Milam Building facts for kids
The Milam Building in San Antonio, Texas, stands about 280 feet (90 m) tall. When it opened in 1928, this 21-story building was the tallest made of brick and reinforced concrete in the United States. It was also the very first high-rise office building to have air conditioning built right in! The building was designed by George Willis and named after Benjamin Milam, a hero from the Texas Revolution. Because of this, the only flag flying on top of the building is the Lone Star flag.
Building History
The Milam Building has seen many changes over the years, including different owners. Big companies like Mobil, Shell, and Exxon once had their Texas offices here before moving to Houston.
Amazing Design
The Milam Building has over 210,000 square feet of space. Its most famous feature was being the first office building in the United States with built-in air conditioning. The building was named after Colonel Ben Milam, a brave leader in the Texas Revolution.
The company that built it, Milam Company, proudly advertised the air conditioning as its main selling point. They called it Carrier's "Manufactured Weather." This meant that doors and windows could stay closed all year. This made the inside of the building cleaner and quieter. The air conditioning worked on all 21 floors, even in the basement!
How the Air Conditioning Worked
The Carrier Engineering Corporation put in the special air-conditioning system. It promised to keep the building at a cool 75 °F (24 °C) with comfortable humidity. While some smaller places like stores had air conditioning before, a tall office building needed new technology. This system used ducts to move cool air all through the building.
The Milam Building's cooling system had 11 units with fans, dehumidifiers, and heaters. It also had two large cooling units that could make up to 375 tons of cold water. This water was stored in tanks and pumped through pipes. Air was then sent through ducts with special vents and controls. Most of this equipment was in the building's basement.
This early air conditioner was inspired by a German mine shaft compressor. Big blocks of ice were even placed in the basement to help the cooling unit. This huge chiller, which was 18 feet (10 m) long, worked for 60 years until 1989! Carrier used this as an example of how good design can last a long time. Creating this "artificial climate" in a skyscraper meant solving many new engineering problems.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers recognized how great Carrier's "Manufactured Weather" was. Cool offices helped keep tenants happy. The offices became more comfortable and efficient. Building owners could even charge 10 to 15 percent more rent for these air-conditioned spaces. So, the Milam Building became the first high-rise, fully air-conditioned office building in the United States.
See also
In Spanish: Milam Building para niños
