Praetorian Building (Waco, Texas)

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Praetorian Building
Praetorian building 2009.jpg
Praetorian Building in 2009
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Praetorian Building
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Praetorian Building
Location601 Franklin Ave.,
Waco, Texas
Coordinates 31°33′18″N97°7′55″W / 31.55500°N 97.13194°W / 31.55500; -97.13194
Arealess than one acre
Built1915 (1915)
Built byHughes O'Rourke Const.
Architect C. W. Bulger & Co.
Architectural style Chicago
Part ofWaco Downtown Historic District (ID11001094 [1] )
NRHP reference No. 84001911 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 26, 1984
Designated CPFebruary 3, 2012

The Praetorian Building is a historic 7-story building located at 601 Franklin Avenue in Waco, McLennan County, Texas. Designed by the Dallas architectural firm of C. W. Bulger & Co. in the Chicago school or Modern style of architecture, it was built in 1915 by Hughes O'Rourke Construction to house the Praetorian Insurance Company whose main office, the Praetorian Building in Dallas, had been designed by C. E. Bulger in 1905. Other names the building has borne over the years include the Franklin Tower, Service Mutual Building in 1934, Southwestern Building in 1956 (the year Praetorian sold the building), [1] and Williams Tower from 1989 to 1996. [2] Today, the building houses apartments, retail, and office space. [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Hunt, Geoff (May 10, 2021). "Texas Over Time: The Praetorian Building, 601 Franklin Avenue, Waco, TX". The Texas Collection. Baylor University. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  3. Sawyer, Amanda. "The Praetorian". Waco History. Retrieved August 29, 2023.

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