Great Plains Life Insurance
Company Building

Metro Tower

The Great Plains Life Insurance Company Building is a 20-story high rise office building in downtown Lubbock, Texas. It is an excellent example of a mid-twentieth century International Style high-rise office building. Noted West Texas architect, David S. Castle, designed the building, which was completed in 1955. The building was and still is the tallest building in Lubbock. The building is the second tallest in the country to survive an F5 tornado, which struck in 1970, and the subsequent studies of the damage to the building informed the 1972 National Building Code and led to the development of the Fujita Scale used to measure the size and impact of tornados. The building was repaired and structurally reinforced in the mid-1970s and has been continually occupied by commercial tenants since.

In 2019, Missouri-based development group, MRE Capital, embarked on a project to rehabilitate the upper floors of the building into residential units. Rosin Preservation was hired to prepare the National Register nomination and facilitate the historic tax credit process. Collaborating with MRE, Wallace Architects, and Eastland Construction, Rosin Preservation has helped guide design to ensure compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and continues to consult on appropriate treatment as construction progresses.

In 2021, the Great Plains Life Insurance Company Building will have transformed from commercial to residential, and Lubbock residents can call the 1955 skyscraper home.