TANDY LIGHT CONTROL (TLC): Remembering the Past - Preserving for the Future
Tandy Center 1975
Integrated Interiors Project Profile
In 1975 Tandy Center broke ground in downtown Fort Worth. The twin 20-story towers became the new headquarters of Tandy Corp. and anchored a major downtown development. It contained an upscale retail shopping center with an indoor ice skating rink and had its own privately owned subway system.
© Integrated Interiors
The Tandy Tower LIghts
Lots of Bulbs - Lots of Work
The Tower faces were configured with hundreds of incandescent light bulbs. Each "wall" had an array of 6 bulbs wide x 58 high. Tandy Corporation would pay a window washing service a fee to manually screw and unscrew the individual bulbs in order to "spell out the desired message", approximately 7 times per year.
The Messages
Common messages included "TANDY CENTER", "STOCK SHOW" (when the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo was taking place), "PEACE JOY" at Christmas, "HAPPY FOURTH", "UNITED WAY" during fundraising events, and "PIANO MUSIC" during the Van Cliburn Piano Competition. Two large Christmas candles also made their appearance during the holiday years with special red bulbs.