Once,
this was the crown jewel of Houston's skyline, and
today is the only full-blown example of Italian Renaissance
architecture in the downtown. It is wonderfully detailed
with columns, great urns, terraces, and a grand tempietto
at the top similar to one built in 1502 in the courtyard
of San Pietro in Rome.
It is lit up at night. Because of its history, this
structure is properly referred to in the plural. Mellie
Esperson had the building constructed for her husband,
Niels, a Texas real estate and oil tycoon. His name
is carved on the side of the building in large letters
at street level. The name "Mellie Esperson"
is carved on her accompanying structure, known as
the Mellie Esperson building. It is really just a
19-story annex to the originally building, and the
reason the two are termed collectively. The Esperson
buildings have the curious habit of popping up when
you least expect it, as it did in the photo of the
Chase Tower elsewhere
on this site. Because of its central location and
lack of any taller next-door neighbors, this architectural
ghost of the Espersons is able to haunt millions of
people daily from its lofty perch.
- The
ghost of Mellie Esperson is said to roam the "Mellie"
building. The elevator malfunctions and employees
say they feel "watched."
Kristie - 15 March, 2003: