Every now and then something perfect happens. A plan so simple yet so effective – so stupid yet so brilliant – comes to fruition and the world becomes a better place. Or in the case of the World’s Littlest Skyscraper, the world becomes a better place for everyone except the investors of the World’s Littlest Skyscraper.
The story starts as so many in Texas do: An oil boom happened in 1912 near the city of Wichita Falls, Texas. With thousands of new settlers and millions of dollars flooding into the area, it only seemed right that the city of Wichita Falls should have a tremendous new building in which to conduct business.
Enter J.D. McMahon, our hero/obviously the villain.
McMahon had an oil company in the area but was also an engineer from Philly. He wanted in on this sweet oil action, and, being an engineer, he knew he could build something that would do the job. What he also knew was that an oil boom makes for a lot of desperate people. The original proposal suggested a place where business transactions could seamlessly take place in a professional setting instead of the widely reported “mineral rights deals conducted on street corners.”
McMahon sold the idea like a champ. Over the next few months he managed to weasel about $200,000 (about $3 million in present-day money) in investment capital from people who wanted a chunk of the high-rise he was proposing. Of course, McMahon had no intention of actually building anything close to resembling a high-rise.
McMahon’s building crews constructed a “skyscraper” that stood all of 40 feet tall. As if that wasn’t enough, the usable interior space of the building was about 12 x 9 feet, or about 110 square feet per floor, and there were four floors. The ground floor had space for six desks, each representing the original six companies which used the previously established building annex, but there was really no space for more than those six desks, and it’s unclear if anyone even used them.
At this point you’re thinking the obvious: The investors must have raised hell!
Boy, do I have news for you.
J.D. McMahon, in all his glory, managed to write into the contract that the building would stand 480″ that’s inches – instead of 480′ – that’s feet. Eager to make a buck off of the skyscraper and ensuing rental income, investors never paid any attention. As a result, since it was right there in the contract, the lawsuits over the building were all decided in favor of McMahon.
HE PULLED A STONEHENGE FROM THIS IS SPINAL TAP AND IT ACTUALLY WORKED.
The icing on the cake is this line, from the Wiki page: “By the time construction was complete, McMahon had left Wichita Falls and perhaps even Texas, taking with him the balance of the investors’ money.”
Incredible work. The man is a legend.
(Photo credit: Joseph)