Esperson Buildings
Commercial offices in Houston, Texas From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Niels and Mellie Esperson Buildings are a building complex in downtown Houston, Texas. Mary Ann Azevedo of the Houston Business Journal said that they were "among the most recognizable" buildings in Downtown.[7]
| Niels and Mellie Esperson Buildings | |
|---|---|
 The Niels Esperson Building | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical Art Deco/Art Moderne |
| Location | Travis and Walker Streets Houston, Texas |
| Coordinates | 29.7590°N 95.3653°W |
| Completed | Niels tower: 1927 Mellie tower: 1939–1941 |
| Height | |
| Roof | Niels tower: 125 m (410 ft) Mellie tower: 82.9 m (272 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | Niels tower: 32 Mellie tower: 19 |
| Floor area | 570,044 sq ft (52,958.8 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | John Eberson |
| References | |
| [1][2][3][4][5][6] | |
The Niels Esperson Building is the only complete example of Italian Renaissance architecture in Downtown Houston.[2] Designed by theater architect John Eberson, the Esperson buildings were built in 1927 and 1941, respectively. They are elaborately detailed with massive columns, great urns, terraces, and a grand tempietto at the top, similar to one built in the courtyard of San Pietro in Rome in 1502.[2]
Mellie Esperson had the first of the two buildings constructed for her husband, Niels, a real estate and oil tycoon. His name is carved on the side of the building, above the entrance, in large letters. The name "Mellie Esperson" is carved on the accompanying structure, known as the Mellie Esperson building, although that structure is only a nineteen-story annex to the original Esperson building;[2] thus is the newer of both buildings and it is not as tall. Also, instead of it being of neo-classical design, it was constructed in Art-Deco style.
Sherry Thomas of USA Today said that rumors of the buildings being haunted existed.[8] The ghost of Mellie Esperson is said to have haunted the building.[9] In 2007 Cameron Management Inc. sold the Esperson buildings to Seligman Western Enterprises Ltd.[7]
Pamphlet of Neils Esperson Building, 1926
The tempietto of the Niels Esperson Building
The entrance to the Niels Esperson Building
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Esperson buildings.
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
