Best in the West

As I continue the tour of my new hometown, Waco, Texas, I headed downtown on this bright Sunday afternoon. First, I thought to photograph the beautiful McLennan County Courthouse, a majestic Beaux Arts edifice built in 1909, modeled after St. Peter's in Rome. At the turn of the century, cotton was king and the county's movers and shakers wanted to show off their status and wealth. It's a beautiful building, and as they say, "they just don't make 'em like they used to."


But I chose to use the ALICO building as my "photo of the day" as the iconic Waco building because I think it tells so much about the hopes and dreams for this city in the heart of Texas. It is 22 stories, built in 1910-11, for a newly formed insurance company, "Amicable Life Insurance Company."

The building was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi until 1929. Its height was made possible by new building techniques and elevator designs. It speaks of the vision people of the city had for their hometown but which never really materialized. The skyscraper still stands alone, blue sky all around it. It was spared by the 1953 F-5 tornado that devastated the surrounding area, but the downtown never seemed to catch its breath after that.