The World's Littlest Skyscraper has been popping up in the news lately so I took a trip downtown to see what's inside.

I started by taking a better look at the outside of this legendary little building in downtown Wichita Falls.

Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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That single door on the right was the original entry point into one of the biggest booondoggles to hit Wichita Falls.

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Dave Diamond
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Standing outside the front door and looking up it's pretty impressive. For a four story building.

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Dave Diamond
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That 'Re-elect Dave Allred' sign has been there for a long, long time. But more on that later. Let's go inside and see what's up.

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Dave Diamond
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The front door to the Littlest Skyscraper is actually the door to the Newby-McMahon building and faces 7th street. The main area just inside the door is filled with interesting and unusual re-sale items for Hello Again, the business that has been occupying this space for quite a while now.

There's another large room just off to the left.

Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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Turning to the right will take you to another showroom and the building's owner, Jan Saville.

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Dave Diamond
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Jan and her husband, Mike, have been operating Hello Again from this location for more than six years and just recently stopped renting the space and  purchased it for themselves. Jan says she tells the story of the Littlest Skyscraper dozens of times a day as curious shoppers venture in. Then she points them to the stairs so they can explore on their own.

Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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Yup, that narrow flight of wooden stairs is the only way to get to any of the upper levels of the Littlest Skyscraper. There are explanations along the way to tell you about the building's history.

Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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Yup, it was a bit of a boondoggle back in the day, and it's really amazing that the building is still standing, useable, and gathering as much attention as it is.

The second and third floor currently have more merchandise on display.

Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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There's even an old architectural drawing of the building.

Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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The crossed out part on the lower right corner was the part that told the actual scale of the building. Sneaky.

While there are only four floors, the view from the top is pretty impressive.

Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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That's Big Blue off in the distance.

Oh, yeah. I promised to tell you more about Dave Allred, there's an explanation hanging on the wall.

Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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According to the University of Houston Libraries, he was a very well-respected Texas Representative who served seven two-year terms for the people of Wichita County beginning in the mid 1960s. So unless that sign on the outside wall has been repainted a few times it goes back a long way.

Over the years the World's Littlest Skyscraper and the Newby-McMahon buildings have seen booms and busts, been documented by Ripley's Believe It Or Not, even made an appearance on the Texas Bucket List, but they seem to have finally found a niche in downtown Wichita Falls as a home for resale furniture and home decorations. Hello Again is open Tuesday through Saturday so head downtown and do a bit of historical exploring for yourself. Jan and Mike would love to tell you more about their building. You'll find it at 511, 7th Street, at the corner of 7th and LaSalle.

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