Dallas skyscraper heights fall behind Houston, Austin

Why it matters: Dallas boasted the tallest building in Texas — and west of the Mississippi — first in 1909 with the Praetorian Building. Then several other Dallas buildings held the distinction.

• But the city stopped growing upward in 1985, when the Bank of America Plaza was built.

By the numbers: Fort Worth and Dallas skyscrapers combined measure 29,725, still short of Houston's combined skyscraper height of 30,498 feet.

• Austin falls behind Houston's height with 23,582 feet.
• San Antonio lags with just over 10,000 feet in combined high-rise height.

Yes, but: Houston won't be No. 1 for long. Austin is expected to be the tallest Texas city by 2026, per Texas Real Estate Source.

• The 74-story Waterline tower in downtown Austin will soon be the tallest building in Texas at 1,022 feet tall, per the Austin American-Statesman.

Flashback: Dallas' first building taller than 150 meters was built in 1943. The Mercantile Building was the only U.S. office building constructed during World War II, per city records.

• Houston got its first in 1962 when the El Paso Energy Building was completed, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
• Austin's Frost Bank Tower became the city's first building taller than 150 meters in 2004.

The bottom line: In a literal tower-measuring contest, Dallas loses.

• Well, except when compared to San Antonio.