Tower of the Americas turns 57

👋 Madalyn here with a little San Antonio history: Today marks the 57th anniversary of the opening of the Tower of the Americas.

Flashback: Built as the centerpiece of HemisFair '68, the tower opened just days after the World's Fair debuted on April 6, rising 750 feet above San Antonio.

• It symbolized the city's future, with its space-age design and a revolving restaurant boasting sweeping views of a city stepping into the global spotlight.

Zoom in: As someone who grew up near downtown, it was more than the Jetsons-like structure in our skyline.

• The tower has always been a signal that I was almost home after a long road trip, whether as a kid in the back seat or as an adult behind the wheel.
• In my early career days, I'd glance in the rearview mirror heading south from downtown after a long day of work — and there it was, standing tall, like an old friend quietly cheering me on.
• And it's photobombed plenty of selfies.

Even now, I still pause to take photos of it — my camera roll after Final Four weekend proves it.

🥂 Here's to a structure that keeps showing up in our stories, generation after generation.