The Milam Building is a historic 21-story building in downtown

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. Built in 1928, it was the tallest building in San Antonio and the tallest

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

and

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

structure in the United States standing at . It is also known to be the first high-rise

air-conditioned Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...

office building An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...

in the United States. The building was designed by George Willis, engineered by M.L. Diver, and constructed by L.T. Wright and Company. The building was named in honor of the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...

historical figure

Benjamin Milam Benjamin Rush "Ben" Milam (October 20, 1788 – December 7, 1835) was an American colonist of Mexican Texas and a military leader and hero of the Texas Revolution. A native of what is now Kentucky, Milam fought beside American interests during t ...

, noted for his leadership during the Texas Revolution. In keeping with that motif, the only flag that flies atop the tower is the Lone Star flag.

History

The Milam Building has undergone many events, including fires,

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, and ownership changes. It was owned by Principal Mutual Life Insurance Co. of Des Moines, Iowa while the law firm of Maloney & Maloney occupied the top three floors. The 1950s had a tenancy by Mobil,

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

, the

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, and Exxon used the building for their Texas headquarters, before they moved to

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. The 1960s saw a tenancy by the men's clothing firm Hutchins Brothers in the specially designed Argyle Room as a permanent retail store within the building. George Willis was the architect of the building. The Milam Building was listed on

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2014. The building was the first high rise office building in the world that was completely air conditioned and the first high rise that was built with no steel girders, only

Design

The building contains 210,851 square-feet within the tower structure and it was the first office building in the United States with built-in air conditioning when constructed. The general contractor was L.T. Wright and Company and the architect was George Willis, a student of

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

. The

building engineer A building engineer is recognised as being expert in the use of technology for the design, construction, assessment and maintenance of the built environment. Commercial Building Engineers are concerned with the planning, design, construction, op ...

was M. L. Diver. The building was named after Colonel Ben Milam, a leader in the Texas revolution. The Milam Company advertising proclaimed air conditioning as the building's principal feature, naming it Carrier's "Manufactured Weather." The building shares an architectonic character with New York's seminal

Barclay-Vesey Building The Verizon Building (also known as 100 Barclay, the Barclay–Vesey Building, and the New York Telephone Company Building) is an office and residential building at 140 West Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The 32-story building was ...

. Exterior ornamentation is kept to a minimum, except at the top of the building.

Air-conditioning system

This early air conditioner system was modeled from a German

mine shaft Shaft mining or shaft sinking is the action of excavating a mine shaft from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom. Shallow shafts, typically sunk for civil engineering projects, differ greatly in execution method from ...

compressor. Large ice chunks were deposited in the building's basement to aid the chilling unit. The long chiller remained in service until October 1989. Its 60 years of service was trumpeted by Carrier as proving good design leading to longevity. In designing and executing this installation, and creating an artificial climate, at least nine new mechanical construction problems had to be addressed not previously encountered in skyscrapers. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers recognized that Carrier's "Manufactured Weather" had many benefits. Cooled offices helped in tenant retention. The office environment became more efficient and hospitable due to the elimination or reduction of unwanted elements. The building owners also found they could charge a premium of 10 to 15 percent more rent for air conditioned offices. In short, the deal between Travis Investment Company and Carrier Engineering resulted in the first high-rise, fully air conditioned, office building in the United States.

References

Citations

Sources

* *

External links

* * With Texas State Flag flying atop the tower.
Milam Building home page
*

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Unedited video of rappelling down the face of the building for the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in ...

. * {{cite web , url=http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=milam+building+san+antonio+haunted&view=detail&mid=C67C868D5FA9F672AF56C67C868D5FA9F672AF56&FORM=VIRE8 , title=Over the Edge Milam Building San Antonio Texas , date=October 21, 2013 , format=Video , access-date=December 11, 2015

Edited video of rappelling down the face of the building for the Special Olympics. 1928 establishments in Texas Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas National Register of Historic Places in San Antonio Office buildings completed in 1928 Skyscraper office buildings in San Antonio