The UT Tower is 59 feet wide on each side.
- Before the observation deck was closed in the 1970's, it was visited by up to 70,000 people a year.
- The four clock faces of the tower are clad in gold leaf and measure 12 feet across.
- The UT Tower is also a 56-bell carillon, the largest and tallest carillon in Texas. The largest bell weighs in at 7,350 pounds.
- The tower has become a symbol of Austin since its construction, almost as much as the State Capitol.
- In August 1965 a fire started in the 20th floor bookstacks, believed to be started by sparks from a torch, causing some books to catch on fire. There was considerable damage to the Hoblitzelle Theater Arts Library which houses the P.T. Barnum and Harry Houdini collections.
- Tallest building built during the 1930s in Austin.
- Built as Austin's second-tallest building, the tower sparked controversy because it was the first building to rival the State Capitol's height. Its site is 6 feet higher (606 ft above sea level) than the capitol.
- The tower is the centerpiece of the University of Texas at Austin. In 1966 a student on the observation deck shot and killed 13 people, hitting 30 others. The deck was closed in the early 70's because of 2 attempted sucides from the deck and its dark history. In 1999 the deck was reopened with guard rails in place and guided tours.