DALLAS -- Two historic towers that gave the Twin Stacks Center its name in Dallas have stood as landmarks there since they were built in the 1940s and 1950s. Now their owners are working to help them stand the test of time.
"We said, 'what's the best way to preserve these into posterity?' And the best was to take them from 120 to 80 feet and that's what we did," said Lynn Banta, whose family owns the center.
Brick by brick, crews are tearing down part of the twin stacks off Memorial Highway in Dallas in an effort to stabilize the towers.
The project is costing the Twin Stacks Center about $100,000, a more expensive price tag than tearing the towers down. But Banta said the history of the towers and the old silk mill that used to employ 200 people here is too important to throw away.
"The first chimp to go into space had his space suit made here, and one of the employees brought us back a picture of that, and pictures of the banquets they would have -- it really meant a lot to the community," Banta said.
Mildred Wheeler knows a lot about its history. She worked in the towers in the '40s and '50s back when it was a silk mill.
"It was a great place to work!" Wheeler said.
To shorten the stacks, crews tossed bricks down the center of the towers. But if you do want one of this bricks for yourself, down the road, Twin Stacks will be selling a limited supply of them, and proceeds will go to a local charity.
The Twin Stacks Center is home to small businesses. Banta said the old stacks are here to stay.
