists views of the city during the 68-second elevator ride to the top.
The top three floors are encased in an open-air geodesic dome sphere, formed by aluminum struts. Every one of the struts’ 260 intersections is covered by aluminum circles with lights in the center.
Originally, the lights were 130-watt incandescent lamps. Over the years, however, the iconic “ball” has been transformed by LED technology.
Currently the globe at the tower’s top is illuminated with 259 custom LED fixtures, manufactured by Altman Lighting. Wiedamark, a Dallas-based LED lighting company, led the development, installation, and programming of the lights. The new LED lighting system with all its color and animation capabilities requires less than one fifth of the electricity of the old system.
Every fixture utilizes several RGB LED lights that are diffused behind a 3/4-inch-thick opaque glass cover. While each fixture is very large (at nearly 16 inches in diameter), they function in the same way as a pixel on a screen. By varying the intensity of red, green, and blue, the system is able to create every visible color – from pinks and purples to white. By moving these colors around the globe at a fluid rate, animations and movement are perceived. The system includes control hardware and DMX protocols for animations.
Each fixture is manufactured from solid cast stainless steel and weighs over 20 pounds.
The lighting on the globe is often used for special events and holidays across the city. For example, the globe is illuminated with festive animations during the winter holidays, lit green for St. Patrick’s day, and red white and blue for patriotic events.
Reunion Tower and its famous lighted globe have appeared in several famous movies and television shows including the opening credits of the famous TV show “Dallas”.
Featured Image Courtesy of Reunion Tower.
