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Charles Whitman
Home » Austin » History of Austin » Charles WhitmanThe University of Texas tower which was built in 1937 and today, it attracts about 20,000 visitors every year. It is a major landmark for Austin. At 307 foot high, it is one of the tallest buildings in Texas and it provides outstanding views of Austin and the campus grounds if you dare climb to the very top. Unfortunately, the tower has seen various disasters over the years from accidental deaths to suicides but the worst crime of all was to occur on 1st August 1966.
Charles Whitman an experienced sharp shooter climbed 231 feet in the bell tower and for 90 agonising minutes there was constant shooting with a sniper rifle, he killed 16 people and wounded 30. Whitman was eventually cornered on one observation deck of the bell tower and was killed instantly by a blow to the head from two police officers that snuck through the barricades.
As a result of this incident, the tower was subsequently closed to the public in 1966 and only re-opened again in September 1999. Despite the events of that terrible day, the tower is still a major part of Austin’s history and that will never change.
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