Why Is There a Tree on Top of Uptown's Newest Office Tower?

In case you were wondering, that really is a Christmas tree on top of the new Park District office tower under construction at Pearl Street and Woodall Rodgers Freeway.No, the owners of the new Uptown Dallas high-rise aren't trying to get a jump on the holidays.The mounting of an evergreen on top of the building signals that after more than a year of construction the 19-story office tower is topped out.It's part of a traditional ceremony that dates back to ancient times in Northern Europe.Something about keeping the tree gods happy or some such malarkey.What it really means is that the 540,000-square-foot office tower being developed by Trammell Crow Co. and Metropolitan Life Insurance is still on track to open later this year.Construction on the 32-story residential tower being built next door still has a ways to go.  Continue reading...