World's littlest skyscraper

Newby–McMahon Building
Newby–McMahon Building
	Photographed in January 2016
General information
Type	Mixed-use
Location	Wichita Falls, Texas, United States
Coordinates	33°54′52″N 98°29′23″W / 33.9144°N 98.4897°W
Construction started	1919
Completed	1919
Opening	1919
Cost	$200,000 (equivalent to $3,514,779 in 2023)
Height
Roof	12.2 m (40.0 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	4 habitable floors
Floor area	40 m2 (430 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Michael Beards
Structural engineer	J. D. McMahon
Main contractor	J. D. McMahon
	Newby–McMahon Building
	U.S. Historic district; Contributing property
Part of	Depot Square Historic District (Wichita Falls, Texas) (ID03001552)
Designated CP	February 4, 2004
References

The Newby-McMahon Building, commonly referred to as the World's littlest skyscraper, is located at 511 7th Street^[4] (on the corner of Seventh and La Salle streets) in downtown Wichita Falls, Texas.^[5] It is a late Neoclassical style red brick and cast stone structure. It stands 40 ft (12 m) tall, and its exterior dimensions are 18 ft (5.5 m) deep and 10 ft (3.0 m) wide.^[2] Its interior dimensions are approximately 12 ft (3.7 m) by 9 ft (2.7 m), or approximately 108 sq ft (10.0 m²). Steep, narrow, internal stairways leading to the upper floors occupy roughly 25% of the interior area.^[3]

Reportedly the result of a fraudulent investment scheme by a con artist, the Newby-McMahon Building was a source of great embarrassment to the city and its residents after its completion in 1919. During the 1920s, the building was featured in Robert Ripley's Ripley's Believe It or Not! syndicated column as "the world's littlest skyscraper,"^[6] a nickname that has stuck with it ever since. It is now part of the Depot Square Historic District of Wichita Falls, a Texas Historic Landmark.

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