ALICO Building

The ALICO Building is a 22-story office building in downtown Waco, Texas, United States, located at the intersection of Austin and 5th Street.^[3] The building is currently owned and operated by the American-Amicable Life Insurance Company of Texas (a subsidiary of Industrial Alliance). At 282 feet (86 m) tall, it is currently the tallest building in Waco.^[4]

ALICO Building
Upper floors of ALICO building
Location within Texas Show map of Texas ALICO Building (the United States) Show map of the United States
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Office
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts
Address	425 Austin Avenue
Town or city	Waco, Texas
Country	United States of America
Coordinates	31°33′25.2″N 97°7′55.2″W
Current tenants	American-Amicable Life Insurance Company of Texas
Construction started	August 1910 (1910-08)
Opened	August 1911
Renovated	1966
Cost	US$755,000 (equivalent to US$25,478,554 in 2024)
Height	282 feet (86 m)
Technical details
Structural system	Steel
Material	Brick, Terra Cotta
Floor count	22
Lifts/elevators	3
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Sanguinet & Staats
Website
Official website
ALICO Building
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Part of	Waco Downtown Historic District (ID11001094[1])
RTHL No.	118[2]
Significant dates
Designated CP	February 3, 2012
Designated RTHL	1982
References
[3]

History

Postcard displaying downtown Waco, including the ALICO building (circa 1913)

The ALICO building was built in 1910 by the architectural firm Sanguinet & Staats for the Amicable Life Insurance Company at a cost of US$755,000 (equivalent to US$25,478,554 in 2024), and was completed in one year.^[4][5][6] It is the second oldest skyscraper built in Texas as well as the oldest skyscraper in Texas still standing, after the Praetorian Building in Dallas, built in the year prior to ALICO,^[7] was demolished in 2013.

The ALICO Building was not heavily damaged by the 1953 Waco tornado outbreak, unlike many buildings in downtown Waco.^[3] It swayed several feet when directly hit by the F5 tornado, although the building escaped severe damage or collapse.^[5][8]

In 1965, Amicable Life Insurance Company and American Life Insurance Company merged to become the American-Amicable Life Insurance Company, the current tenant of the building. In 1966, the building underwent renovations, including the addition of the large neon sign at the top of the building displaying the acronym "ALICO".^[4]

In 1982, the ALICO building was designated a historical landmark by the Texas Historical Commission.^[2] In 2012, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Waco Downtown Historic District.^[9]