When completed in 1949, the Shamrock was the largest hotel in the U.S., with 1,100 rooms, an attached convention center, parking garage, and landscaped entrance. It also boasted the largest outdoor swimming pool in the U.S. — so vast it could hold a waterski demonstration. Set in what was then the suburbs, the Shamrock was a magnet for development out of the downtown Houston business center. The large-scale project also led the construction industry recovery from World War II and set the stage for the boom to follow. While the hotel drew national attention to Houston, time was not so kind. The sheer size of the Shamrock doomed it financially. Smaller, more competitive hotels and motels soon grew around it. When demolished, a crowd of loyal Houstonian’s gathered to mourn and protest its passing.