The 10-story office building was imploded right on schedule at 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
BAYTOWN, Texas — A piece of Baytown’s skyline and history are now a thing of the past.
ExxonMobil’s Main Office Building, affectionately called the “White House” by locals, was imploded at 6:30 a.m. Saturday. The 10-story structure, located at Decker and Rollingbrook drives, had stood since 1971 and served as a prominent symbol of the company’s long-standing presence in the city.
For Maria Rosas, who’s lived across the street from the building for 26 years, it was more than just a building. It was part of her daily view, and her family history.
“You can see all the way to this white building,” Rosas said, as she pulled back the curtains in her dining room. “Especially if the blinds were open, you see it?”
The building, which has been vacant since late last year, was taken down as part of ExxonMobil’s modernization and growth efforts. While the company hasn’t yet announced plans for the land, according to the company employees have already been relocated for what it describes as improved collaboration.
Rosas says she’ll miss having the familiar sight just outside her window and the memories it holds.
“As they say, everything comes to an end,” she said.
“I’ve had a lot of relatives that worked at that building,” Rosas said. Her cousins were engineers there. Her mother-in-law cleaned the offices. Friends worked in maintenance.
Rosas said the building was important to Baytown history.
ExxonMobil Plant Manager Kimberly Haas echoed the sentiment, saying the building has long been more than just a workplace.
“Yes indeed, this building behind us has been with us for over 50 years,” Haas said. “It’s more than a building to us ExxonMobil, as well as the community.”
She says the company hosted countless community events and holiday celebrations there over the decades. Haas called Saturday’s demolition “the end of an era, but the start of a new chapter.”
“One that ExxonMobil is committed to continuing to invest in this area and strengthen that relationship with the Baytown community,” she said.
