The ALICO Building is a 22-story office building in downtownWaco, 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 (86m) tall, it is currently the tallest building in Waco.[4]
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$26,087,946 in 2025), and was completed in one year.[4][5][6] It was the tallest building West of the Mississippi River until the Adolphus Hotel was completed in 1912. 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 1958, 15-foot tall red neon letters with the name ALICO were added to the top of the building, with the installation of the final "O" completed on November 12, 1958. [9]
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 a modern façade on the lower floors.[4]
