HOUSTON | Niels Esperson Building | 410' - 32 FLRS | 1927

[Double L]

The Niels and Mellie Esperson buildings were once the crown jewels of Houston's skyline.

The Niels Esperson building is the only complete examples of Italian Renaissance architecture in Downtown Houston. Designed by 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.

[Xeelee]

classic.

[plinko]

The Esperson Building lit up:

[Wattleigh]

HAIFer jermh shares this...

I toured the building at the AIA Houston Soar to High Heights: Niels Esperson Building event today, and they talked a bit about this. They said it's challenging because the fire escapes must be enclosed for residential. It sounded like an expensive hurdle, but they still are entertained by the idea.

Attached are a few cellphone shots from the tour. A really interesting thing was the HVAC system in the basement, which is from the 1930s. It functions similarly to a swamp cooler and the recent addition of a heat exchanger that connects the building to the Downtown chill water cooling loop.

And photos of and from the building - especially the cupola.

























Video of the unique cooling system in action.

https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/...778b8ddbe1.mp4

[Wattleigh]

c/o hindesky on HAIF

[RylandForsyth]

Nice, I love it.